DUNCAN CREEK, YUKON — Six weeks behind due to lockdown delays, gold miner Rick Ness had every reason to worry. But this week, he silenced the doubters with a massive double gold weigh and a game plan that’s finally firing on all cylinders.
With 91.57 ounces pulled from two cuts in just five days, Rick’s team has officially cracked the 393-ounce mark, putting them well on the path toward their 1,000-ounce season goal.
“Fake It Till You Make It” Pays Off
After a rough start, Rick gathered his crew with a grin and a thank-you.
“We’re streamlining, and we’re looking like we know what we’re doing,” Rick said with a laugh. “Took a few years, but hey—fake it till you make it.”
Now that the cheap cut is nearly tapped out, the crew is going full throttle on the new deep cut, where previous test samples hinted at 2 ounces per 100 yards.
The Challenge: 60 Feet of Overburden
It’s no small job. The deep cut comes with a mountain of junk dirt to remove—60 feet in places—making it Rick’s most aggressive mining push to date.
“It’s going to be expensive. But we’ve got no choice,” Rick told the crew. “We’ve got to get this stripped down before the cheap cut runs out.”
Everyone was called in, including Carl, who was handed a rock truck and a joke:
“Try to keep your pants on, Carl.”
“I’ll try my best,” he grinned.
Crisis Hits: The 700 Breaks Down
Just as momentum built, disaster struck. The team’s main production excavator, the 700, broke down.
“All the welds broke… this thing is shot,” said Carl, examining the loose collar that holds the bucket pin.
Without the 700, Rick’s deep cut plans would grind to a halt. But Carl wasn’t ready to give up. In a low-budget, high-pressure fix, he broke out the welder.
Three hours later, the bucket was reattached.
“No warranty on this job,” Carl joked.
“You pull this off in two hours and act like you weren’t gonna,” Rick said. “This machine’s digging dirt in the morning.”
Gold Weigh: Cheap Cut vs Deep Cut
The crew reconvened in the gold room after four days of running cheap cut pay and just one day from the deep cut. They were not disappointed.
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Cheap Cut Gold: 56.36 oz — $98,000
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Deep Cut Gold: 35.21 oz (from one day) — $62,000
“That’s pretty cool,” said Rick. “That deep cut’s the real deal.”
Together, the weekly haul hit 91.57 ounces, the biggest weekly weigh of the season, worth over $160,000.
Full Steam Ahead to 1,000 Ounces
At nearly 100 ounces per week, Rick and his crew are tracking toward a $2 million season.
“Time to start hammering down,” Rick said, nodding toward the pay dirt.
Carl nodded back:
“I’m in.”
🪙 MINER STATS — SEASON TO DATE
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Total Gold: 393.00 oz
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Weekly Average: 78.6 oz
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Estimated Value: $690,000+
🛠 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It just never ends with this thing.”
— Carl, mid-breakdown fix, moments before saving the entire operation.
