0:00:02 > 0:00:06A remote corner of the North American continent.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11A subarctic wilderness, unchanged for millennia...
0:00:11 > 0:00:14until gold was discovered here
0:00:14 > 0:00:16at the end of the 19th century.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22News of the find triggered a global stampede -
0:00:22 > 0:00:24the Klondike gold rush.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30And for two brief years, this place was utterly transformed,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34as tens of thousands of gold-seekers from around the world
0:00:34 > 0:00:36raced from the Alaskan coast,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39600 miles north to the Klondike gold fields,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42hoping to strike it rich.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Now, 120 years later,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48a team of adventurers are here to take on that same journey,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50in search of their own gold,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54and to experience what it was like to be a Klondiker.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57The team are led by historian Dan Snow.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01The whole world knew about what was happening here
0:01:01 > 0:01:03and lots of the world came here
0:01:03 > 0:01:08and turned this quiet valley into a motorway.
0:01:08 > 0:01:12He's joined by medic and engineer Dr Kevin Fong...
0:01:13 > 0:01:14- Oh, Dan.- Hey, buddy.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The most common cause of death in the gold rush was trauma
0:01:17 > 0:01:20and, of those traumatic deaths, the most common cause was drowning.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24..and polar explorer and scientist Felicity Aston.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26We've got the exact set of circumstances
0:01:26 > 0:01:29that formed our nightmare scenario.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32They'll need to survive icy torrents...
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Good... Good-good.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35- PANTING:- That's cold!
0:01:35 > 0:01:38..dangerous descents...
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Whoa!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43..and surging rapids...
0:01:45 > 0:01:48That was...an experience!
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Nice work.
0:01:50 > 0:01:51..before they reach the Klondike,
0:01:51 > 0:01:56where they'll mine for gold the old-fashioned way.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Oh, my God, look at that!
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Dan, Felicity and Kevin have arrived at Lake Lindeman,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25having crossed the Alaskan coastal mountains.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30They're ten days into their month-long expedition,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34following in the footsteps of the original gold rush stampeders.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Now they're about to start a very different challenge...
0:02:43 > 0:02:45..an epic boat trip.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50First, they'll have to navigate vast lakes,
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and run terrifying rapids.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Jumping ahead by road, they'll join the mighty Yukon River,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59passing through the former trading post of Fort Selkirk.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01They'll then have to row to Dawson City,
0:03:01 > 0:03:03gateway to the gold fields.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10They have just seven days left
0:03:10 > 0:03:12to cover 500 miles.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18The lakes and rapids ahead can be treacherous,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and so the team will have white water experts,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and support boats accompanying them.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27One of the biggest threats in this section of the journey
0:03:27 > 0:03:31will come from the notoriously unpredictable weather.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Dan, an experienced sailor, has been keeping a close watch on conditions.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41Wind was getting stiffer all night...
0:03:41 > 0:03:45howling through these trees and through my fly of my tent, so...
0:03:46 > 0:03:48At the moment I think we'll be OK,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50but I'd like to get going as quickly as possible,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52which is why I'm up and I'm going to start waking everyone else up.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56When that wind comes powering down these valleys...
0:03:56 > 0:03:58it can turn this into as nasty a stretch of water
0:03:58 > 0:04:00as any that I've ever sailed or ever seen.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07The team face many of the same dangers
0:04:07 > 0:04:09that confronted the stampeders.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Trauma medic Kevin knows just how deadly the rivers and lakes can be.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The water in that lake has come off those snow-capped mountains
0:04:20 > 0:04:21and is near freezing.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27You go in that water and you'll be incapacitated in seconds.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30The most common cause of death in the gold rush was trauma
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and, of those traumatic deaths, the most common cause was drowning.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Polar explorer Felicity is used to working
0:04:38 > 0:04:41with the most modern expedition equipment.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Her biggest concern is the quality of the boat.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47I haven't seen the boat yet, but...
0:04:50 > 0:04:52..I think it's likely to be quite rudimentary.
0:04:54 > 0:04:55I guess, looking on the bright side,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58at least we haven't had to build it ourselves.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01But that's exactly what the stampeders had to do.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Lindeman became one huge boatbuilding yard,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08and the surrounding slopes
0:05:08 > 0:05:12were completely deforested in the search for timber.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16Many of the stampeders were inspired to write vivid diaries and,
0:05:16 > 0:05:17throughout the expedition,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20the team will be using them to better understand
0:05:20 > 0:05:22what the Klondikers went through.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26"Oh, if you could only see the boats that are being built here,
0:05:26 > 0:05:27"thousands of them.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31"There must be some hundreds in this cove alone."
0:05:31 > 0:05:33DRILL WHIRS
0:05:39 > 0:05:42To make the team's experience as authentic as possible,
0:05:42 > 0:05:48local carpenter Peter Buntain has built a replica boat out of spruce.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51The most popular designs were flat-bottomed,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55because they were the easiest for novice boatbuilders to construct.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58DRILL WHIRS
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Now the team are going to see their boat for the first time.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05FELICITY LAUGHS
0:06:05 > 0:06:08- OK.- Brilliant!- OK. Wow.
0:06:09 > 0:06:10Is it completely flat-bottomed?
0:06:10 > 0:06:13It's completely flat-bottomed, which I can't believe.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I've never really seen a completely flat-bottomed boat before.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And it means that these lakes, we have to be...
0:06:19 > 0:06:20Well... That's disappointing,
0:06:20 > 0:06:23because we're going to have to be very careful with conditions.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24With flat-bottomed boats,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27you can't go out in anything other than virtually flat calm.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30Let's go and have a look.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I'm glad to see it's got a bucket
0:06:32 > 0:06:33for bailing out, so...
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It's already got water in the bottom.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39- Nice!- I mean, it's sturdy, it's sturdily built...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43But it's... It's not going to be fast,
0:06:43 > 0:06:44it's not going to be manoeuvrable,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47and it's not going to be easy to control.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50W-what do you mean by that? Do you think it's going to be hard to move
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- or do you think it might not stay afloat?- Well...
0:06:53 > 0:06:57I mean, I hope it will stay afloat, because wood essentially floats.
0:06:57 > 0:06:58HE WHEEZES
0:07:01 > 0:07:04The Canadian authorities demanded that every stampeder travel
0:07:04 > 0:07:06with a year's worth of supplies,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10so boats like this were built for large cargoes.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14All the same, they were often dangerously overloaded.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16- Got that?- Yeah!
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Right.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23When Lake Lindeman froze during the first winter of the gold rush,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27it became a bottleneck, filled with thousands of trapped stampeders.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Ready to go?
0:07:29 > 0:07:31But in the last days of May 1898,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35the ice broke and the stampede was back on.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Hundreds of boats launched,
0:07:39 > 0:07:42racing north to stake the best claims in the Klondike.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51The team are going to experience just how tough that journey was.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56Tonight, they're aiming to camp
0:07:56 > 0:07:59at the old gold rush settlement of Bennett.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02To get there,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05they must cross the eight miles of Lake Lindeman.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09If it goes north,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12I can't even begin to tell you how bad it's going to be.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Yeah, I mean, you can see how - on a bad weather day -
0:08:14 > 0:08:16this could get quite nasty.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It feels like the wind's getting a bit stronger too.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Progress is painfully slow, but Dan has an idea.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28You know what, guys? I reckon I might try and rig a little sail.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Eh?
0:08:31 > 0:08:33- Ooh!- Oh, God.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35We could lose Captain Snow.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Captain just doesn't seem to be enough of a naval rank for him.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40You know, Rear Admiral or something.
0:08:40 > 0:08:41Admiral Snow.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44HE LAUGHS
0:08:44 > 0:08:49He improvises, using wooden snowshoes and a tent fly sheet.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52There we go.
0:08:52 > 0:08:53Oh-ho!
0:08:53 > 0:08:56Look at this.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58The speed is about to come on.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59DAN GROANS
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Ben Ainslie would be jealous.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06We're being overtaken by ducks.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15Three hours later, they eventually arrive at the end of the lake.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Waiting for them are one-mile rapids.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26This narrow canyon between Lindeman and Bennett lakes
0:09:26 > 0:09:28filled stampeders with fear.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Just like the stampeders, the team have a choice -
0:09:33 > 0:09:36spend hours hauling their boat around it
0:09:36 > 0:09:40or risk a quick but perilous short cut down the white water.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Let's go.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56These rapids were...a significant obstacle for people
0:09:56 > 0:09:57during the gold rush.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01One gentleman committed suicide here after losing all his possessions
0:10:01 > 0:10:05in the rapids, so...they're not to be taken lightly.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09For our team, a support crew is on hand.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14The most dangerous part is that triangular rock -
0:10:14 > 0:10:17everything else has a lower velocity.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20And I think, if you hit it, you'll break the boat or hold it there.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23There's a chance of getting thrown into the water.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25So I don't know who's going to be on that tiller.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I'll be on this, I'll be on the tiller.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28I'm sure you've done this a lot,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31but have you ever seen anyone do it in a boat like our boat?
0:10:33 > 0:10:35This will be a first, for sure.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37- FELICITY:- Can I talk to Dan?
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Dan...
0:10:39 > 0:10:43OK, this is a lot on you, cos I've not done this before.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I've white watered before,
0:10:46 > 0:10:48and been told, "Paddle hard now, paddle hard there,"
0:10:48 > 0:10:52but this is mostly you steering us, and getting us in the right place.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54- I mean, seriously...- Yeah. - ..are you OK with it?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56- Yeah.- Cos as long as you're happy...
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- I'm very happy.- I mean, I trust you implicitly, but...
0:11:03 > 0:11:04- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06- All good.- OK.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08I trust you.
0:11:08 > 0:11:13Explorer Felicity knows they are putting their safety in Dan's hands.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15A lot of this is down to Dan.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17You know, me and Kevin are just rowing.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Dan's the one who has to have the skill and the knowledge
0:11:19 > 0:11:23to put the boat in the right part of the water.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25This is serious, this isn't a joke any more.
0:11:28 > 0:11:33Despite his show of confidence to the team, Dan has his reservations.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35It looks pretty bad, to be honest.
0:11:35 > 0:11:37In a kayak or a Canadian canoe or a rubber boat,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39you can zip around the river a bit more,
0:11:39 > 0:11:40you can be more manoeuvrable.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43In our enormous tub, it's not that easy,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and my concern is I'm not going to be able to pull off that manoeuvre.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49The worst that can happen is if we come straight down here,
0:11:49 > 0:11:52pile onto that rock and the boat will disintegrate on that rock.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58When your body hits water this cold,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01you have this reflex that makes you gasp,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and take a really sharp and very deep intake of breath
0:12:04 > 0:12:09and that is why even very strong swimmers drown in cold water.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17I'm not sure that you're going to want to hear this particularly right now,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20but this is an extract from Inga Kolloen,
0:12:20 > 0:12:25who was here in June of 1898 and she says,
0:12:25 > 0:12:27"There are many boats going down the river,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30"some of them go through the canyon safely,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32"but many have a very dangerous ride.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37"I saw one of them run into a large rock and be broken into two pieces.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41"Another one capsized and went under the water with all the cargo."
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Back in 1898,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51at the least ten boats were wrecked here
0:12:51 > 0:12:53in the first week of June alone.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59I mean, genuinely, are you happy about this?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Because we've been out here for a good few days now
0:13:01 > 0:13:04and this is the first time I've seen any doubt on your face
0:13:04 > 0:13:05about anything that we've done.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Dan hasn't done these rapids before.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10I think he's taking on a big responsibility.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13You know, if he says he's happy, I'm sure he wouldn't tell us that
0:13:13 > 0:13:14unless he really was.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24OK.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Right, team, let's go.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Just like the stampeders before them,
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Kevin and Felicity are novices.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Dan does his best to put them through their paces.
0:13:44 > 0:13:45OK, so now, Kevin forward...
0:13:47 > 0:13:49There we go, stroke, stroke, stroke.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Now, in a couple, I'm going to call "power",
0:13:51 > 0:13:53so I'm going to call "hard".
0:13:53 > 0:13:55Don't go crazy, try and stay in time.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Hard! Hard! Hard! Hard! Hard!
0:13:57 > 0:13:59That's it. That's it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00You're sort of jerking on it a bit harder.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03You are jerking kind of, but you're just getting it through the water.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06Their role is crucial.
0:14:06 > 0:14:07They must provide power,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10so Dan can try and steer the boat around the rocks.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Felicity, hard! Felicity, hard! Felicity, hard!
0:14:15 > 0:14:17Boom, yes.
0:14:17 > 0:14:18Gentle.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21Kevin, hard! Kevin, hard! Kevin, hard! Kevin, hard!
0:14:21 > 0:14:23Kevin, hard! Kevin, hard!
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Gentle. Ship your oars! Ship your oars! Ship your oars!
0:14:25 > 0:14:27- Oh, I did the wrong thing.- Wahey!
0:14:27 > 0:14:29- Oh...- That's all right.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31I pushed it in rather than pulled it out.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Now it's time for the real thing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39We are entering the rapids.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44The rapids are rated Intermediate - Class III -
0:14:44 > 0:14:45but the weight of the boat
0:14:45 > 0:14:47means it's much harder to steer a safe line.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56I-I can't see a single thing here.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Just try and keep on the pace.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- We're going straight through the middle of it now.- Oh...
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Straight through the middle of it, no problem at all.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06The first couple of waves coming, the first couple of waves.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- Keep...- Ooh!
0:15:09 > 0:15:12No-one has attempted these rapids in a boat like this
0:15:12 > 0:15:14since the gold rush.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23OK? Felicity, hard. Felicity, hard. Felicity, hard.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25And, Kevin, hard. Both hard.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Both hard. Both hard. Both hard.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29And gentle. Well done, well done.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36And both hard. Both hard.
0:15:36 > 0:15:37Both hard.
0:15:37 > 0:15:39Both hard.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Both hard. OK, gentle.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47OK, we are now 15 seconds away from the big effort, guys.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Gentle, gentle, gentle...
0:15:51 > 0:15:53And back, push very slightly. Push very slightly.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55That's enough, that's enough, that's enough.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Now, gentle. Gentle.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Gentle. Gentle.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02No, straightforward... Pull! Pull! Pull! Pull!
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Pull! And hard. Hard. Hard.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Hard. Hard...
0:16:07 > 0:16:11They're approaching the triangular rock, the most critical point.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Oh...
0:16:19 > 0:16:21It's OK, Kevin.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24DAN GROANS
0:16:26 > 0:16:27Hold on.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30In the middle of the most dangerous section of the rapids,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32they've lost all control of the boat.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Are you all right?
0:16:39 > 0:16:41We're through, we're through.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42We're through.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54- OK... - DAN GROANS
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Get ready - rowing positions.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- Ooh!- Rowing positions.- Yeah.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07- Pull.- OK.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Whoo-hoo! That was fun.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17What happened there?!
0:17:19 > 0:17:21The team have survived.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24Now they have an easier journey to the next lake.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33They land at the site of the old stampeder town of Bennett.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38- FELICITY LAUGHS - Well done, guys.- Ahhh!
0:17:38 > 0:17:39- Nice work.- Well done.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- Nice work.- Well done you.
0:17:41 > 0:17:42FELICITY LAUGHS
0:17:44 > 0:17:46That was...
0:17:46 > 0:17:49an experience! We, er...
0:17:51 > 0:17:54When he was thrown over, Dan smashed his nose against the boat.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- Take that over the front of the nose, did you?- Yeah.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02- All right there? - No pain, nothing at all.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05Medic Kevin wants to check nothing's broken.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09- All right.- No, no pain. - No-no injuries anywhere else?
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Nothing. No. No, it was just a weird...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- It was a very weird little... - It's a fairly deep gash.- Is it?
0:18:14 > 0:18:16- Let's get it cleaned up.- OK.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Everything that could happen and go wrong on that run
0:18:22 > 0:18:24happened and it went wrong.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26It was an intense experience.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31It was so bizarre.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34You could see on Dan's face that we were getting close to the rapids,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36you could see his face change,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39but you've got your back to the whole thing, so you just can't see.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41So I've got no idea what just happened.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43- OK.- And then...
0:18:43 > 0:18:45- Have you got one more of those somewhere as well?- Yeah.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48It's going to clean that, OK? And it's going to irrigate...
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Hold that on there, all right?
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- Just put one finger on there, where it's sore, OK?- All right.
0:18:56 > 0:18:57Just hold that for now. Good man.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04Dan's OK, but he's looking a bit bloody and heroic,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06but he really saved the day.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14With Dan tended to, it's the next casualty's turn.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- Ready? - DAN GROANS
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Anticipating there may be some damage,
0:19:18 > 0:19:21boatbuilder Peter has been waiting for the crew.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Well, it's a minor little detail, that's for sure.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27That won't stop us.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30Yes!
0:19:30 > 0:19:31Yeah, a little bump on the bows,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34and then this keel's taken a beating here, wow!
0:19:34 > 0:19:35A few gouges out of the keel.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39The keel took all the hit, so our spruce, it survived it all,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41so it's wonderful.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42We don't have any patching to do.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50There was part of me that was sort of imagining
0:19:50 > 0:19:51scraping teeth out of the bottom of that boat
0:19:51 > 0:19:54at the end of those rapids - I could see that happening.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56For the guys coming down during the gold rush,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59I mean, that must have been absolute chaos.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02- Yeah.- It must have felt so unfair when some boatloads
0:20:02 > 0:20:04just skipped down there without a problem,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08and then you have someone else coming through,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10and losing everything.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12By the beach at the bottom of those rapids,
0:20:12 > 0:20:14just covered in broken glass and rusting metal and iron.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I think that could well be all the cargoes that were lost,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19and smashed and shattered,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21and they've just been there for 120 years, just rotting on the side,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23all the hopes and dreams of stampeders
0:20:23 > 0:20:26who carried it across the Chilkoot.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28They get there and that's the end of the journey.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34BOILING WATER HISSES
0:20:35 > 0:20:37I'm looking forward to this cup of tea
0:20:37 > 0:20:39more than I look forward to most cups of tea.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Meanwhile, Dan checks his battle wounds.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Ow.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49- HE CHUCKLES - Ooh!
0:20:49 > 0:20:55My nose has always been a prominent and distinctive feature on my face.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Now it looks like it's going to be...
0:20:58 > 0:21:00even more so, with a big scar on it.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02That's great.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04My mum is going to kill me.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15Before the gold rush, the shores of this lake were pristine wilderness.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17But Bennett fast became the biggest settlement
0:21:17 > 0:21:19on the way to the Klondike,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23with a boatbuilding industry which dwarfed even Lindeman's.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26At its peak in early 1898,
0:21:26 > 0:21:31tens of thousands of stampeders converged on this temporary town,
0:21:31 > 0:21:35constructing, repairing, buying and selling boats.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38This east bank, where I'm standing now, was a hive of activity.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Look at all those boats lined up to be sold to prospectors.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45Fantastic. Very like our boat, actually, a very similar design.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Entrepreneurs rushed here, sensing there was profit to be made.
0:21:49 > 0:21:54Six sawmills worked day and night to satisfy demand for timber...
0:21:55 > 0:21:58..while a crude wooden boat could sell for a year's salary.
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Steamboats -
0:22:02 > 0:22:06their boilers and engines hauled laboriously over the passes -
0:22:06 > 0:22:09were built here in weeks.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13They provided an alternative means of travel for stampeders with money.
0:22:14 > 0:22:20As the town grew, banks, hostels, stores and restaurants sprung up,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23all competing for the stampeders' business.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26There's some great quotes from our diarists here.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30"This town of Bennett becomes more repugnant to one's nose every day.
0:22:30 > 0:22:31"It is quite undrained,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34"even by the melting snow flowing down the hillsides,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36"and the crowding is frightful."
0:22:37 > 0:22:40I mean, totally, totally different to today.
0:22:40 > 0:22:45A hive of activity, no sewage, no hygiene...
0:22:45 > 0:22:47This would have stunk to high heaven,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50particularly all the mule trains and the horse trains coming in here,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and all their droppings mixing with the melting snow and slush
0:22:53 > 0:22:55in the streets.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57It would have been an incredibly busy place.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00It would have been a humming place too.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Around 40,000 people passed through Bennett during the gold rush...
0:23:09 > 0:23:13..and the lack of sanitation began to take its toll.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19It's often the case in medicine
0:23:19 > 0:23:22that the dead can teach you more than the living.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25There is one headstone here with someone dying at the age of 39,
0:23:25 > 0:23:28so these are people dying prematurely,
0:23:28 > 0:23:31even given the age in which they lived.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35I love this report that I found.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38It's the report of Inspector FL Cartwright
0:23:38 > 0:23:41of the North-West Mounted Police in 1898,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44who arrives and discovers this, you know,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47terrible iceberg of disease, and he says,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"The number of people and persons with poor constitutions
0:23:50 > 0:23:52"who have flocked to this undeveloped and very old country
0:23:52 > 0:23:55"without the necessary means to keep them longer than a few months
0:23:55 > 0:23:57"has become a great trial.
0:23:57 > 0:24:02"It has also been a case of survival of the fittest."
0:24:05 > 0:24:11These people drowned, they froze to death, they also suffered infection,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14and what was colloquially known as "the fever".
0:24:14 > 0:24:15Now, "the fever" was a catch-all
0:24:15 > 0:24:19for anything from dysentery to pneumonias,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22and flu-like illnesses,
0:24:22 > 0:24:24but they lived in such close proximity
0:24:24 > 0:24:26that any small infection
0:24:26 > 0:24:30would spread through the population of the Lake Bennett city
0:24:30 > 0:24:31like wildfire.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40METALLIC CLINKING
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- YELLS:- Timber!
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- Whoo-hoo!- Look at that.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53I'm going to drag it into this clearing...
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Undeterred by their attempts to harness the wind effectively
0:24:56 > 0:24:58on Lake Lindeman,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01the team want to construct a more substantial mast and sail.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04So, just like the stampeders before them,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06they've headed into the surrounding forest.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08So, ideally, you'd leave it for a while before using it,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10- would you?- Definitely. Definitely.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13So it'd dried out and became hard and more stable.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15It's going to work for what we've got.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18It's going to blow us along, light breeze, it's going to be fine.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30- Oh, yes!- Lovely.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34That...is a well-stuck mast!
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Now they have an authentic mast,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41the team discard their makeshift rigging,
0:25:41 > 0:25:46and turn back to the tried and tested materials of the stampeders.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50We're basically making a classic square sail, a Viking ship sail.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55This basic design was perfect for propelling the stampeders north,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but only if the wind was blowing from the south.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02OK, here we go.
0:26:02 > 0:26:03Now.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11It's still covered in Dan's blood,
0:26:11 > 0:26:13so I think it's a very appropriate name.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25The next challenge on their journey awaits...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Bennett Lake.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33The team must travel the length of this 30-mile stretch of water,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36notorious for its unpredictable and stormy weather,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38to the town of Carcross.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47On a tight schedule, they have only two days to do it.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49Well done, guys.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58It's now June and the lake has been ice-free for three weeks.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01But in 1898, when the ice melted,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05it triggered the largest flotilla ever seen in Canada.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Over the course of two days, 8,000 boats set sail for Dawson,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13helped by a strong southerly wind.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25But nearly 120 years later,
0:27:25 > 0:27:28the prevailing southerly winds that pushed the stampeders on
0:27:28 > 0:27:30have failed to materialise.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33This is a disaster. All of the experience,
0:27:33 > 0:27:35all of the boatmen on this lake
0:27:35 > 0:27:37told me that it always blows from the south.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39We've got the sail ready to go...
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Occasionally, we get bursts of NORTHERLY wind,
0:27:42 > 0:27:44which means we're paddling into the wind,
0:27:44 > 0:27:46which, in this tub, means we're basically going nowhere.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48We're running on a treadmill.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51WIND HOWLS
0:27:53 > 0:27:56And the northerly wind is getting stronger.
0:28:00 > 0:28:04It's not long before the boat is actually being blown backwards.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07There's now white horses coming towards us.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10We're in big trouble now.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Wow, that changed up quick.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15That's mountain weather.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17They can't carry on into the wind.
0:28:19 > 0:28:20That swell's getting bigger.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24A flat-bottomed boat in a big swell can easily capsize.
0:28:24 > 0:28:25We're going to turn around, guys.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28We'll do exactly what the gold rush would have done,
0:28:28 > 0:28:29we're going to find shelter.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33They need to get ashore as quickly as possible.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35With the wind now behind them,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Dan thinks he can use their new sail to help.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41There's a little bay here, it's not much, but it's better than nothing.
0:28:41 > 0:28:42It looks good!
0:28:42 > 0:28:44KEVIN GROANS
0:28:47 > 0:28:50- DAN GROANS - We're running out of bay.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Go left, go left!
0:28:52 > 0:28:54Other way, other way.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56Let's deal with the oar, other way with the oar.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Other way with the oar, other way with the oar.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Come on!
0:29:01 > 0:29:03Finally, the boat is sailing at full speed...
0:29:05 > 0:29:07..in the wrong direction.
0:29:10 > 0:29:12How close to the beach are we?
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- Uh, we're about 45 metres now. - Release the sail, release the sail.
0:29:15 > 0:29:16- Yeah?- Yeah.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Weight one, weight one...
0:29:19 > 0:29:20Nice work!
0:29:23 > 0:29:26Brace yourself, we're going to hit the beach and try and spin around.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28We need to get off the boat quite quickly.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30Surfing on now.
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Bit of brace...
0:29:33 > 0:29:34- OK. - KEVIN GROANS
0:29:43 > 0:29:44Here are the waves.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Big wave! Big wave! Big wave! Big wave!
0:29:46 > 0:29:48DAN YELLS
0:29:48 > 0:29:50This is like a castaway beach, look at it!
0:29:52 > 0:29:55- Is there anywhere out of the wind? - Wow.
0:29:55 > 0:29:56Shall I run round the corner?
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Check it out.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11- It's quite nice around the corner, more sand and less wind.- OK.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Let's get the gear off.
0:30:13 > 0:30:15KEVIN GROANS
0:30:16 > 0:30:18At the end of their first day,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21the team are only five miles into the 30-mile journey
0:30:21 > 0:30:22across Lake Bennett.
0:30:24 > 0:30:25And with the wind against them,
0:30:25 > 0:30:29they have no choice but to wait for the weather to turn.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32We've found a nice camp spot that's just back off the beach,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34cos, as soon as you get behind this first line of trees,
0:30:34 > 0:30:36there's no wind.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40But...I've asked that we all camp quite close together,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44because we have just got this prime forest behind us,,
0:30:44 > 0:30:49and this is absolute guaranteed bear country.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51It makes me feel better, anyway.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54And, please note, I've got the spot closest to the beach.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59So they'll get Dan first!
0:31:02 > 0:31:07For the stampeders, bears were a constant threat.
0:31:07 > 0:31:09Many prospectors were city dwellers,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12and this wild land was completely alien to them.
0:31:20 > 0:31:23I've found some nice big bear prints.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Here. You can see their claw prints.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38And they track right the way off...
0:31:39 > 0:31:41..round the corner and back into the trees.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47Today, there are around 17,000 black and grizzly bears
0:31:47 > 0:31:48in the Yukon territory.
0:31:48 > 0:31:51During the gold rush, there would have been even more.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57I've been carrying the bear spray for...
0:31:57 > 0:31:59for the best part of a week now.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04It is like a pepper spray and, as the bear is coming towards you -
0:32:04 > 0:32:06I don't know, the range on these things is about 15 feet -
0:32:06 > 0:32:08you're meant to sort of hold your nerve,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11wait until the last moment, and then spray it in the bear's face.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16To avoid attracting unwanted visitors,
0:32:16 > 0:32:20the food is stored in a cool box at a safe distance from the camp.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32For those 100 years ago making this journey, they were in a hurry,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35they were on a schedule, they wanted to get up to the Klondike,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38so a delay like this, having to stop early in the day,
0:32:38 > 0:32:40would have seemed like a disaster.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43It would have seemed like it was cutting into their chances
0:32:43 > 0:32:46of ever finding any gold, of making this whole...
0:32:47 > 0:32:49This whole venture worth it.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52It is just relentless,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and every time you think you've done the toughest thing,
0:32:55 > 0:32:56then it throws up something else.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58And, as a gold rusher,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01you must have had to have huge determination to keep going,
0:33:01 > 0:33:04because there was so much to trip you up along the way,
0:33:04 > 0:33:08and we've experienced, you know, just a small part of it.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Uh, in bear country, I have made this discovery this morning,
0:33:50 > 0:33:52that in one of my dry bags...
0:33:53 > 0:33:57..was this, uh, which is...
0:33:58 > 0:34:02..a bag full of bear bait, as far as I can tell, so...
0:34:02 > 0:34:05I'm going to have to get better at that. That wasn't good.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13Felicity has other concerns.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15I wish I hadn't looked.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18You can still clearly see Bennett.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23That's really quite worrying,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27because we were rowing for a good five or six hours yesterday...
0:34:28 > 0:34:31..and we've come maybe four, maybe five miles,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34but I think that is perhaps pushing it.
0:34:34 > 0:34:36So that means we still have another...
0:34:37 > 0:34:41..25 miles to go up the lake.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43So, at the same rate of progress, that's...
0:34:44 > 0:34:46..25 hours of rowing.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53To make up time, the team need a southerly wind.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55I've managed to get the fire relighted from the embers,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57but that's the only good news this morning.
0:34:57 > 0:35:00The bad news is that it's blowing from the north.
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Now, as you can see, not as violently as last night.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07The problem is it's blowing four or five knots to the north,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10and our boat can't make any headway, even against that.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13We can only make headway in the lightest of breezes against us.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16- HE INHALES DEEPLY - So we're kind of trapped in.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18We'll probably give it a go,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21but I suspect we're not going to make any progress.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23One, two, three!
0:35:24 > 0:35:26Keep going, keep going, keep going.
0:35:28 > 0:35:29Oh!
0:35:37 > 0:35:39The wind's getting up, actually.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41- Do you feel that? - Yeah, I do, absolutely.
0:35:41 > 0:35:43- That's a...- It's a northerly wind.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53We are moving very, very slowly.
0:35:53 > 0:35:54In an hour's paddling,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57we've probably got about 600 metres and the wind's getting up.
0:35:57 > 0:35:58It's not going the other way,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00so we have slowed down to the point of stopping now.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02I mean, it's almost not worth being out here.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04It's almost worth just pulling in, sitting it out,
0:36:04 > 0:36:06and waiting for a wind change.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08DAN PANTS
0:36:09 > 0:36:11The team decide to head to shore.
0:36:12 > 0:36:14- Good job.- Ahhh...
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Well done, mate.- Ooh!
0:36:17 > 0:36:19When faced with a headwind like this,
0:36:19 > 0:36:21some stampeders even resorted
0:36:21 > 0:36:23to pulling their boats along the shoreline,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26desperate to keep moving towards the gold fields.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35The support crew has been monitoring conditions ahead,
0:36:35 > 0:36:36and they've got bad news.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Unfortunately, they're having the same system...
0:36:41 > 0:36:44the same weather, coming down as we had last night.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47- Big wind?- Yeah, so they're in it right now, so...
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Two-and-a-half-foot swells
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and...I don't think you're going to go too far.
0:36:55 > 0:36:58I think we should start with a tow, see how we progress.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01But otherwise, we're looking at spending three days on this lake, at least.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03- At least. - At least three days on this lake,
0:37:03 > 0:37:06and that puts into question whether or not we'll even get to the gold fields.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09So I'm afraid to say I think we need to take a tow.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12- What d'you guys think?- I don't think we've got much choice.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16Well... I mean, if it looked like it was going to break soon,
0:37:16 > 0:37:17but it just doesn't.
0:37:17 > 0:37:21It feels really frustrating to give in, though.
0:37:21 > 0:37:25I so want to reach the end of this lake under our own steam.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29Yeah, it does feel like a bit of a defeat, doesn't it?
0:37:44 > 0:37:45But one thing is,
0:37:45 > 0:37:47the stampeders, they took the shortcuts
0:37:47 > 0:37:49wherever they could find them.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52If there was a steamboat going past or a tug, they would grab a tow,
0:37:52 > 0:37:54I'll tell you that much.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01It's 25 miles to the next stampeder staging post, Carcross,
0:38:01 > 0:38:03at the far end of the lake.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05A journey that under normal conditions
0:38:05 > 0:38:07would have taken two days of hard graft
0:38:07 > 0:38:09takes them just three hours.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19After 12 days off the grid,
0:38:19 > 0:38:23it's the first chance for the team to relax with the support crew.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28- MAN:- You can never have too much bacon.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31And they have something to celebrate.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36They may not have found any gold yet, but it is Kevin's birthday.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Thank you. Thank you for... Thank you, everyone.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41ALL CHATTER
0:38:41 > 0:38:46During the gold rush, even the stampeders found time to unwind.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48LAUGHTER
0:38:48 > 0:38:51"Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves thoroughly.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55"I went to bed at 1am after drinking more poisonous whiskey
0:38:55 > 0:38:56"than was good for me."
0:38:56 > 0:38:59LAUGHTER
0:39:02 > 0:39:04So now we're in Carcross,
0:39:04 > 0:39:08celebrating with a small bottle of whiskey.
0:39:09 > 0:39:11- HE WHISPERS:- Best birthday ever!
0:39:16 > 0:39:17Before the stampeders arrived,
0:39:17 > 0:39:20Carcross was a traditional hunting and fishing ground
0:39:20 > 0:39:22for the indigenous people.
0:39:22 > 0:39:24But, during the gold rush,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26it became a popular stopover as stampeders
0:39:26 > 0:39:29prepared for their onward journey.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33While the gold rushers carried on by boat
0:39:33 > 0:39:36through a monotonous chain of lakes,
0:39:36 > 0:39:39our team have always planned to do the next 200 miles by road,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43rejoining the stampeder trail further north.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45They'll put their boat back in at Minto,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48where the immense Yukon River is in full flow.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52WINCH RATTLES
0:39:53 > 0:39:55Well, I'm sad to see the end of this section of the trip.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Look at those mountains with the snow on top.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Majestic. I'm not sure what to expect lower down,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02but I think it's a little flatter, a little less mountainous,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04a little less alpine, and I'll miss that.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07But, you know, we're here for the gold.
0:40:07 > 0:40:09It's important we get to the gold fields and give ourselves enough
0:40:09 > 0:40:11time to really explore that.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13ENGINE PURRS
0:40:15 > 0:40:17Let's go.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Peter is driving them north,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42and he's giving some advice on how best to deal with bears.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46When I see a bear in the woods and one's coming towards me,
0:40:46 > 0:40:48I don't pull my gun.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50I leave my gun where it is.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52I become a freak of nature.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54I jump up and down, I scream and yell,
0:40:54 > 0:40:57and I wave my hands and I run towards the bear,
0:40:57 > 0:41:00hoping that he's not going to do a false charge towards me,
0:41:00 > 0:41:04and usually they turn and run so fast it isn't funny.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06The gold rushers, the stampeders,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08must have faced those kind of challenges and they didn't know,
0:41:08 > 0:41:11they weren't used to being in the wilderness, were they?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13No, so they carried side arms on them.
0:41:13 > 0:41:15Most of those photographs, you'll see side arms on them.
0:41:15 > 0:41:16They all carried their handguns.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20It doesn't sound like a handgun would have done much to stop a bear.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22It depends on the handgun.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24Mine's a .357 or a .44 Magnum.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26- A man-stopper!- Right, OK. - FELICITY LAUGHS
0:41:26 > 0:41:28- PETER:- So... - That'll do it.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Six hours later, the team reach Minto,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40the last road access to the Yukon River
0:41:40 > 0:41:44before Dawson City, 200 miles away.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51They pick up the stampeder route once again.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57They're heading into ever more remote wilderness.
0:41:57 > 0:41:58- Hey, guys.- How are you?
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- How's it going, Dan?- Very good to see you.- Good to see you too.- Oh!
0:42:02 > 0:42:04To keep them out of trouble,
0:42:04 > 0:42:06they're joined by bear expert Chris Morgan.
0:42:06 > 0:42:09- In the front...- We're in the heart of bear country here,
0:42:09 > 0:42:12so there's black bears and grizzly bears and thousands
0:42:12 > 0:42:15of each of those species, and so there's a lot to be thinking about.
0:42:15 > 0:42:19It's not just the wildlife that's a threat.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23Fed by meltwater and flowing at three metres per second,
0:42:23 > 0:42:28the Yukon River is infamous for shifting sandbanks and huge logjams.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31It poses a very different challenge to the mountain lakes.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33If you hit into a logjam,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36you want to lean into it and keep the bottom of your boat up,
0:42:36 > 0:42:38or it'll catch the edge and flip you over
0:42:38 > 0:42:39and push you down underneath.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45It sometimes takes time for one of the boats to get to you,
0:42:45 > 0:42:47so if you know you're not going to make it...
0:42:47 > 0:42:49yell now.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57- MAN:- We've got to go.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01- Everyone ready?- Yeah. - OK, guys, one, two, three!
0:43:01 > 0:43:03There we go!
0:43:05 > 0:43:07Thanks, Peter!
0:43:18 > 0:43:19Cutting a path through
0:43:19 > 0:43:22one of the most remote and wild corners of North America,
0:43:22 > 0:43:27the Yukon was the last major river on the continent to be explored.
0:43:29 > 0:43:31With enough food for just four days,
0:43:31 > 0:43:35the team must paddle over 200 miles to Dawson City -
0:43:35 > 0:43:38jumping off point for the gold fields.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53Oh, yeah, moose on the edge, in the water there,
0:43:53 > 0:43:54just climbing up into the willows.
0:43:54 > 0:43:58- You see him? - Oh, yeah, I see him, I see him!
0:44:07 > 0:44:09HE GROANS
0:44:09 > 0:44:10With the sun setting,
0:44:10 > 0:44:14the team decide this is where they'll spend the night.
0:44:17 > 0:44:20I'm not sure it would pass an SAS survival course in the jungle,
0:44:20 > 0:44:22but it's going to be fine.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25ALL CHATTER
0:44:25 > 0:44:27While the rest of the team prepare camp,
0:44:27 > 0:44:31Chris checks the area for signs of animal activity.
0:44:35 > 0:44:36Deer tracks.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41That's a deer track right there.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46Oh, yeah, look at all this sand here.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48Quite nice for tracking, this stuff.
0:44:48 > 0:44:52There's... There's a bear track, front and back.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59That's the front track...right there.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Broader than my hand.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04So this is a bear that's walking from the forest,
0:45:04 > 0:45:06down in towards our camp,
0:45:06 > 0:45:09and very fresh, cos it's been raining and it's quite open here,
0:45:09 > 0:45:12so this is since the rain, which was yesterday.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14So it wouldn't surprise me if this was probably
0:45:14 > 0:45:16just before we arrived here at camp tonight.
0:45:18 > 0:45:24During the gold rush, the stampeders frequently stumbled across bears.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Many saw this as an opportunity for fresh meat
0:45:26 > 0:45:29to supplement their supplies.
0:45:42 > 0:45:47The next day, with nearly 200 miles still to go to Dawson,
0:45:47 > 0:45:49the team get on the water early.
0:45:51 > 0:45:53The sail's filling nicely.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57We are making good progress here towards the gold fields, everybody.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00There is a trade to be made, isn't there, though, Dan?
0:46:00 > 0:46:04Speed versus actually being able to see where you go.
0:46:04 > 0:46:08It's very odd, steering into a big white sheet.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12I agree, there is a visibility issue.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Today's objective is to reach Fort Selkirk,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33the gold rush era trading post, 30 miles downstream.
0:46:33 > 0:46:34And with a schedule to keep,
0:46:34 > 0:46:37Dan knows they can't afford to be complacent.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41I was hoping to navigate down this river kind of blind,
0:46:41 > 0:46:43like the stampeders did with no charts or maps,
0:46:43 > 0:46:45but within about five minutes
0:46:45 > 0:46:48I realised that would be catastrophically dangerous,
0:46:48 > 0:46:49and a terrible idea,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52because, without this chart, which is minutely detailed -
0:46:52 > 0:46:55all the sandbanks and islands - we would have got completely lost.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59We would have ended up going down cul-de-sacs, grounding the boat,
0:46:59 > 0:47:02and, if we did ground this boat or end up at the cul-de-sac,
0:47:02 > 0:47:04I don't know really what we would have done,
0:47:04 > 0:47:06because it's too heavy for us to row against the stream,
0:47:06 > 0:47:08it's too heavy for us to carry.
0:47:08 > 0:47:09It's pretty much too heavy for us to drag,
0:47:09 > 0:47:11especially if we're standing up to our waists
0:47:11 > 0:47:14in three degrees centigrade water.
0:47:14 > 0:47:18The stampeders, in a frantic race to stake the best claims,
0:47:18 > 0:47:20flew headlong down the Yukon.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23Yet, each time they chose a channel,
0:47:23 > 0:47:25they took a huge gamble.
0:47:25 > 0:47:29If they picked the wrong one, the water could become too shallow,
0:47:29 > 0:47:30and they'd be stuck.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33Basically, how the gold rushers got down here, I don't know.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36I think there would have been plenty of drama and days and days wasted
0:47:36 > 0:47:41as they hauled boats back out of eddies and cul-de-sacs with ropes.
0:47:41 > 0:47:43I mean, this is just a river
0:47:43 > 0:47:46that is absolutely full of navigational hazards.
0:47:50 > 0:47:52"Several sculls were stranded.
0:47:52 > 0:47:54"Cries appealing for tows were heard.
0:47:54 > 0:47:55"The captain essayed to help,
0:47:55 > 0:47:58"but came near to disaster himself."
0:48:03 > 0:48:07Six hours later, now under their own steam,
0:48:07 > 0:48:12the team are approaching the former stampeder stopover of Fort Selkirk.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14But in the fast-flowing Yukon,
0:48:14 > 0:48:18stopping the heavy boat is no easy task.
0:48:18 > 0:48:19So we're super shallow left side...
0:48:19 > 0:48:21If we could go out into the river a little bit
0:48:21 > 0:48:22and then we can do a sharp turn.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24Just drift down like this, this is very good.
0:48:24 > 0:48:27If you can jump out when you can, Kevin, that would be awesome.
0:48:27 > 0:48:29This is good.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31- All good.- Along the left side.
0:48:34 > 0:48:37That little Christmas tree, that little spruce tree up there is good.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39- Or any of these...- That?!- Yeah. - That's not going to hold it.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42Oh!
0:48:44 > 0:48:48- Can you grab that oar? - Yeah, got it. Oh...
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Right around the base.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01- Oh...- Lower, lower, lower. Right around the base.
0:49:01 > 0:49:02There we go. Perfect.
0:49:02 > 0:49:06- Whoo-hoo!- We weren't carried downriver after all!
0:49:11 > 0:49:14Fort Selkirk, once a minor fur trading post,
0:49:14 > 0:49:17experienced a sudden boom during the gold rush,
0:49:17 > 0:49:19as thousands of stampeders passed through
0:49:19 > 0:49:21on their way to the Klondike.
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Now abandoned, it provides some tangible clues to stampeder life.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54Hm! That's great, look at that.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58They've wallpapered over the rough planks
0:49:58 > 0:50:01with anything that came to hand - newspapers.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04Desperate attempt to provide a bit of insulation.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Just trying to find some dates
0:50:10 > 0:50:13or familiar stories on here that allows me to put a date
0:50:13 > 0:50:16on when these newspapers might have been put up on these walls.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18What have we got here?
0:50:18 > 0:50:20- Hello. - HE LAUGHS
0:50:20 > 0:50:24Now, here, is a picture I am pretty sure of Field Marshal Lord Roberts,
0:50:24 > 0:50:27who was in command of the British and Imperial troops in the Boer War,
0:50:27 > 0:50:30which was raging at the same time as the gold rush was going on here.
0:50:30 > 0:50:31That is weird.
0:50:31 > 0:50:32I mean, the Boer War, partly caused
0:50:32 > 0:50:34by the discovery of gold in southern Africa.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36So there you go, gold.
0:50:36 > 0:50:42It's so good to come this close to items that would have been used
0:50:42 > 0:50:46and read, shared among the stampeders.
0:50:53 > 0:50:54In 1898,
0:50:54 > 0:50:56the Canadian Government became so concerned
0:50:56 > 0:50:59about the number of foreigners arriving on its soil,
0:50:59 > 0:51:03they sent 200 soldiers here to assert sovereignty.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06They needn't have worried.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09The stampeders had only one thing on their mind -
0:51:09 > 0:51:12to resupply and move on.
0:51:13 > 0:51:17One of the guys who was here left a diary entry,
0:51:17 > 0:51:19in which he said, "Although things cost a lot here
0:51:19 > 0:51:21"because they've come all the way up the Yukon,
0:51:21 > 0:51:24"it was very good to have a tent again,
0:51:24 > 0:51:26"and some articles which are a prime necessity in such a country.
0:51:26 > 0:51:31"We felt as if we had again come in touch with civilisation."
0:51:43 > 0:51:45But the stampeders were intruding
0:51:45 > 0:51:47on the territory of the indigenous people,
0:51:47 > 0:51:53now known as the First Nations, who had lived here for 8,000 years.
0:51:53 > 0:51:57This is a very, very dangerous trap to work with, this one.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01At Fort Selkirk, the two worlds collided.
0:52:01 > 0:52:02Wow!
0:52:02 > 0:52:07Don Trudeau is a local trapper who retains the traditional skills.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10And what would you use this particular kind of trap for?
0:52:10 > 0:52:12This one is for a wolf.
0:52:12 > 0:52:16We make moccasins, we make mitts, we make...
0:52:16 > 0:52:19Not so much for jackets any more, but, in the olden days,
0:52:19 > 0:52:21- they were used for jackets and for warmth.- Yeah.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24And when those stampeders arrived,
0:52:24 > 0:52:26they must have arrived pretty clueless, some of them.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Did they try any of this out,
0:52:28 > 0:52:30or were they too busy looking for gold?
0:52:30 > 0:52:31They were busy looking for gold.
0:52:31 > 0:52:33They had never seen one of these in their life.
0:52:33 > 0:52:34They had no idea what they were.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36And without the First Nations people,
0:52:36 > 0:52:38I bet a lot of them would have perished.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41Yes. Very lucky the First Nations people were there
0:52:41 > 0:52:44to help them through those cold winters.
0:52:45 > 0:52:50But the gold rush came at a huge cost to the indigenous communities.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55The stampeders introduced a raft of infectious diseases,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58and obliterated traditional hunting and fishing grounds,
0:52:58 > 0:53:01as they cut down forests for building materials,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04and claimed land for mining.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Many indigenous people were displaced,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09their lives changed forever.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35Meanwhile, Felicity, with a background in geology,
0:53:35 > 0:53:37has been picking up clues
0:53:37 > 0:53:41that explain why gold is found in this part of Canada.
0:53:41 > 0:53:45It's really striking how much this landscape has changed
0:53:45 > 0:53:48since we started our journey on the river.
0:53:48 > 0:53:50In the headwaters of the Yukon,
0:53:50 > 0:53:54we were seeing big granite mountains that were eroded and smooth
0:53:54 > 0:53:57and rounded, ground into shape by glaciers.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00Here, the mountains are totally different.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02They're more angular and sharp,
0:54:02 > 0:54:07so that means that this area escaped the worst of the last Ice Age
0:54:07 > 0:54:11and the reason that is important is because, if there's no glaciers
0:54:11 > 0:54:16to make a mess of the ground, and we also have volcanic activity,
0:54:16 > 0:54:19which is shown by these wonderful basalt cliffs,
0:54:19 > 0:54:20that's all lava that has cooled down,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22so there's pressure and temperature,
0:54:22 > 0:54:25everything that you need to create gold.
0:54:27 > 0:54:32The stampeders also knew they were closing in on the gold fields.
0:54:33 > 0:54:36As they went down river, they began to pan,
0:54:36 > 0:54:40testing for traces of gold eroded from the mountains,
0:54:40 > 0:54:42and washed into the rivers and creeks.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46120 years later,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49the pressure will be on Felicity - with her geological expertise -
0:54:49 > 0:54:51to find gold.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55The theory's very simple.
0:54:55 > 0:55:00You use lots of water to float off all the dirt...
0:55:01 > 0:55:05..and then you wiggle the pan to make all the rocks fall out...
0:55:05 > 0:55:08And because gold is 19 times heavier than water,
0:55:08 > 0:55:12it should just drop to the bottom of the pan,
0:55:12 > 0:55:14rather than me washing it out.
0:55:14 > 0:55:20But I'm always a little bit worried, when I get down to this stage,
0:55:20 > 0:55:21that all I'm doing here...
0:55:23 > 0:55:25..is washing rocks.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29I don't think there's any gold.
0:55:34 > 0:55:39A lot of the original stampeders would have come here with their pan,
0:55:39 > 0:55:43thinking that this was just going to be about sloshing around some mud,
0:55:43 > 0:55:45and they probably, like me,
0:55:45 > 0:55:47would have been very disappointed to find out that
0:55:47 > 0:55:50it's much more difficult than it looks.
0:56:03 > 0:56:05The team are now nearly three weeks
0:56:05 > 0:56:08into their journey to the Klondike gold fields.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10If all goes according to plan,
0:56:10 > 0:56:12this should be their final night camping on the river
0:56:12 > 0:56:14before they reach Dawson City.
0:56:14 > 0:56:18It's a moment for the team to reflect on what's happened so far,
0:56:18 > 0:56:20and what still lies ahead.
0:56:22 > 0:56:25I think this is hard for anyone to do for any length of time
0:56:25 > 0:56:28and, for the stampeders, it was all about hardship,
0:56:28 > 0:56:29it was all about freezing to death
0:56:29 > 0:56:31or drowning or getting eaten by something.
0:56:31 > 0:56:34They were out here gambling everything on this idea that they
0:56:34 > 0:56:36were going to find gold at the end of it,
0:56:36 > 0:56:39and they had to keep not just their physical health together,
0:56:39 > 0:56:40but their mental health.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43And as beautiful as this place is, that must have been tough.
0:56:46 > 0:56:50The team have made good progress, but there is now only a week left.
0:56:50 > 0:56:53In front of them lies the hard slog of mining,
0:56:53 > 0:56:55and they still have more than 150 miles to cover
0:56:55 > 0:56:57before they get to the Klondike.
0:56:57 > 0:57:01So, what I'm trying to do is work out how I can get this lovely boat,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04albeit a very slow, solid tub of a boat,
0:57:04 > 0:57:06down this river as quickly as possible,
0:57:06 > 0:57:08because we want to get to the gold fields.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11We want to maximise our time there, maximise our chances to find gold.
0:57:13 > 0:57:16But successfully mining for gold takes more than time.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20There's a phrase that keeps going round in my head
0:57:20 > 0:57:23that the old-timers used to use -
0:57:23 > 0:57:25"Gold is where you find it" -
0:57:25 > 0:57:29and what they meant by that is that it's very hard to predict
0:57:29 > 0:57:31where the gold is going to be.
0:57:31 > 0:57:34You only know where it is when it's in your hand.
0:57:35 > 0:57:37So I just hope...
0:57:38 > 0:57:40..with a little luck...
0:57:41 > 0:57:43..we find some gold.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45- Next time...- Hold on!
0:57:45 > 0:57:50..the team arrive at Dawson City and the gold fields...
0:57:50 > 0:57:52where the real hard labour begins.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56Constructing a 19th-century mine,
0:57:56 > 0:57:59they hope to succeed where many before them failed,
0:57:59 > 0:58:00and strike it rich.
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Oh, my God, look at that!