From the humble days of earning a living as a carpenter
to having to establish a career as a gold miner in Alaska
while working through some personal issues of his own house,
something terrible happened to Chris Dumit from Gold Rush for many years now.

We have come to accept that the allure of gold
is one that is capable of drawing people from all walks of life
into the never-ending search for gold.

If it isn’t some conquistador
who has traveled thousands of miles into an unknown land
to loot the natives of all the precious gold that they have,
it is the hordes of people who joined several gold rushes all over the world
as they look to use this gold to change their lives forever.

Even today, we have the likes of Parker Schnabel,
the third-generation gold mining prodigy
that has been able to find success with his crew on the mines in the Yukon.

Then there’s the Yukon veteran Tony Beets,
who will stop at nothing to fulfill the establishment of his gold mining dynasty.

We even have the likes of Rick Ness,
who is trying to pick his life up after a devastating bout of depression.

“I like playing with weapons.
I used to shoot a lot of competition.
I never won a new car. I won some turkeys.”

As such, we can see why we have come to appreciate
the people who give their all to find any gold in the mines of Alaska during the gold rush.

That is why it was saddening to hear the tragedy
that Chris Dumit had to face recently.
One of the last few cast members of the Gold Rush TV show
who has been there from day one,
we have become enamored with the tough and grizzled gold miner
who was known for having a past as a firearm instructor
before taking his chance with the gold mines that can be found in Alaska.

“Oh, I down the sight, bam, bullseye. Very impressive.”

For those who do not know, Chris was born far from the gold mines in Alaska.
The son of a farmer, young Chris grew up lending a hand at the family’s farm in Portland, Oregon.
It was during these formative years under his father’s tutelage
that he became familiar with several tools and machines on the farm.

Chris used to teach firearm safety for the Sandy Police Department.
“He’s legendary. You know that if he can teach the police how to shoot,
he probably knows what he’s doing.”

Tools and machines that he still uses to this day
as he searches for his fortune in the mines of Alaska.

That said, long before he decided to join Parker and his crew out in said mines,
Chris decided to strike out on his own for the first time
by earning a living as a carpenter,
after developing the skills of carpentry that are also still relevant to this day.

Chris switched things up after a while.
Thanks to his ability to handle firearms with his skills,
he was able to earn a living as a firearm safety instructor for the Sandy Police Department.

As such, one can see how his years acquiring the aforementioned skills
prepared him to maintain the discipline that would help him succeed
when he decided to head out to the wild and unpredictable world of gold mining.

After all, if he can teach the police of all people to shoot,
then surely he knows what he is doing.

Be that as it may, it appears as though Chris’s transition into becoming a gold miner
almost happened by mistake.

Chris loves the vino and, you’d be surprised,
this guy who runs a wash plant and comes from a carpentry background
is actually a winemaker.

After all, all the occupations he previously used to earn a living
do not have direct links to the world of gold mining.

As such, one is compelled to see how flexible and adaptable Chris must be.
How else do you explain how a firearm safety instructor,
who was once a carpenter and a farmer,
somehow also became a gold miner?

It would make one heck of a movie.

Maybe that is why viewers were so invested,
as Chris used the heavy machinery on the gold mines
to make his way through the tough and unforgiving terrain found there,
so that they could get to that precious gold down below.

Perhaps drawing from his experience as a firearms instructor,
we’ve also learned that Chris is capable of using explosives
with the same motive of finding gold in mind.

As such, he shows how if one puts their minds to it,
they will be able to overcome the difficulties
one will have to face when adapting to the world of gold mining.

At the very least, it is difficult not to respect this man’s hustle.

This is ultimately how he was able to get a foot into the mining business.

You’d be surprised that this guy who runs a wash plant
and comes from a carpentry background is actually a winemaker.

You see, back in Season 1,
Todd Hoffman’s mining crew needed to construct a cabin for the Grunberg family.
Thanks to his skills as a carpenter,
Todd Hoffman recommended Chris.

Once he saw how good Chris was,
Todd invited him to join the mining crew.

Over time, Chris was able to learn the tricks of the trade while working on the ground.
Thanks to this, for the next three years or so,
he was able to get the education that he missed out on in a formal setting,
by working in a hands-on manner with Todd and the rest of his gold mining crew.

After some time, Chris realized that he had learned all that he could from Todd.
When the time came, he decided to leave Todd’s crew.
And before long, he began working with Parker Schnabel
and his mining crew at the Scribner Creek claims.

He must have been grateful that he had been able to make so much progress
in his professional career,
because when one looks at his personal life,
one would see how he may have been struggling for some time now.

From the humble days of earning a living as a carpenter
to having to establish a career as a gold miner in Alaska
while working through some personal issues of his own house,
something terrible happened to Chris Dumit from Gold Rush for many years now.

We have come to accept that the allure of gold
is one that is capable of drawing people from all walks of life
into the never-ending search for gold.

If it isn’t some conquistador
who has traveled thousands of miles into an unknown land
to loot the natives of all the precious gold that they have,
it is the hordes of people
who joined several gold rushes all over the world
as they look to use this gold to change their lives forever.

Even today, we have the likes of Parker Schnabel,
the third-generation gold mining prodigy
that has been able to find success with his crew on the mines in the Yukon.

Then there’s the Yukon veteran Tony Beets,
who will stop at nothing to fulfill
the establishment of his gold mining dynasty.

We even have the likes of Rick Ness,
who is trying to pick his life up
after a devastating bout of depression.

“I like playing with weapons.
I used to shoot a lot of competition.
I never won a new car.
I won some turkeys.”

As such, we can see why we have come to appreciate
the people who give their all
to find any gold in the mines of Alaska during the gold rush.

That is why it was saddening to hear the tragedy
that Chris Dumit had to face recently.

One of the last few cast members of the Gold Rush TV show
who has been there from day one.
We have become enamored with the tough and grizzled gold miner
who was known for having a past as a firearm instructor
before taking his chance with the gold mines that can be found in Alaska.

“Oh, I down the sight, bam, bullseye. Very impressive.”

For those who do not know, Chris was born far from the gold mines in Alaska.
The son of a farmer, young Chris grew up lending a hand at the family’s farm in Portland, Oregon.
It was during these formative years under his father’s tutelage
that he became familiar with several tools and machines on the farm.

Chris used to teach firearm safety for the Sandy Police Department.
“He’s legendary. You know that if he can teach the police how to shoot,
he probably knows what he’s doing.”

Tools and machines that he still uses to this day
as he searches for his fortune in the mines of Alaska.

That said, long before he decided to join Parker and his crew out in said mines,
Chris decided to strike out on his own for the first time
by earning a living as a carpenter,
after developing the skills of carpentry
that are also still relevant to this day.

Chris switched things up after a while.
Thanks to his ability to handle firearms with his skills,
he was able to earn a living as a firearm safety instructor
for the Sandy Police Department.

As such, one can see how his years acquiring the aforementioned skills
prepared him to maintain the discipline that would help him succeed
when he decided to head out to the wild and unpredictable world of gold mining.

After all, if he can teach the police of all people to shoot,
then surely he knows what he is doing.

Be that as it may, it appears as though Chris’s transition into becoming a gold miner
almost happened by mistake.

Chris loves the vino.
And you’d be surprised,
this guy who runs a wash plant and comes from a carpentry background
is actually a winemaker.

After all, all the occupations he previously used to earn a living
do not have direct links to the world of gold mining.

As such, one is compelled to see how flexible and adaptable Chris must be.
How else do you explain how a firearm safety instructor,
who was once a carpenter and a farmer,
somehow also became a gold miner?

It would make one heck of a movie.

Maybe that is why viewers were so invested,
as Chris used the heavy machinery on the gold mines
to make his way through the tough and unforgiving terrain found there,
so that they could get to that precious gold down below.

Perhaps drawing from his experience as a firearms instructor,
we’ve also learned that Chris is capable of using explosives
with the same motive of finding gold in mind.

As such, he shows how if one puts their minds to it,
they will be able to overcome the difficulties
one will have to face when adapting to the world of gold mining.

At the very least, it is difficult not to respect this man’s hustle.

This is ultimately how he was able to get a foot into the mining business.

You’d be surprised that this guy who runs a wash plant
and comes from a carpentry background is actually a winemaker.

You see, back in Season 1,
Todd Hoffman’s mining crew needed to construct a cabin for the Grunberg family.
Thanks to his skills as a carpenter,
Todd Hoffman recommended Chris.

Once he saw how good Chris was,
Todd invited him to join the mining crew.

Over time, Chris was able to learn the tricks of the trade
while working on the ground.

Thanks to this, for the next three years or so,
he was able to get the education that he missed out on in a formal setting,
by working in a hands-on manner with Todd and the rest of his gold mining crew.

After some time, Chris realized
that he had learned all that he could from Todd.

When the time came, he decided to leave Todd’s crew.
And before long, he began working with Parker Schnabel
and his mining crew at the Scribner Creek claims.

He must have been grateful
that he had been able to make so much progress in his professional career.
Because when one looks at his personal life,
one would see how he may have been struggling for some time now.

We can take a trip back to 2016
to take a look at one of the more troubling incidents
that occurred in Chris’s personal life.

Chris has his own sort of—
he calls it his own hooch or his own, I say, private label.
“That sounds classy. Dumit’s wine is great.
After a bottle of normal wine—
yeah, yeah, you got to have real wine first.”

This was when his van and his important documents were stolen from him.
Somehow he managed to survive this incident
even though it threatened to ruin him financially.

As if that wasn’t bad enough,
Chris had to get himself together
so that he could be there for his wife Sharon,
who had to deal with a scary cancer diagnosis one year later.

As if that wasn’t bad enough,
this was a time when Chris had to recover from back surgery.

How he was able to keep himself together
while all these things were happening—
nobody knows.

All we can say is that this is a clear sign
that although things may look great at work,
that doesn’t automatically mean
that things are going great at home, too.

If you thought this was the end of it, you’d be wrong.

Because during Season 7 of the Gold Rush show,
Chris and Sharon had to stand together as a family
so that they could overcome the waves of challenges
that crashed onto them.

“That year Chris is here in high school.
I can’t imagine him with hair.
My guess is Chris probably had a giant blonde afro.
An afro? Did Chris have an afro?
I could totally see him rocking that.”

As bad as things were,
the fact that they were able to endure such a time together
while making sure that their two kids were happy and safe
shows how their solidarity was going to help them overcome
anything that tried to destroy them.

Maybe that is why his off-screen difficulties
appealed to the fans so much.

Maybe it was because they saw
that if he could get through these things with his family,
they could also get through their own tough times.

They hoped they would be able to stay just as strong
as Chris and Sharon did
while they were enduring their own challenges.

That is how Chris and Sharon were able to overcome the issues
that threatened to ruin their lives forever.

While some may try to romanticize this
as if it is a tale filled with heroes and villains,
they would have to make do with a simpler story,
which tries to teach us
that hard work and dedication will help people get through most things.

Either way, it comes as no surprise
that Chris and Sharon have been praised
for being one of the best examples of a couple
that you may be able to find on TV today.

“Actually, my hair was very wavy and curly and thick.
You remember Eddie Munster? That was me.”

Perhaps the couple was able to stay together
and get through such difficult times
because they had someone like Chris
who always seemed to have this uncanny ability
to keep a positive attitude
even through the most difficult of times.

Sure, it may be inspirational to some,
but what is important about this positive attitude
is that it keeps one level-headed
so that they can face the task at hand.

As such, Chris is seen as a prime example
of how people get through tough times.

That said, Chris can also be seen
as someone who reminds us
that life can be rather unforgiving sometimes.

In fact, history tells us
that just being able to make it through the tough times
is an achievement in itself.

This reminds us of the likes of Todd,
who helped Chris become the miner that he is today.

Thanks to his level of skill and longevity on the show,
Todd can now earn as much as $25,000
for each episode of Gold Rush that he appears in.

This shows us that he is not only a skilled miner,
but also that he has the personality
that has endeared him to the fans of the show
who are watching from all corners of the planet.

“There’s something you might be shocked to hear.
Chris is one of the strongest guys you’ll ever meet.
He has the fastest hands on gauge by far.
Knock at the table, and you’ll be on the ground before you know it.”

As such, one can see how his collaboration with Parker
shows his competency on the mines.

In fact, Todd is considered to be so important,
his actions usually determine the success and failures
of certain gold mining expeditions and operations.

Thanks to people like Todd,
the team seems to be able to overcome obstacles
such as machine malfunctions
or lack of diesel to keep their machines running.

“Why don’t we head over that little test plant,
run a little bit of dirt?
Jason said I could fire it up,
run about 50 or 100 yards,
and let’s look in the sluice.
If it’s good, let’s think about it.
If it’s bad, let’s just get the hell out of here.”

He is also a good manager,
as he is also capable of helping the team
keep their morale high during trying times.

As such, it cannot be denied
that Todd is considered to be a key figure in the show.

Due to his skill and leadership qualities,
with people like Todd to learn from,
Chris was set on a path of success that we see today.

Thanks to this, he has been able to find some side business to work on
when he is away from the mines.

“We both like to wrestle.
Anthony—usually it ends up the two of us rolling around.
D’s been giving me fighting lessons.
Here goes. Yeah, that’s bad. He’s getting better, Parker.
He’s the old school gunslinger.”

For starters, Chris went on to establish Dumit Cigars,
so that he can earn some money
outside the appearance fees that he makes on the Gold Rush show.

To be honest, it makes sense that he picked cigars
as the basis of his side hustle,
as he is always seen with one at his fingertips
while he is operating some of the heavy machinery on the show.

“I have a dream of selling a cigar cut one day.
Wow. I dream of a beach in the Bahamas.
But if you want to sell brown,
you got to raise your standard, son.”

Now, he can make some money out of these cigars
by making them for people ranging from those who may be economically challenged,
while also putting together some of the finest cigars
one can find for the connoisseurs.

As such, there is something for everyone.

If anything, it tells us that Chris is interested in catering
to the needs of all sorts of people,
something that we can see in his character
while he is working in the mines with his team.

Thankfully, Chris has been able to establish some space
for his products in the market.

“It’s a lot of mental stress.
The kids never had debt like this, right?
I doubt most people will ever have debt like he is right now.
In the spring, we were spending, what, a million dollars a week.
And how much have we brought in? That’s unknown.”

If you have anything between $20 and $200,
you can also enjoy one of these bad boys
if you order online
or you happen to be in one of the right shops
in California and Oregon.

That way, you can enjoy them while you play golf
using some of the gear that Chris sold to you.

That’s right—apart from making these magnificent cigars,
Chris is also involved in making gear for golfers
who are looking to enjoy a game of 18 holes.

“You know, they’re going to start calling in those debts,
and we got to get some gold to fulfill those debts.
We don’t pay the bills,
we lose what we’ve got,
what we’ve got invested into it.
So that’s kind of riding on his mind, too.”

As we watch Chris take steps
to establish what seems to be the early days of a growing business empire,
one can see how Chris is trying to establish
the financial security of himself and his family.

That way, not only would they not be relying on his income from the show,
they also won’t be relying on his income from just one product.

That way, he will have a steady flow of income.

“The grand total out of that cut was 48.9 ounces.
So we finally got some Dominion gold going.
How about those ditches? Do well.”

It seems to be working so far,
because right now his net worth seems to be something around $400,000.
Some even suggest that it may be as high as $600,000—
not bad for the multi-talented gold miner and business entrepreneur.

This must have been on his mind
when he initially started his career as a carpenter all those years ago,
after helping Todd and his crew out with that cabin.

His strong work ethic and positive attitude
helped him become an important part of Todd’s team.

“We ran the dirt two hours.
One hundred is an understatement.
It’s probably more like five.
We literally are having a hard time believing what we just ran.”

And later, Parker’s team.

May success was always somewhere in his path,
but he must be commended
for giving it a good go in such unfamiliar circumstances.

Maybe one day he will be able to use this strong work ethic
and positive attitude
to make as much as some of the other key members of the Gold Rush TV show.

Along with this strong work ethic,
Chris may also be able to rely on some of his many skills,
such as the fact that he is apparently something of a wine connoisseur.

Who would have figured that?

But yes, along with his infamous cigars,
Chris is known to have a glass of wine in his hand
from time to time on dredge.

“It’s some of the best we’ve had.
Just think what happens when we get into real pay dirt.
Thanks, guys. Yep.”

Who would have thought that, huh?

We must point out that Chris isn’t just knocking these bottles of wine
as he maneuvers the massive machines on the mines.

No, he actually has his own private wine label.

The combination of these cigars and glasses of wine
probably remind him of a time when he still had a full head of hair.

“First cleanups typically are not very good.
It’s ditch dirt, gravel, and stuff.
So not a lot of high hopes for me, Parker, Mitch, or Tyson.
But we’ll get this thing broken down,
get it cleaned up,
down to the gold room,
see what we have.”

Sure, we’re used to seeing him walking around
like present-day Pep Guardiola.
But nah—
there was a time when our man was walking pretty
with that full head of wavy curly hair.

Well, although he was unfortunate to lose his coiff,
it turns out that Chris has been able to retain his fabled strength.

Considered to be something of a tough guy,
Chris is known to have the fastest hands in the business
and is known to be one who doesn’t hesitate to throw them around.

Just look at all the wrestling fights
that he and Parker always seem to get into.

Turns out they both love wrestling,
and they are never too far away from getting into a tussle.

“Told your partner that yeah, you’ll get around
to painting that kitchen someday.
Maybe today’s the day you ought to do it.
Get it painted up.
Go out on the back porch.
Light up a cigar.
Just take it all in.”

And surely, with all these professional and interpersonal skills on deck,
Chris is sure to find success
in the many mines that he and some of his contemporaries work in.

For example, when we look at the legendary Tony Beets,
we cannot be surprised
that he now has a net worth of about $15 million.

After all, he has been able to build this fortune
while also setting up his gold mining empire in the Yukon.

Sure, he also makes about $25,000 per episode from the show,
but that must be chicken change
when compared to the proceeds of the gold mining business.

“If he wants to work harder,
if he wants to do more gold,
why the hell would I want to stop him?
That would make no sense.
So at the end of the day, he gets more gold, we get more gold.
And I mean, man, I’ll be happy.
I’ll just do what I’ll do.”

At the end of the day, Tony’s career shows
how much one is likely to make
when they properly manage their gold mines.

Just as his and his family’s gold mining business shows,
it is possible for one to become rich beyond their wildest dreams
when they go about mining in the proper way.

This is why Parker is determined
to make his way in this business
while trying to create the foundation
of his very own gold mining empire.

He knows that he has to lay the foundation now
if he wants to find long-lasting success in the future.

“He wants to keep digging.
Yeah, he can keep digging,
but I ain’t putting another 400,000,
half a million bucks in the ground.
It’s just not going to happen.
If there’s no gold there,
I’m not going to do it.”

If he keeps going about it the way he has been,
then he might one day be able to attain a net worth
of up to $10 million.

But first, he needs to deal with his demons.

After all, as talented as he is,
Rick Ness may not be able to achieve all the success
he has always dreamed of
if he does not manage to take care of himself.

That is why fans were saddened to see
how a devastating bout of depression
nearly ruined him forever.

“I just keep walking around,
finding little pieces of home.
It’s pretty hard to deal with.
I don’t think I’ve ever been this close
to what I would consider a breaking point.
I don’t know how I’m going to come back from it.”

It was heartbreaking for many fans
who had been watching him over the years
to have to see him at one of his lowest points.

After all, Rick had to not only suffer from depression,
but also had to see his mother die.

These two events almost ruined him forever.

Thankfully, he has managed to bounce back from all that
and is still in the mines working with his team.

This has left many fans hopeful
that Rick will be able to find some more success in the mines.

If anything, he deserves it.

After all, he has been through so much
in such a short amount of time.

“You’re talking about years of my life.
You know, it’s just gone.
I’m here for one reason,
and that’s to turn this whole thing around.
I’ve worked too hard for too long,
and I’ve lost too much already
to just throw the towel in.”

We can only wish him the best of luck in the future.

As such, Gold Rush has come to be a show
that has touched the hearts of people
all over the world.

Through the adventures and misadventures
of some of our favorite cast members,
we have come to learn
that no matter what challenges come our way,
if we work hard enough,
we can always overcome them.

This is the true allure of gold mining,
as it represents how much one is willing to give
to achieve their goals.

That is how Chris Dumit has become
a symbol of perseverance and grit.

He shows us
that it is possible to endure through all that life throws at you.

And that in the end,
there may be some gold waiting for you, too.