1x02 Gold, Guns, and Bears

So, after the first episode which followed their epic journey just to get to their claim, we're now about to see how a group of rookie miners (not counting Jack) start to get their equipment in place, which in itself turns out to be another immense challenge.

The magnificent..err...six. Where is Pastor Mike?

The Bombshell

We are introduced to John Schnabel - owner of the Big Nugget mine, adjacent to the Hoffman claim. Its all nice happy chat until Schnabel notes that it took him 2 years to get to the gold at one of his digs. The Hoffmans are understandably aghast at this revelation. TWO years! The Hoffman team only have enough cash to get them through 3 months, and that probably includes the TV appearence money! At this point it becomes clear, the Hoffmans are already running out of time, and they've not even begun digging.

Jack in the recovered D6 Dozer

Getting the equipment in place

First, lets take note of the bonus gift that the claim had - an abandoned D6 dozer. How much did this save the Hoffman crew, 50k? With a little effort they soon get it running - which was pretty impressive to see, after all, it was said to have been idle for 3 years. This was a good endorsement for Caterpillar engineering I think :)

Later, we see the shaker being removed from the truck. It is an important part of the wash-plant system, and is one of the custom-made pieces the crew have made, it sure looks a bit rough for wear already. Just unloading the equipment was yet another trial for the Hoffman crew. Jack again seemed entirely impatient, and was taking way too many risks. I'd sure not have felt safe around him at times, this was not easy viewing!

Hungry Bears

I guess it comes down to a case of what may be the view of an ignorant city dweller, but it looked like they were overly concerned about the bears near the camp. Just what was the point of shooting one of them dead? It seemed completely pointless, and worse, its not like they even killed it whilst it was in the camp. To me, it appeared like they wanted a bear killed...and didn't much care whether it was really a threat.Certainly, this was a real low point this episode.

Curious Bear

A few other highlights

-Jack is seemingly out of control much of the time, digging holes all over the claim. Even his son Todd seems to recognise this is not the best of plans, but Jack seems to just carry on randomly digging regardless..

-The purchase of a duplex jig...yet another 30k to add to exist 150k equipment costs

-Schnabel makes the point that the Hoffmans should not be listening to Foster – from whom the Hoffmans got their claim lease from. 

This episode was the first to really start explaining just how the dirt/rock will be sifted, and the gold extracted. It soon becomes apparent that most of the gold is a really small size. The chances of them finding nuggets is small, and besides, the equipment they have is not going to be able to detect anything much larger than an inch anyway. In later episodes, I do come to wonder, just how many of these larger nuggets go in one end of the wash-plant...and straight out the other end, without the crew ever knowing. It surely amounts to many thousands of dollars in this first season.

Civilisation begins with a flag raising!

I would think anyone seeing this second episode leaves it realising just how difficult this Gold mining actually is. The fuel costs of running both the dozers and the large power generator plant (used to run the wash-plant and power the miners RVs) are a huge cost. The fact that fuel costs have been generally rising across the last few years, only makes it all the more problematic.

For the Hoffman crew...just getting everything set in place, is taking way too much time. The clock is ticking, and the pressure on them is only going to increase.

1x01 No Guts, No Glory

The story begins at Sandy Airport, Oregon. Its the place we first meet the Hoffmans. Father Jack and his son Todd, who operate a small airfield. The lousy economy is really hurting their business, and they've decided to go with 'one last hope', a Gold mining expedition to Alaska. A dream every American would also want to follow, so they proudly proclaim. Hmm, would you wanna quit your stable desk job for a venture that might end up in complete personal bankruptcy...or worse?

The EX400...the best in Japanese Engineering!

We soon learn their chosen claim is Porcupine Creek, Alaska - its a 160 acre plot..and the Hoffmans have leased the land from Earle Foster. Foster is an old friend of Jack Hoffman – who we learn already has a few decades experience in gold mining. We hear a little about how much gold might be in the claim, but we later learn the Hoffmans did not do any of their own testing -and are merely taking the lease on here say from Foster.

The Miners!

Todd Hoffman - official leader of the 'Hoffman crew'
Jack Hoffman (Todds father no less)
Jim Thurber (Safety Officer)
Greg Remsberg – (Foreman)
James Harness (team mechanic)
Jimmy Dorsey
Mike Halstead (Pastor)

Todd Displeased with Dorsey

A few initial highlights...

Dorsey manages to damage his own car via the EX400 excavator...not exactly a good sign!

A chain snap/breaks whilst trying to load equipment onto a flat-bed truck. Dorsey's comments do not please Todd, and its one of the first of many instances where Todd will slip into his overly bossy attitude. Yeah, Todd does seem to be the 'big boss man', but still, its not exactly professional.

Harness -the only experienced mechanic, arguably one of the most important people of the team, we soon learn that the poor guy is not well, and has a lengthy list of medical problems – issues that will cause untold delays to the coming mining season.

We learn the team have had to make a few pieces of critical mining equipment – a Shaker and a Trummel, and a custom water pump. They lack the funds to buy much of anything, not least anything brand new.

Besides huge amounts of food, and other essential tech supplies, the team load up on what seems like enough guns to invade and secure a small town. They claim its to defend against bears, but it does seem like literal overkill, and considering their limited budget, it seems largely a wasteful expense.

The journey just to get to Porcupine is pretty gripping viewing.

Best possible speed...to Seattle!

Despite a blown tire, and a few other minor issues, the crew do get to Seattle on time. The heavy gear leaves on a Barge, with a destination of the small Port of Haines, Alaska. Todd, and the crew themselves have to drive some 2000 miles to meet up with the barge some four days later at Haines. Its at this point, if you're not already hooked, then you never will be. This is going to be epic!

There are issues with crossing bridges, and they even have to get the EX400 across a river - since the Dept' of Transport says one of the many smaller bridges along the way is simply too weak.

Crossing the River, Todd -driving EX400

 

The first episode ends with a journey along a snowy road...and the crew successfully get everything to their claim. The mountains are indeed a beautiful sight, Jack notes to a celebratory team '...you're all millionaires, the only thing is, you gotta get it out of the ground'. Millionaires huh? Well, even if Gold was $5000 an oz...we'll later learn this hope of becoming rich is infinately harder than anyone might have feared.

The mountains surrounding Porcupine Creek

What is really great about this opening episode, we soon come to realise that we're not going to miss out on anything of this story. Its not just going to be a short story about watching a group of miners digging gold out of the ground, we'll see get to everything, from the journey to the claim....which as this episode showed, was an epic adventure in itself, to the back story of the miner families, and the sheer physical and emotional toil on everyone involved.

The Gold Rush....has begun...and its one amazing story.

Introductory post

Gold Rush - Episode reviews, Gold News, and regular updates..coming soon!