Loaders! And Trommels! And Gold! Oh my!

Gold mining is the new crab fishing.  Or at least that is what I've read.  I'm sure we have all witnessed the rise of Alaska-based reality shows on television in recent years.  Homegrown Alaskans have especially noticed it.  Some of it, we have found obnoxious, staged, and a vast misrepresentation of our daily life.  Most of it, however, we have watched and welcomed with the rest of the country.  Tuning in to Survivor-like episodes and watching groups of Cheechakos attempt to "make it" in the harsh Alaska wilderness with nothing but a map, a .22, and a camera crew is laughable, yet entertaining.  Watching old crusty fisherman bust their asses in the Bering Sea for a seasonal crab quota?  Awesome.  In my opinion, it's the best reality show on television. And let's not forget the Tweto's.  Flying Wild Alaska is a close second to Deadliest Catch.  It has humor, excitement, and the quirky and adorable Ariel Tweto.  What's not to love?  We Alaskans are drawn to such adventure.

Nevertheless, the aforementioned Cheechako's can be as annoying as they are entertaining.  My husband, Dave, is usually the first to point out these annoying characters and their scripted "reality."  So when I saw that Discovery had a new series that depicted a group of Oregon men mining for Alaska gold, I wasn't all that impressed.  Just from the series trailer, I could tell that Gold Rush Alaska was going to be full of drama.  Indeed these men were mining for gold, but they were also fighting like high school girls.  Apparently, it is not unlike gold miners to be moody, catty, even teary at times.  This is great for reality television but cheesy to the average homegrown Alaskan.  I dismissed the show immediately.  But to my surprise, my husband was sucked in.

Dempsey's trommel and excavator at Mineral Creek, 1980's

Every Friday night Dave tuned in to see what was going on with the Hoffman's, the Oregon family with the gold rush dream.  And when season two rolled around, he tuned in again.  I remained skeptical, but I sat through a few.  I must admit that the addition of the Schnabel family was a good call on the producer's part.  I am a sucker for the story of a family business and how it has changed with each subsequent generation.  So as long as the Schnabel's were on, I was able to tolerate my husband's intrigue with the show.

However, his intrigue quickly turned into a fixation, and, within weeks, into an obsession.  He recorded and watched, talked about it, re-watched it, and talked about it some more.  Every Friday night was Gold Rush night and each following day was discussion day.  I tried to remain tolerant and thought to myself that maybe this was just his version of my own obsession for vampire shows.  For the last few years I had become enamored with anything vampire-related; television shows, books, movies, etc.  I have entire "girl nights" that are dedicated to that very subject.  Twilight; True Blood; Anne Rice; If it had vampires, my girl-friends and I were fascinated, if not obsessed.

So I thought, Twilight: Gold Rush Alaska.  Woman: Man.  Potato: Potahto.  To each his own.  Besides, gold mining is just  a curiosity to Dave, a fascination at best, right?  Wrong.  So wrong.  Dave began to talk about finding a gold claim to mine.... like a genuine gold claim... for us... to mine... literally.  It was then that I began to panic.  I mean come on!  Edward Cullen and Dracula and Vampire Bill aren't real!  I have accepted that.  And to be honest, gold-mining seemed just as far-fetched, just as fantastical to me.

"You mean... us?!"  I'm not sure if the phrase was ever uttered or if it merely bounced around my brain each time the subject was brought up.  But I was concerned.  Dave would enthusiastically talk about his mining dreams, telling me that the gold prices were great right now, that he'd been looking at equipment on craigslist and that he'd spoken to his Dad about building a trommel.  He could go on and on about loaders, tromells, loader and tromell parts, gold prices in the 80's versus gold prices now, and how this summer would be a great time to start our mining adventure.  I'm pretty sure each time the conversation steered that direction, I broke into a sweat.  These speeches continued for months and I admit that I listened half-heartedly, secretly hoping that this was just a phase and that he was merely talking.  I can handle talking.

But then he went ahead and did it.  He tugged at my heart strings.  He just had to do it.  He knew exactly what to say, too.  He brought up his own mining story, his family history in the gold mining business.  He brought up "Dempsey Mining and Construction", circa 1986-1991.  Now I was hooked.  (Damn those Schnabel's and their adorable grandfather/grandson relationship!) Like I said, I'm a sucker for the Alaska family business story.

Dave at Mineral Creek, 1986?

Dave's parents were gold miners in Valdez in the 80's.  And some of Dave's first memories are of that mine.  He had spent many of his days on the Mineral Creek claim amongst loaders, excavators, trommels, and that good old Alaskan gold fever.  He recounted story after story;  How he had taken his Tonka trucks up there and built his own little mini-mines; how his Dad gave him rides on the excavator; and how some of the wildlife, such as mountain goats, would appear at their camp from time to time.  His parents found enough gold to raise their family on and to employ his Uncle Jeff.  It was hard work, but it was enough of an adventure to leave a lasting impression on a young boy.  Dave smiled every time he told these stories.  I couldn't help but smile with him.  I began to wonder if gold fever was contagious.

Dave and Dani at Mineral Creek, 1988 or 89??

Then Dave would say, "I can't wait for Dylan to have similar memories."  Oof!  Straight to the heart!  How do I argue with that?!  It was then that I knew that this was no phase.  This was going to happen.  And when I let myself think about it, I became nervous.  My heart rate quickened and my mind flooded with questions.  Where? When? How much money?  Much to my surprise, Dave had an answer for all of them.  Mineral Creek.  Preparation begins now.  Mining begins in July.  A few large purchases right away, then it's cost of operation once we get started.  Once these questions were answered, other questions came to my mind.  But these, I could easily answer on my own.

Who am I to deny Dave his gold mining dreams and Dylan his Tonka truck memories?  What is life if not an adventure?    Didn't Dave support me through every dream, every whim that I've ever had?  When I wanted to buy a cabin in the woods to live in every summer; when I wanted to sell our house and move to Portland and go to school in the winters; when I wanted to return to Alaska to raise a family; all of these times, every time, Dave said yes without question.

And yet I still wonder... gold mining?  Really?  But then I think of the adventure, the gold, the fever, the adrenaline of the find (the gold rush, if you will).  I think of the little boy at his Daddy's mine, the Tonka's, the mountain goats, the history, the dirt, the rain, and the sunshine!  That glorious midnight sun!  I think of the family business, the family time.  Isn't that what it's all about?  Spending time together, learning, growing, living this adventure together, come rain or shine, hell or high water?

Who knows, we may hate mining.  We may sell everything in the fall and never return to Valdez again.  It may simply not be for us.  But how will we know if we don't try it out?  So to that, I can only say, Sure!  Why the hell not?  Mining is in Dave's blood.  He's got the fever.  He's no Sourdough...but at least he's no damn Cheechako.

And months later, here I sit. We have purchased a loader, a water pump, and spent countless hours making plans.  Dave's Dad, Dan Dempsey, has been working on the trommel.  I am waking up every morning and searching for travel trailers on craigslist.  Dave's mom, Rita, sister Dani, brother-in-law Daniel, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Peggy have also signed on for the expedition.  We are all signed up for our MSHA classes (Mine Safety and Health Administration).  We will begin the road to the mine in June, then the operation begins shortly after that.  We will probably wrap things up by the end of September.  Until then, I will try to keep you all posted on our gold mining expedition on this blog.  I hope you keep reading, I look forward to many more posts!  Cheers to another Dempsey adventure!

"Ah mush on dogs! / There's gold up in those streams / Shining bright and haunting all my dreams." ~Hobo Jim "Miner's Dream"~