Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail is putting the main star Parker Schnabel in some sticky situations. Humid for sure, but in Papua, New Guinea, the locals are killing each other over gold claims and people stealing from each other and more.
Parker and his group are in the thick of things trying to extract gold too.
It doesn’t go over well with everyone in New Guinea.
On tonight’s episode, we see Parker stopped at Eddie Creek as two friendly locals explain how boulder-sized nuggets are up in the hills and they are mining them. Parker is supportive of their work and sacrifice.
Looking at a huge boulder-sized nugget, Parker says, “What’s that?”
The man says: “[It’s] heavy.”
Parker agrees: “Very heavy.”
The man says: “I’ve been up there… the top of the mountain [where] we can find a big gold nugget like this.”
Listening intently, Parker says: “So you’re saying if you get further into the mountain there’s gold nuggets this?”
That elicited a big yes. Parker estimates that the boulder is approximately six hundred ounces, worth three quarters a million bucks.
In the voice over with graphic-animation showing how the gold migrated down the hillside, we learn that it all happened over thousands of years as some of the gold in the quartz veins washed down into Eddie Creek where it was mined during the initial gold strike of the ’20s.
The people who Parker is working with believe there are still large gold deposits, including huge nuggets in the veins on the mountainside where they’re mining. In other words, Parker ain’t seen nothing yet.
You can see the wheels are turning but he is very subdued. Parker says: “It’s pretty high risk…but if there’s gold like that in there then I can see why you do it. I hope you guys find it.”
In a conversation to the camera directly, Parker says: “None of this made sense to me until that conversation because they are just barely getting by in hopes of finding massive chunks of gold in that mountain and they’ll die trying.”
Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail is in the end stretch of season 3 in New Guinea as Parker and everyone with the exception of Gold Rush star Rick Ness joined him from last season.
In this run, Parker and his crew head into the steamy jungles in search of major gold finds. But will he be able to mine in this wet, hot climate where all sorts of predators exist?
This year, Parker has survival expert and wilderness guide Karla Ann with him (this is her third jaunt on Parker’s Trails) as well as British adventure cameraman Sam Brown.
Also joining Parker is Special Forces Medic Fred Lewis. He has the military and medical experience to keep the team alive.
The official Logline from discovery:
Parker and friends Karla, Sam, and Fred are at Eddie Creek, Papua New Guinea, the site of the largest gold rush of the 20th century. After being washed down the mountain the previous week, Parker investigates why the locals mine on the dangerous mountainside and not in the legendary Eddie creek.
The team also discovers that their new friends, members of the Kukukuku tribe, are putting themselves in grave danger by breathing in lethal mercury fumes in order to extract their gold. Parker decides to build a device that he hopes can contain the poisonous gases. While Fred and Karla chase a gold rich vein on the mountainside, Parker and Sam become stranded when the road they are travelling on is washed away by a flash flood.
Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail airs Friday, April 5 at 9/8c on Discovery.