Kris Mines $17K in Gold (and Becomes a Dad!) | Bering Sea Gold
Kris Mines $17K in Gold (and Becomes a Dad!) | Bering Sea Gold
Chris Kelly Faces Life-Changing Moment Amid the Gold Rush
November 2024
As the pressure to strike it rich mounts, Chris Kelly’s life has taken an unexpected turn. With a baby on the way, Chris is balancing the intense grind of gold mining with the emotional chaos of preparing for fatherhood.
“Chris, we’re here! What do you got for us?” one crew member asked as they geared up for another long day in the field.
“Well, I’ve got news going on today,” Chris replied, his voice tinged with anxiety. “You got Brie coming too, so it’s double trouble.”
Chris was about to face a new challenge—his girlfriend, Brie, was about to give birth. “She’s going to Anchorage, and if she goes into labor, I’m going to fly there,” Chris said, his voice full of concern. “I’m already nervous enough—the money we owe plus the baby on the way makes things even more complicated. You don’t give birth in Gnome. It’s too small. You fly to Anchorage and do it there. So that’s what she’s doing right now. I’ll keep mining for a little longer and join her in a week or two.”
With the pressure mounting, Chris knew what had to be done. “Some days, we look like we know what we’re doing,” he reflected. “With a baby on the way, we need to get as much gold as we can today. We need to grind it out. We need to work hard, we need to kill ourselves to get that gold.”
“I love my dad and brother, but when I go to Anchorage, they’re going to be on their own,” he continued. “It’s like leaving two little kids in charge of the house while you go on vacation. Make sure you get into those crevices as far as you can because that’s where the concentration of gold really is—in those dips.”
The pressure was on. “We need 25 ounces to be in the black this winter, and right now I only have 14. Let’s grind out the good today. It’s important we stack up the gold now,” Chris said, determination in his voice.
“And Andy will go down first. I need him to get on the gold so I can just clean up. This is what we do.”
[Music]
As Andy dove into the water, Chris’s nerves were palpable. “How’s it going down there, Andy?” Chris asked, awaiting an update.
“I don’t know if you notice, but I’m a little stressed today,” Andy replied, his tone reflecting the tension in the air. “That’s an everyday thing.”
Chris, staying calm, reassured him. “I don’t mean to be stressed today. I’m not going to yell and everything, but we’re under the wire right now. Just another day.”
“Okay, tell me when you’re on gold,” Chris pressed, his eyes scanning the operation.
“I am on gold,” Andy responded, relief in his voice.
“Well, that’s great. I’m glad we’re doing good,” Chris replied, his worries easing slightly. “That’s the best I’ve seen around normal,” Chris joked, his mood lifting.
As Andy continued his work, Chris couldn’t help but smile. “Boom! Andy’s on great gold. Can’t wait to get down there. Hopefully, we have a long day ahead and make the most of it. Keep going the rest of the week. You’re doing a great job, buddy. Just keep up the good work.”
[Music]
But as the day wore on, Chris knew his time was limited. “How are you feeling?” he asked, noticing his crew member’s fatigue.
“I’m getting tired,” Andy admitted.
“I’ll make you a couple hot dogs,” Chris said, attempting to keep spirits high. “You’re burning off more calories than you’ve ever burned before.”
“Are you getting hungry?” Chris asked, preparing lunch.
“Dad’s got the dogs on the grill. Lunch is on!” he called out to the crew, trying to lighten the mood.
Despite the brief break, Chris knew he had to keep working. “I know I’m going to have to go to Anchorage any day now, so I need to bank some serious gold before I go,” he explained. “Luckily, Andy’s seeing the best gold he’s ever seen. That’s a huge statement to come out of that mountain.”
[Music]
As the work continued, the pressure was mounting. “I really just want to get down there and rake it up,” Chris said, determination clear in his voice. “This is exactly how I thought things would go today.”
[Music]
But things weren’t going as smoothly as expected. “How’s it looking down there?” Chris asked, his voice tinged with concern.
“I see no material left,” Andy reported. “Cleaned up pretty good, huh?”
Chris, understanding the situation, reassured Andy. “There was gold right where that nozzle is leading to that boulder. There’s gold right where that nozzle is leading to the boulder.”
“I know Andy was on good gold,” Chris said, as the team worked to recover as much as they could. “He said he got your gold too already.”
Chris continued to keep the momentum going, though it was clear the situation was precarious. “Getting into more cobble. Gold’s getting a little bit better. Just give me a minute, let me get on the track.”
But then, disaster struck. “I’m not even surprised anymore. You know we have a big reserve take to make sure you can’t get it started. Come up, come up,” Chris urged, trying to manage the situation.
And then, the inevitable happened. “Well, that fell apart in a hurry,” Chris said in frustration. “Right when I really needed to get this gold, everything falls apart.”
“Of course,” he muttered. “It’s a spark plug burnt. You’re going to be on zero air right now. We haven’t even run that long.”
“Pop your mask. That’s it. We’re done for the day. We’ll have to fix the air compressor. Hopefully, the gold Andy was on was good and it will make up for me not diving.”
Despite the setback, Chris maintained a sense of resolve. “Disappointed. That’s it, Chris is done diving. Always one thing or another.”
[Music]
Back on land, Chris tried to focus on the future. “We’d be at work right now if Keane didn’t need this money. Hopefully, there’s a lot of gold in here,” he said, setting his sights on the next haul.
As he prepared to weigh the day’s collection, Chris reflected on the stakes. “You never know how much gold you really get until it’s in a container in your hand.”
But the true weight of the moment wasn’t just in the gold. “My girlfriend went to Anchorage ahead of me, just in case she went into labor early,” Chris explained. “And guess what? When I was coming off the ice, she called me. The baby’s coming—like, any minute. She just got there and she’s starting to pump the thing out already.”
“I feel bad for her. She’s all by herself right now. There’s no flight until tomorrow, so I’m stuck here till then. It breaks my heart. I really wanted to be there, but this is the life of a gold miner. I had to make sure we were getting gold. The gold’s not just for me, it’s for my girlfriend and the baby too. This is their future now.”
[Music]
When the scale finally registered, Chris breathed a sigh of relief. “Here we go. 9.17 ounces,” he announced. “That’s worth over $17,000—a hefty chunk of change needed to pay off the leased equipment and pay Keane off. Then we can keep running.”
But then, another call came in. “Are you okay? Everything good?”
Chris smiled as he heard Brie’s voice. “Oh, that’s good. Hi, baby. Well, she’s cute.”
[Music]
“She’s so cute,” Chris said, his emotions breaking through. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there.”
“I’ll see you soon, I’m coming very soon. And I’m real happy. Let’s see my niece.”
The moment of joy finally arrived, and with it, a realization that would change everything. “There she is,” Chris said, his voice full of awe.
“She’s a cutie. Congratulations!” one of the crew members cheered.
For Chris, the weight of the gold seemed less important now. Holding his newborn daughter, he was reminded of what really mattered. “It kind of puts everything into perspective in a hurry. That baby girl is my responsibility for the rest of my life,” he said, his voice soft but determined. “Every ounce of gold is suddenly that much more important. But it’s official, I’m a father.”
As the crew celebrated, Chris felt the shift in priorities. The future, both his daughter’s and his own, had just become a lot more real.
