Indian River, Yukon – The day started with promise, two wash plants humming and everything falling into place. But it didn’t last.
“This morning we had two plans going nice, everything rolling just right—then you show up and they make a mess like that,” Tony Beets growled. “So there you are—plan down. Back to square one.”
Tailings Trouble at Sloot
100 miles west of Kino, Tony is still chasing a 200-ounce weekly gold target. But now, both wash plants are offline. One shaker deck lies in pieces, and the Sloot plant has run out of tailings room. Fine waste tailings have piled up, blocking the sluice runs.
“If you don’t set it up quite right, the fine tailings pile up,” Tony explained. “So I got to fix that.”
The solution? Move the Sloot wash plant to higher ground, where tailings can disperse more freely.
Cousin Mike Takes the Wheel
Tony’s cousin Mike, a rookie foreman, is tasked with dragging the 45-ton wash plant a mile along a narrow, hazardous road flanked by the Indian River on one side and a steep cut on the other.
“All he’s got to do is make sure he swings wide,” Tony said. “Make sure the sluice boxes don’t hook anywhere.”
The job is risky. If the 30-foot-wide plant slides, it could spell disaster.
“If the whole wash plant slides into the cut, that’s the whole season gone right there,” Mike admitted.
Despite the tight turns and trees crowding the path, Mike carefully navigates the terrain.
“This wash plant’s pretty new. We can’t have anything happen to it. I just got to keep an eye on the trees and the sluice runs,” Mike added.
Success and Restart
Mike manages to deliver the plant safely to the new pad. The cables are detached, the excavator pulled back, and the system is set up once more.
“It’s all good to go. Fire up the plant,” Tony announced. “See how nice that works? That works great. Now we’ve got lots of room for tailings.”
With the move complete, Tony is finally back on track to hit his 200-ounce-per-week goal.
The Gold Weigh and Family Banter
With Paradise Hill not producing, the Beets family gathers at Indian River for a weigh-in. As always, family dynamics add a dose of humor.
“I was so nice by myself, and then my wife shows up,” Tony joked.
“Funny, she said the same thing at the hill,” she retorted.
Cousin Mike, the man of the hour, gets some reluctant praise.
“It’s nice to have him around,” Tony admitted. “Takes a lot of weight off me—he can have all the troubles, and I’ll just walk around.”
Time to see if Mike’s move paid off. After three days of sluicing with the relocated Sloot plant, the team weighs in.
Gold Total Falls Short—But Not a Failure
To stay on track for Tony’s 5,000-ounce season goal, Mike needed to deliver 200 ounces. Instead, the scale stops at 75.3 ounces, worth over $188,000, bringing the season total to $849,000.
“Sloot didn’t lose a lot,” Tony said. “Events not in our favor, but we got a little gold anyway.”
It’s not the haul they hoped for, but early in the season, there’s still time to make up ground.
“At least we got a couple ounces,” Mike said. “All we can do is better next week.”
I’m Parker Schnabel, and you’re watching Discovery Australia. Hit subscribe now to never miss a moment of Gold Rush action.
