Gold Rush: White Water mining team Dustin and Fred Hurt have decided to take a huge risk and double their operations. That means twice the workload, twice the manpower and, hopefully, twice the gold.
Of course, in order to achieve this ambitious goal, the Gold Rush: White Water father-son duo will have to create an entirely new team to secure enough workers for both locations. They’ve even recruited a solo dredger, Kayla Johanson, a veteran miner that Dustin has known for years. Johansen admitted that she runs her operations quite differently from the fellow Alaskan miners. However, she was happy to help bring in more gold.
Ahead of tonight’s season premiere at 9 p.m. ET, Discovery dropped an exclusive preview of Johanson’s first day on the job with the Gold Rush: White Water team.
Following in her grandfather’s footsteps, Johanson has gold flecks running through her veins. Similar to Gold Rush star Parker Schnabel, her gold mining career began as a teenager. However, unlike Schnabel and fellow series stars, Johanson is a one-woman operation, rarely sharing the workload or rewards. Now, in order to help a friend, the gold miner will join Dustin Hurt’s team. Together, they’ll hopefully begin a new era of gold hunting in the 49th state.
Although she has plenty of experience in the water, the new Gold Rush: White Water team member admitted she was “a little nervous” about fitting in with the rest of the crew.
Why the ‘Gold Rush: White Water’ Team Decided to Double Their Efforts
The drastic change to their season plans came after Dustin Hurt returned to the father-son duo’s location along McKinley Creek only to find it buried under a record amount of snow. Now, on top of the usual obstacles that a new mining season presents, Dustin’s team will have to navigate massive white water rapids from increased snowmelt as well as treacherous road conditions.
On top of this new feat, one legendary member of the Hurt’s team left the operation, opening up the opportunity for new faces to join their efforts. These drastic changes to the season pointed towards the start of a new direction for Dustin and Fred, and so, the seasoned mining patriarch decided to take a leap of faith and create a whole new operation altogether.
This doesn’t mean that the coming season will be easy for the father-son duo, though. With more employees and land come more risks. Dustin will have to uncover enough metal to pay an additional four miners and the necessary equipment. Not to mention, he’ll also be responsible for their lives as they continue through one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.
The new adventure can lead to dramatic payoffs or fatal mistakes.
