Discovery ch. Gold Rush Alaska

[01 medicated]

Airing Dec. 3 Rookie gold miners put it on the line in hopes of striking it rich

 

[Tarkus]

I cut my teeth running dredges on the Merced river every summer in high school, just west of Briceberg.
Had invitations to go to Alaska and then to South America, had already joined up with the U.S. Coast Guard and had to decline those offers. A year and a half later after some tech training I received orders to Kodiak to fly S&R missions, an invitation I couldn't turn down nor wanted to. being an outdoors man and avid fisherman I knew I had a good possibility of running afoul of a brown bear (Grizzly on steroids) I didn't care about fighting over a fishing hole but did want to walk away in one piece, a little unsure of what type of side arm to carry for such a situation.
I looked up one of the old salts, a chief petty officer who had done a number of tours at Kodiak and quizzed him about duty there and asked him if he thought a 44Mag would be a good side arm for bear protection (the largest caliber available at the time) I'll never forget his answer "I guess it would be Ok as long as you file the front sight off " this took me aback a bit being well versed in shootin irons and having expert medals with every weapon given to me by Uncle Sam.
As he chuckled at the puzzled look on my face I tried to think of all the reasons to do such a thing, I finally asked why his reply "So it don't hurt so much when that bear shoves it where the sun don't shine" I finally bought a marlin Alaskan guide carbine in 45-70 caliber and had a belt scabbard made for it.
My orders to Kodiak were canceled at the last minute, my talents were needed in the gulf for the war on drugs, so I never went face to face with a brown or regular grizz.
Hunted black bear with that rifle though and it proved very effective but at times wondered if I'd have to file that front sight off if I went toe to toe with one of the big boys.
As far as the show I watched 1 episode, it's a waste of my time and brain cells. For the bears 45 cal is fine for the blacks but I'd suggest those boys break out the files if the Grizzlies come a calling.

Hoser sorry I haven't been in touch, been off grid for a while up in them thar hills, I'll call when I find yer #

 

[Goodyguy]

Episode 5

If it weren't for bad luck these guys would have no luck at all

 

[Hoser John]

Nice to see ya back tarkus--howz them bees & biz bud??
The show last night REALLY brought it home for me. Aged beaten up old dogs like me DO NOT belong in Alaska on a common dig whilst your infirmaties reflect on the whole. I've drug buds outta canyon bottoms and NO FUN. I can relate to their desperation in this ingodly depression and god knows I LUV GOLD but the glue that bound their ties was misapplied way back when this equipment was fabricated. They needed a bud a mine from Plumas county to get'r'done as a SINGLE man is a cog in a productive endeauver and without him(no matter what a dipstick) is righteously important for the common good. Last night I actually felt sorry for all the guys and wish'm well even ifn' they don't stand a ratz arse chance in LL of a sucessful op--bummer---- ---John

 

[GrayCloud]

Tarkus, About six weeks ago I bought a Marlin 45/70 SS Guide Gun, just for going to Northern Cal and Alaska to prospect. Hopefully I made the right choice, if I am forced to use it. Meanwhile there are some Louisiana hogs that are in trouble.
As for the show, last night revealed their dependence on one man and with him be the weakest physical link in the group. I come from a welding/fabrication background and it amazes me at how inept some of these guys are. Dorsey should have know better than to loose suction on the PVC piping. Many of there mistakes are just common sense issues with most of us.

 

[Tarkus]

Gray Cloud: that's a nice weapon and I'm sure it will serve you well in all situations, warning place your shots careful on them hogs and use solids, if you use the hollows or soft points may not penetrate on the front end and if hit in the rear end you'll be scraping sausage off the landscape(big holes).
Now a days I use my Kodiak double 50 for Hog or any other larger game, works pretty well.
Hoser: The Bees are ok gettin ready to run them up to the almond orchards in the central valley, lost a bunch of hives this year, just have to build up this summer. Still building equipment to handle the flour, ended up designing my own cause no one else sells any thing to handle this damn floatin stuff.
And for that show I haven't watched any more episodes I got my own equipment to fix, maybe check out the ones posted here or not, equipment breaks even when your competent and take care of it I can only imagine what those yahoo's are up against.
Good luck every one

 

[golddust77]

I guess ill put my two cents in .I cant belive for one minute that if you were planning a massive trip to alaska to gold mine you wouldnt read a book or talk to some one about gold mining untill you got there,especially if you built equip. for a year before you went. you coulnt have tried some small scale gold rec. to get a hold of what your doing. i mean thats just plain stu*%@ .and build a camp did you see the rvs ta he(( with the camp. DIG THE DIRT you didnt go there to build a community . you went to mine gold dumba$$ . and as for dorsey who cares if he leaves as far as i can see he was never there in the first place. and for the old man ( no guts no glory ) more like ( no brains no hope) its just surviver they just dont have another tribe to compete with. what a train wreck. but unfortinetly ill still watch it . ill admit im hooked. and yes they dont have to find a single ounce of gold there allready movie stars. bla, bla ,bla I just wish they would pull it together. for my sake..

 

[Jason in Enid]

Hamburger shop across the river from the mine. Guess they werent out in quite such a wild and wooly place as the show made it out to be. Dorsey's blog has some very enlightening comments in it.

 

[hmmm]

DOH

hamburger shop

.

 

[stilllookin]

Wish I was there. There must have been something Todd and his father saw in Dorsey I haven't seen yet. Biggest pain in the butt I've ever seen. The only one worth his salt is Harness, without him pack your bags boys. Worst physical shape, drug addiction to boot, yet the team is totally dependent on him. I love it .The rest of the team stands around watching him work. Come on, are you guys helpless or what?
Remsburg is very capable, but what are his priorities? Building a House anyone would be proud to own? WHAT? Why are you here on this expedition Gregg?
Why, with all the leisure time they seem to have, standing around waiting and watching one person doing the work, wouldn't you do some sluicing, panning, something? I would love to be there doing a little sluicing even if I couldn't afford more. They run out of fuel and shut down for 3 days and sit around until after the holiday.
Well they are there and I am here. I will continue watching the show even though it does irritate me to watch them sometimes . I want to see the gold no matter who gets it.

 

[GrayCloud]

Dang it all Stillookin. We are in the same boat.

 

[Goodyguy]

I've never worked a claim with heavy equipment like they have but I sure would like to someday....... Well so far I have learned enough from their mistakes to save me a lot of time and a lot of money if I ever do get the chance.

From what Ive seen and suspect, the History Channel filming and script is creating such a distraction they cant get focused. They seem to be depending too much on the gold from the show and not enough on the gold in the ground.

As has been said. Why start building cabins spending time and money before the wash plant (which is the heart of the operation) was even properly set up. They could have been running dirt within a week or ten days. At least within 15 days including the rebuilding of the shaker and fine tuning of the concentrator.

Sending for wives and children before paydirt has been struck? C'mon guy's That had to be a Drama move, same as the bear hunt, plus they already had to look out for and feed 3 young boys that had no business being there. I suspect these were all ideas of the producers.

I'm surprised they managed to get anything done at all, with cameramen, wives, children, scripts, rehearsals, re takes, breakdowns, accidents, health problems, arguments, low morale, etc.

But then we are looking at it from a gold mining prospective. Not from creating the #1 most watched show on the history of the History Channel Network!

I hope those guys are going to rake it in from being part of the most watched show. I could see all of them getting some kind of offers just because they are getting known. Especially Harness, you have to hand it to that guy, he would be an asset anywhere. I can see Dorsey making a good living in the fishing industry. And I'm sure the WWF could find a place for Todd

GG~

 

[hmmm]

Watched the show where they worked through the night, they checked the concentrates and someone flipped over a nugget with his finger.
correct me if i am wrong, but it looked like pyrite to me.

 

[GrayCloud]

GG, I agree with your assessment with their setup. My wife and I had almost the identical conversation you just stated and I had to inform her that I would not have taken her alone.

Then she told me I couldn't go.

 

[Goodyguy]

GG, I agree with your assessment with their setup. My wife and I had almost the identical conversation you just stated and I had to inform her that I would not have taken her along.

Then she told me I couldn't go.

Boy does that sound familiar
Well wives are bad enough, but wives and small children .......forget about it.

I would take my wife though, because she knows gold when she sees it, is an expert with a gold pan, works as hard as I do, and is a great cook

Plus like your wife, mine wouldn't let me go without her either.
GG~

 

[Hoser John]

3 wives scrapped over this and never looked back,a man has his priotities and they got the gold at that point but I got the kids and went mining anyhow YAHOO. John

 

[mts]

Perhaps it's because I know nothing about gold prospecting... but it sure seems like they would have all been better off just taking a $10 pan and panning the stream for the Summer instead of wasting all of that time and money on their setup/equipment. I realize that they wouldn't have "gotten rich". But it doesn't look like they are going to get rich anyway (quite the opposite). Are they not allowed to pan the stream? Are there regulations against it?

They've also done a heck of a lot of "building" instead of mining. Who in their right mind builds a house on site if they don't even know whether or not there is even any gold there? Most of those guys will leave at the end of the summer and never come back.

I totally agree with the sentiments in this thread that say this show is a good example of what NOT to do to find gold. And I know nothing about prospecting.

 

[Goodyguy]

Perhaps it's because I know nothing about gold prospecting... but it sure seems like they would have all been better off just taking a $10 pan and panning the stream for the Summer instead of wasting all of that time and money on their setup/equipment. I realize that they wouldn't have "gotten rich". But it doesn't look like they are going to get rich anyway (quite the opposite). Are they not allowed to pan the stream? Are there regulations against it?

They've also done a heck of a lot of "building" instead of mining. Who in their right mind builds a house on site if they don't even know whether or not there is even any gold there? Most of those guys will leave at the end of the summer and never come back.

I totally agree with the sentiments in this thread that say this show is a good example of what NOT to do to find gold. And I know nothing about prospecting.

Panning the creek, while fun, and inexpensive, would never support 6 families. Their claim supposedly is a proven claim with mineral assets (gold) valued into the millions. There is only one way to retrieve those assets in a cost effective and timely manner, and that is by the use of heavy equipment and a wash plant.

With that being said they have wasted time, effort, and capital, by going about getting set up to mine in the most inefficient and least cost effective manner possible. Thereby draining their capital resources at an alarming rate.

An experienced mining crew using the same type equipment would have had a 10 times better chance of recovering enough gold to see a sizable return on their investment during the first mining season. Plus it would only take 3-4 men to run the whole operation cutting costs even further.

As their wealthy neighbor alluded to, it takes time and money to get established. Of which this crew has not enough of either one. Combine that with their lack of experience and it is a recipe for disaster.

However I must keep reminding myself they have some back up income from the Discovery Channel, so it's not a total loss.
GG~

 

[GrayCloud]

I concur. Not only did they kill time and burned a lot diesel fuel looking for utopia, they failed to establish a cash flow. Priorities all out of whack.

 

[TheHarleyMan2]

I guess ill put my two cents in .I cant belive for one minute that if you were planning a massive trip to alaska to gold mine you wouldnt read a book or talk to some one about gold mining untill you got there,especially if you built equip. for a year before you went. you coulnt have tried some small scale gold rec. to get a hold of what your doing. i mean thats just plain stu*%@ .and build a camp did you see the rvs ta he(( with the camp. DIG THE DIRT you didnt go there to build a community . you went to mine gold dumba$$ . and as for dorsey who cares if he leaves as far as i can see he was never there in the first place. and for the old man ( no guts no glory ) more like ( no brains no hope) its just surviver they just dont have another tribe to compete with. what a train wreck. but unfortinetly ill still watch it . ill admit im hooked. and yes they dont have to find a single ounce of gold there allready movie stars. bla, bla ,bla I just wish they would pull it together. for my sake..

His father was up there when he was younger panning gold. The claim they leased was through a friend of either dumbo dads, or his son, one of the two. So they had knowledge on the mine itself. They just got lucky to know someone who owned it and leased it to them.

Now, I seen all things wrong with the show, many have already mentioned so I won't re-mention anything. The dad to me, is like a fly-by-night does whatever without thinking on it first.

I understand the old man and his son sold the airport, or whatever and pretty much funded all the equipment and expenses and everything else is on voluntarily basis. But the episode where Todd and Doresy was having a discussion where Todd jabbed his finger into Dorsey's chest.

I understand people have disagreements and arguments, but if I was Dorsey, I would have clock his butt right there and then and told him don't you ever touch me again! But that could also cause reason to be told to leave.

I think Todd with his attitude he has is too much power play trip, but on the other hand, it is him and his dads money that flipped the expedition! But still he needs to be a bit more respectful. You get more with sugar than you do with vinegar.

They are very UNORGANIZED!

 

[Klondikeike]

Klondike here...

I am retired from mining, after over 30 years mining gold from Alaska to Mexico....and most places in between...

One of the worst things one can do is just dig here, then over there, then try here...just punching holes all over the place... won't tell you what you want to know....WHERE IS THE GOLD..... which is why, in a real commercial operation, they sets up a grid to sample drill the property... from the drill records they now have a very good understanding of where the gold is.....short of having some serious understanding of the how the bedrocks raises and falls...and how deep the over burden is... ad looking at the rocks for how well worn they are will tell you a lot about the location of the pay streaks when the river is at high water...

One place the gold isn't ....it isn't.... ALL OVER THE PLACE... the gold in a placer like where they are, occurs in specific streaks...following the high and low pressures of the high water flows...there may only be one or two pay streaks outside of the actual current river bed..... they need to know where they are before actual production... just digging and processing everything in site is the absolute wrong way to mine... unless you are a rookie with out the advantage of years of mining experience... the fuel they will use daily, that alone is one reason to know where the pay streaks are...

In lue of a drilling rig to locate the gold resources... they should start on one side of the creek and dig a ditch to bedrock across the property...sampling and recording what they find... (I have done this several times)...and the end of the sampling time, they will know EXACTLY where the gold is.....how deep it is... some channels are void of gold until you get to the last 1 foot or so of gravel.... I mined one, it was 150 feet deep in gravel.. but no gold until the last 2 feet....sitting on bedrock...

The problem with sampling, is it take a very, very, very long time to see the real big picture of where the gold is... and human nature being what it is... we want the gold RIGHT NOW!!!! and not understanding, until you actually experience it... that all the time you spend on sampling will actually save you a lot of production money and time later on, once you actually start running at full max capacity.

Their problem is they are way under financed. The are counting on their money they were able to put together just to cover one season....and are seeking a big hit as soon as they start digging...while it happens..... it is very unlikely to happen...I know from experience in my rookie years of gold mining...

I had a shaker deck once that cost me 2 years of mining seasons... from that nightmare... I learned what to use and not to use....what to do and what not to do..... a very expensive leason...

For as inexperienced as these guys are.. and considering the logistics of support people and equipment in a remote area as they are...they are, over all, doing an okay job...but the mistakes they are making are very expensive...and hard lessions learned.

When my family lives at a remote mine, they work... My wife becomes an equipment operator... she loads the plant with the excavator or loader... You cannot feed extra people without them producing something towards the gold recovery..... especially in a remote place like this one....and I have been further remote than they are.... every penny counts...

I wish them well... and the program is certainly entertaining....and brings back old, old memories...lol

Klondike....