Rick Ness Unexpectedly Brings In Massive Amounts Of Gold
Rick Ness Unexpectedly Brings In Massive Amounts Of Gold
Been able to handle it, we would bet a little farther ahead than we are.
But in that 10-inch pump, like that certainly got the power to do it.
Yeah.
But uh unfortunately that came with a price.
Parker Schnobble put $15 million into the Dominion Creek gold mine, but he didn’t find much valuable gold.
He faced a big risk of losing money as he dug deeper.
The mining site was bigger and deeper than last year, costing even more.
You set a goal, you want to hit it. Like, okay, you’re profitable. We want to pump our numbers up so we get 2,000 ounces.
Tyson was worried about Parker spending all his savings on a project that might fail.
Will Parker end up broke, especially after Rick Nest just brought in his biggest haul?
Join us to see what happens next with Parker.
Rick’s race against time at Lower Duncan Creek
Rick had been facing a tough time with gold mining, but this year he wanted to change his luck.
He had bought a strong 10-in pump, which was needed for handling a lot of earth and water in gold mining.
Even though it was expensive, this new equipment meant Rick could finally pay off his debts to Troy, the owner of the mining rights.
Feeling relieved and hopeful, Rick was ready to focus on his goals for the season.
He started the season 2 weeks later than his competitors, but he stayed positive.
His team worked well together, setting up their hopper feeder and starting to process the gold-rich soil quickly.
Rick had set a big goal to get a thousand ounces of gold this year.
With no debts, he could concentrate fully on mining and was determined not to repeat last year’s disappointment where he barely made any profit.
Well, first of all, I just want to thank you guys for all the hard work. Um, you know, things are really coming along good. You know, we’re streamlining and uh we’re looking like we know what we’re doing.
Gold prices were rising and Rick saw a chance to save more money.
Each ounce of gold he mined was now worth more, and he was eager to dig deeper and get better results.
However, the pressure was on.
If he couldn’t change his fortunes this season, he might have to think about finding a new job.
Rick and his crew spent the last four weeks working in an area known as the cheap cut, where gold was plentiful just below the surface.
This success made them hopeful, but it also highlighted a big problem.
Mark, the newest team member, noticed they were almost out of gold-rich soil in the cheap cut.
With only a day’s worth of mining left in this area, they needed to find new grounds quickly.
But this wasn’t the worst part.
Rick knew this challenge would come up.
He had been looking for new mining sites even before they ran out of soil in the cheap cut.
This need to find more mining areas pushed them to explore further.
And Rick explains that around 20,000 years ago during the last ice age, a massive glacier advanced through the region now known as Lower Duncan Creek.
As this immense sheet of ice moved, it acted like a colossal bulldozer, pushing vast amounts of rock, soil, and other geological debris ahead of it.
This powerful movement resulted in the formation of a moraine, a significant accumulation of glacial debris at the creek’s edge.
Rick believes that this natural barrier created by the glacier has played a crucial role in trapping gold.
It’s not that I don’t like it that he shows up down here. It’s that he always overlooks great progress to try to tear you down. Nobody wants to bust their ass and uh be hassled for it.
Over the millennia, as water flowed down from the higher elevations, it carried with it particles of gold.
When the water reached the moraine, the solid barrier caused the flow to slow down, allowing the heavier gold particles to settle and accumulate against it.
This process, repeated over thousands of years, has likely led to a substantial concentration of gold in the area.
Rick’s hypothesis suggests that the moraine at Lower Duncan Creek is not just a historical geological feature, but also a potential treasure trove.
The gold washed down from the surrounding highlands has been naturally collected by this ancient glacial formation, making it a prime site for gold prospecting.
His theory highlights the intricate ways in which natural processes can create unique opportunities for resource discovery, demonstrating the interplay between geological history and modern-day exploration.
Interested by this geological history, Rick gathers dirt and rocks from near the ancient glacier-formed barrier.
He puts this mix into his gold panning bowl, strongly believing it could be the biggest gold find of the year.
With gold prices rising, a big discovery here could mean huge profits.
As he starts to pan the collected material in the nearby stream, Rick is very careful.
He looks for at least 15 to 20 visible specks of gold in his pan, a clear sign that the spot could be very profitable.
Deciding to expand mining operations into this area could be a major turning point in his career, potentially securing his future for years.
Meanwhile, his team at Duncan Creek is hard at work digging deeper into the area Rick is excited about.
They are focused on keeping the operation running smoothly by ensuring a steady supply of what they call pay dirt to the wash plant.
This crucial part of their setup is responsible for separating valuable gold from other materials.
But challenges arise, testing their determination.
The wash plant suddenly suffers from a drop in water pressure, causing frustration among the team.
This technical problem feels like yet another setback, slowing their progress every day.
When they investigate, they find the problem: a leaky water pump.
Instead of a quick fix, the team decides to replace the faulty pump entirely to avoid more interruptions.
Carl, a key member of Rick’s team, takes charge of installing the new pump.
Using a crane, they work on fitting the replacement, eager to get back on track.
But tension mounts as the new pump stubbornly refuses to start, adding disappointment to the day’s efforts.
With the new pump ready, Rick and his crew dive deeper into their gold search.
A miner’s fight against nature’s wrath.
The race against time and nature becomes clear as they strive to solve the issue.
Knowing any more delays could seriously impact their gold mining venture.
Each moment the plan is idle means lost gold and dwindling profits.
Working into the evening, the team stays hopeful, driven by Rick’s initial hunch about the gold-rich moraine.
Their combined efforts and Rick’s geological insights could indeed uncover a gold deposit that has been growing for ages, marking a historic success in their mining careers.
Rick Nest was getting ready to decide if expanding the low-cost mining area was the right choice.
Before jumping into the numbers, he chatted with everyone to ease the tension.
As a leader, Rick knew how important it was to connect with his team.
At this point, it’s only numbers like that that we need. They kind of got to keep going up. So, yeah. And I know there’s a lot more of it out here right on this property.
And never missed a chance to do so.
After the casual talk, they got down to business.
Rick brought out the scale.
They needed at least 70 ounces of gold to make the expansion worth it.
They had processed over 7,000 yards of soil.
And now it was time to see the results.
The gold was measured carefully, and the results were excellent.
The scale showed 82.375 O, proving Rick’s decision was right and very profitable.
The gold from the extended area was worth about $144,000, making it Rick’s biggest haul of the season.
The team was excited, having never seen such a successful cleanup.
Rick was especially happy because his guess about the area’s geology was correct, revealing a large gold deposit.
This success was crucial, especially with the season starting late and the weather getting colder.
Snow began to cover the ground, signaling a possible slowdown in operations and reminding everyone that the mining season was ending.
Even with the autumn weather turning to early winter, there was hope.
Rick was worried about his wash plant, Rocky, which stopped working right after their big gold find.
Rocky’s shutdown was bad timing, but the recent success gave the team hope and a buffer to still meet their season goals.
With a few more hauls like the last one, Rick believed they could end the season well, despite the weather and equipment problems.
Rick is facing a tough winter.
The cold is so severe that water in his machinery keeps freezing, causing frequent interruptions.
This slows down his wash plant’s operations.
His team keeps trying to push the equipment to its limits, but the harder they try, the slower things get, costing more time and money.
Rick finally decides to stop operations at the Rocky Wash plant for the season.
He shifts all efforts to their other facility, Monster Red.
Starting out alone was a risk Rick took, hoping for big rewards.
Many doubted he could make it on his own, but he proved them wrong.
Yet now, with one plant closed and the cold getting worse, his confidence starts to shake.
This is Rick’s third season on his own.
He left the familiar Klondike to find more gold in the mountains.
He invested a lot in his mining claims.
That big rock out of there.
I did two of them, building Stonehenge here, where you start hitting those big, big boulders like that. Like you’re in the right spot.
As the season nears its end, he sees he is far from reaching his goal target.
The closure of Rocky adds more pressure on Monster Red to succeed.
One day, Rick gets a call on his walkie-talkie about another water problem.
He hurries to a large pond where his team is leveling the ground, but the area is flooded.
He decides they need a pump to drain the water so they can reach the valuable soil beneath.
After 2 months of digging, Rick’s team is 170 ft into the valley, but it’s now flooded, making their equipment useless.
The valley is filled with 6 ft of water, creating a major obstacle that consumes more time and money to clear.
Even with a pump running, the valley refills with water, setting them back even more.
Rick’s 6-in pump struggles with the huge amount of water, showing just how tough the situation is as they fight to save the mining season.
In a wide, sprawling valley, a dedicated group of miners found themselves grappling with a severe and persistent flooding problem that threatened to derail their operations.
For days on end, water incessantly seeped into the ground, transforming the mining site into a muddy quagmire and making it nearly impossible for them to work effectively.
The relentless influx of water posed not only a logistical nightmare, but also a significant safety hazard.
At first, the miners attempted to manage the water problem by deploying a small 6-in pump.
Their hope was that this pump would be sufficient to control the water levels and allow them to continue their mining activities.
However, it soon became apparent that their solution was woefully inadequate.
The pump struggled to keep up with the sheer volume of water and instead of alleviating the issue, it inadvertently exacerbated the flooding.
The inadequate pumping system seemed to stir up more water from underground sources, further complicating the situation.
As the days wore on, the miners’ frustration grew.
They tried various strategies to mitigate the flooding, including digging temporary drainage ditches and building barriers to redirect the water flow.
Despite their best efforts, the water continued to undermine their progress.
The ground remained saturated and the miners were often forced to halt their work entirely, waiting for the water levels to recede.
This constant battle with the elements tested their resolve.
We finally got our hopper feeder in, um, and I paid off Troy his royalties for the year. So, that feels really good.
This significantly delayed their mining operations.
Realizing the need for a more robust solution, the miners began exploring alternative methods and equipment.
They considered bringing in larger, more powerful pumps capable of handling the excessive water inflow.
Additionally, they sought advice from engineers and hydrologists, hoping to devise a comprehensive plan that would not only address the immediate flooding but also provide a long-term solution to prevent future issues.
The flooding problem underscored the challenges and unpredictability of mining in such environments.
It was a stark reminder of how natural elements could disrupt even the most carefully planned operations.
Despite these setbacks, the miners remained determined to overcome the obstacles, driven by the promise of valuable resources hidden beneath the waterlogged earth.
Their perseverance and ingenuity would ultimately determine their success in conquering the floodwaters and continuing their mining endeavors.
With the valley flooded and the cold setting in, what comes next could be Rick’s biggest test yet.
Rick’s big pump rescue
Rick remembered a piece of equipment that could help: a 10-in water pump.
This bigger pump was much stronger than the one they were using.
It had been sitting in storage for years, unused, but Rick knew it was their best hope to save their operation from the water.
The crew quickly went to get the big pump from storage.
It was heavy and hard to move, but the urgent situation gave them the strength they needed.
They connected thick hoses to the pump and placed it where it would work best.
Rick carefully watched over the setup, knowing that every minute they delayed meant more water flooding the valley and less chance of reaching the valuable dirt below.
Once everything was ready, they turned on the pump.
Powered by a massive 465-horsepower engine from a bulldozer, the pump roared to life.
It was incredibly powerful.
It could remove as much water as an Olympic-size swimming pool in just about 70 minutes.
This was a huge improvement over the smaller pump, which had barely made any difference.
As the pump worked, the crew saw a big change.
Water was being sucked out of the flooded areas, flowing through the hoses with great force.
The once waterlogged land started to reappear, covered in mud but visible.
Rick watched closely, feeling hopeful as the water receded.
He believed that by the next morning, the valley would be dry enough for them to start digging and reaching the deeper gold-rich layers.
But the water wasn’t the only problem.
The crew’s spirits had been low after days of fighting the flooding and the cold, which threatened to freeze their work.
What happened?
Everybody just seems gone, man. We’re hooped.
The powerful pump not only removed the water, but also lifted their spirits.
They could now focus on their main goal: finding gold.
The next day, Rick felt a renewed sense of excitement as he met with his crew.
Even though they had lost 2 days to the flooding, they were hopeful.
They had managed to keep the cold weather from stopping their work completely, which would have been a disaster.
The valley, once a water-filled trap, now looked like it could give up the gold they needed to meet their targets for the season.
Rick felt both nervous and excited.
This was their first big challenge of the year, and overcoming it had tested their strength and brought the team closer together.
As they got ready to dig again, there was a shared feeling of anticipation.
Everyone was ready to make up for lost time and eager to see what treasures lay beneath the now-dry valley floor.
But the challenges weren’t over yet.
The crew worked with renewed energy, the big pump keeping the area dry.
With every hour that passed, they dug deeper, motivated by the thought that each shovel of dirt brought them closer to their gold goal for the season.
Rick felt really let down when the first water pump broke down, causing a big delay in their mining work.
They had to buy a second pump, which cost a hefty $40,000.
This was a tough hit to their budget, but the team knew they absolutely needed a working pump to keep going.
Jean’s a bundle of knowledge, so it’s going to help me out and kind of make my life and the rest of the season easier.
I’m obviously going to listen to him.
When Rick talked to Troy, the owner of the second pump, Troy said they had to buy it outright.
There were no other choices, and they couldn’t afford to fall behind in their mining schedule.
So Rick agreed to the purchase, knowing how important the pump was for their work.
Even though it was a big expense, the team’s spirit stayed high.
They understood that the pump was essential and worth the cost.
They were now more driven to mine enough gold to cover this new expense and still aim for their season’s goal.
As they set up their mining equipment, Rick showed a water bottle full of gold, guessing it was worth a lot.
He was hopeful that the gold they had already found would cover the pump’s cost and help them reach their season’s target.
Their goal was to get 2,000 ounces of gold this season.
They figured they needed to mine 550 more ounces before the season ended.
After weighing their gold, they saw they had 106.9 O.
Adding the gold from another bottle, they had 206 O worth $370,000.
But this wasn’t the worst part.
They still needed 300 O to hit their goal.
The team felt a new wave of determination.
They focused on keeping their key equipment, the Monster Red, running even with the bad weather threatening their work.
“This plant isn’t really set up for this kind of ground.
We’ve got big boulders, a lot of rocks, and it’s just hard on everything.
It’s going to need a bunch of modifications to make it hold up to run on this kind of material.”
Rick thought back to last season’s mistakes, like chasing big nuggets on shaky information, and wanted to avoid repeating those errors.
Their plan was to dig deeper into Rally Valley, where they believed there was more gold.
This wasn’t just about meeting their goal, but possibly exceeding it.
Everyone worked hard, knowing each ounce of gold got them closer to their target.
This mining season was full of ups and downs.
Rick and his team kept pushing, making the most of every chance to find more gold.
As they kept digging, the hope of reaching or even surpassing their targets seemed more possible.
But the challenges were far from over.
The team was cautiously optimistic.
They knew tough times were ahead, but felt encouraged by their recent wins and the vital equipment they had secured.
With hard work, some luck, and a strong team spirit, they were on track for one of their best seasons in gold mining, making all the hard times worth it.
Rick and his team are pushing through.
But could the pressures of gold mining and environmental risks outweigh the potential gains?
