In an epic adventure, historian Dan Snow follows in the footsteps of the 19th century's last great gold rush - a journey filled with genuine danger and thrilling beauty. Leading a one-month expedition, he is joined by polar explorer Felicity Aston and remote environment medic Dr Kevin Fong. Their goal - to strike gold in Canada's frozen wilderness. They attempt to retrace a gruelling 600-mile journey through one of the world's last great wildernesses. It takes them from the coast of Alaska to the gold fields of the Klondike, a remote region on the edge of the Canadian arctic. It is a journey first undertaken by tens of thousands of gold seekers - men and women from around the globe who in the last years of the 19th century dropped everything and set off for the Klondike in the hope of striking it rich. So great were the hardships they encountered that only one in three of those who set off ever made it there. Now, Dan and his team are reliving those struggles and experiences in the hunt for their own gold. In this first episode, Dan and his team take on the Alaskan Coastal Mountains, a wall of snow and rock blocking their way to the Klondike and its gold. Following the routes used by the Klondikers, they split up to experience two very different gold rush journeys. As they begin their journey to the gold fields, they have to cross icy rivers, avalanche prone slopes and climb a near vertical icy ascent.
Having made their way through Alaskan coastal mountains, Dan and his team now attempt to cross waterways featuring unpredicatable weather and turbulent rapids. The journey is made even more treacherous by the fact they will be using a basic wooden boat, built according to original designs from the time of the gold rush. They must then paddle hundreds of miles along the mighty Yukon River to reach Dawson City, gateway to the Klondike.
Historian Dan Snow concludes his epic adventure following in the footsteps of the 19th century's last great gold rush - a journey filled with genuine danger and thrilling beauty. Leading a one month expedition, he is joined by polar explorer Felicity Aston and remote environment medic Dr Kevin Fong. Their goal - to strike gold in Canada's frozen wilderness. The team have just a few dozen miles left to cover of their nearly six hundred mile journey to the gold fields. Following in the footsteps of their 19th-century forerunners, they have crossed snowy mountains, run terrifying rapids and navigated hundreds of miles of water in a replica historical boat. In this episode, they finally arrive at Dawson City, gateway to Klondike gold. Guided by historical accounts, the team set up a 19th-century style mining camp in the heart of the gold fields. Using traditional methods, they set about the back-breaking work of mining for gold. They have to use both their expertise and muscle to give them any chance of striking it rich. It is not going to be easy - they have just five days to prospect in an area that is already been extensively mined. But in a game where luck can play as much a part as experience, will they walk away having struck gold?
