Good times await you on the next episode of Gold Rush: White Water as Dakota Fred Hurt nearly has a cow watching his son Dustin Hurt orchestrate a ballet of heave-hos and hoists.
We hold our
There’s nothing like a mess of cables and stressed to the max winches strewn about a raging frigid creek while about ten men argue over how high, how fast and where to drop the pricey dredge.
Dakota Fred is pacing alongside the riverbank and he is agitated.
It is clear that he disagrees with Dustin’s gung-ho attack on getting this dredge in place.
He says: “Allright. Hey anybody got a hold of the other line? The OTHER line! [What] the hell are y’all doing up there?
What is happening is that the blue winch is lifting the dredge high off the bridge while the other red winch moves it horizontally above the creek.
It seems easy but like most mining situations, it looks and sounds easier than it actually is recreated in real life, as the factors of wind, weather and human mistakes run high and against a good outcome.
Explaining his position and pointing to each winch, Dakota Fred adds: “I don’t like the system because it relies on the coordination between this winch and that winch…”
Dustin has to synchronize the two winches perfectly. But
Dakota Fred says: “Real slow buddy!”
Suddenly the dredge appears to be out of control as everyone scrambles and Fred is now on high alert while Dustin seems calmer.
Dakota Fred yells over to him: “One director! Just one direction at a time!”
Dustin is clearly over his dad taking the reins in the directing department. he says: “Well you gotta watch what is actually happening!”
Fred won’t quit and says: “Let her down!”
Dustin is kind of in a bit of cheeky bad child mode and says to his dad: “Oh he’s got it figured out now!”
“One more time,” says Fred.
Success is had and everyone seems relieved as the dredge is carefully placed in the fast-moving river exactly where Dustin wanted it.
Gold Rush: White Water is now in its second season, following Dakota Fred and his son Dustin along with an adept crew as they head back to McKinley Creek to dive and suction dredge the bottom of a frigid and fast-moving stream of water that is pretty deep.
This season they have a bigger crew and a second dredge. You will see them diving deep to freezing plunge pools in heated wetsuits.
There are hungry bears, flash floods, random crashing down boulders, and more fun to be had in the Alaskan wilderness.
Tune in tonight and see how that dredge does the trick as they dive for gold.
Gold Rush: White Water airs on Fridays at 10/9c on Discovery.