By Lyonel Doherty
There’s gold in ‘them thar hills,’ and Vaughn Riches aims to find it.
In fact, he’ll get a little help from Gold Rush: Freddy Dodge’s Mine Rescue when his episode “Valley of Riches” airs first week of September on Discovery.
Riches, born and raised in Invermere, is not sure how the television station got his number, and he never asked; he’s just stoked to be part of the show.
The episode was filmed more than a year ago and sees the show’s characters ‘Freddy’ and ‘Juan’ assist Riches in his Outlaw Mining operation.
“I hope to strike the motherlode one day so I can make life easier for all of those around me. One bucket of ‘paydirt’ can change your life,” Riches told the Pioneer.
He noted that gold is at $3,300 CDN per ounce (a record high) right now.
Riches owns a placer gold mine near the historical town of Barkerville. He has been commercial mining for the last three years with good success, “considering that 95 per cent of new miners fail.”
“I consider myself extremely lucky to do what I do. It’s my passion! I’ve always had a love for the outdoors and exploring.”
Riches was introduced to prospecting by his ex father-in-law and instantly became enamoured by the hunt for gold, admitting that he’s got the “gold fever.”
That fever started 18 years ago when he began buying his own claims and panning in creeks.
He spent six years in Africa and saved enough money to start his own mining adventure.
A “ton of support” from family and friends made his dream come true. But it wasn’t easy. He worked two claims prior to the one the TV show was based on.
“These two first operations were definitely a learning experience, but I survived.”
He soon realized that it all came down to the right property.
“Once I hit this claim I’m on now things got easier. Easier mining and more gold. But it was also a struggle. There is always something breaking down or a problem.”
Out of the blue he received the call from the show asking if he would be interested in the help of Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra from Mine Rescue. Bring it on!
“Freddy and Juan are great people who love gold and are trying to help all (struggling) gold miners recover more from their operations.”
“I’m following my dreams and wish others to do the same. This is not easy work but every day is definitely an adventure.”
Riches offers some advice to beginners: “If you are planning to get into this type of hobby/lifestyle, do your homework and follow the government regulations. There’s gold out there, you just need to find it!”
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