ABC 20/20

Todd Hoffman, his father Jack and their small aviation business in Sandy, Oregon, have fallen on hard times. But when the going gets tough, the tough seek new frontiers so the duo recruits a band of unemployed friends to become rookie gold miners with them in southeast Alaska. The full team consisting of Jim Thurber, Jimmy Dorsey, James Harness and Greg Remsburg is prepared to beg, borrow and build all they need to get down to the gold and save their struggling families.

The greenhorn miners continue risking it all while trying to strike gold in Alaska. The stakes are raised at Porcupine Creek when reality sets in about how little time they have to strike it rich -- the local bears aren't crazy about their presence either. Later, Todd and Jack disagree about how to start mining and a rock-shaker incident threatens to shut down the mining season before they even begin digging.

The miners have built their camps but are behind schedule after setting up their hand-built mining machine. Shortly after beginning, however, their machine begins to fall apart, as does their only James Harness -- their only mechanic. Tensions continue to mount as the miners' families arrive from Oregon asking why the guys haven't found gold yet.

The team attempts to finally run dirt through the wash plant but a visit from the Department of Fish and Game reveals a violation, jeopardizing their vital water supply to the mine. Later, disaster strikes as Todd's daughter fights for her life.

Todd Hoffman pushes his team and their machines to the limit as the crew finally gets the mining operation into gear. Unfortunately, the rock shaker tears apart, bringing the operation to halt again. And even after James Harness has to be rescued from a pit and Jimmy Dorsey picks up another job, the Hoffmans keep the team together long enough to score the biggest gold find since they arrived at Porcupine Creek.

After 80 days, the miners are behind schedule and out of money. They need to find $10,000 worth of gold within two days or the families will be sent home. Meanwhile, after Dorsey struggles with the wave table, tensions flare and fists fly.

With winter weather closing in, a gold recovery expert comes to help the rookies. Todd Hoffman then discovers a major design flaw in the equipment and is forced to make huge modifications. With the credit cards maxed out, he is forced to take desperate measures.

The crew remains in a deep financial hole so a veteran miner attempts to turn things around by cranking up production faster than ever before. When things start falling apart, however, tensions mount and James Harness can't control his frustrations.

Desperate to get to bedrock and large quantities of gold, Todd and Jack Hoffman throw caution to the wind and dig deeper than ever before. With the brutal Alaskan winter bearing down on them, they battle floods, cave-ins and equipment breakdowns all in an attempt to save themselves from financial ruin.

With the arctic winter looming, the crew races against the clock. Rain and thawing snow flood the mine and Jack Hoffman puts his life on the line as the glory hole caves in around the massive 100,000 pound excavator.

Now back in Oregon, the Hoffman's mining crew wrestles with their future after the Alaskan winter ended the mining season. They give an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how they really felt about the most controversial incidents, relive the toughest moments and share their insights on their failures and conflicts. After holding a meeting to discuss the upcoming mining season, Todd and Jack Hoffman then head to the frozen north in search of a new claim.