Hard days on the creek start paying off as we push deeper toward bedrock. Diving reveals more boulders in the way, which means more digging before we can fully open up the pay. We stockpile material while Paul and Wes setup the wash plant with a new hopper and improved spray bars. We start feeding it steady with the excavators, and fine tune it as we go. Day after day, the gold keeps showing up. By the final day, it all leads to a weigh-in that proves the grind is working — and we’re not done yet.