TM From watching Gold Rush, I know that there is so much going on behind the scenes. What does a “normal” day look like?
DT We work long hours, gold mining isn't easy, and we are the ones digging up the dirt to get to the gold. This year we have cut back on the hours a little bit, because we about killed ourselves last year. So we work twelve hours a day this year. Last year it was anywhere from 13-16 hours a day. I get up an hour before work starts, fix my coffee, my lunch, try to squeeze a quick Bible verse reading in, and then head off to the mine. When I get to the mine, I usually talk to the camera guys and tell them what the crew will be doing for the day and then they decide what to film and where to send their crews. My wife is with me about half the time so when she's here she will cook and help with the trailer. We live in a 38-foot travel trailer when we are in camp. I lead a group Bible study with the crew twice a week and I supply dinner, it's a way to get everyone together to pray and read the Word. We also work through disagreements and problems during these times.
TM At your mine there seems to be a lot of strong Christian men, what is the spiritual climate like?
DT We are normal men trying to do something extraordinary, so we struggle with the same things that all men struggle with. It just so happens that we are on TV and watched by millions of people every Friday night. One of my favorite verses in the Bible helps describe this crew, and it's Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Our Bible Study during the week is the most important thing we do to keep us "with Jesus". During this time we can call each other out and hold each other accountable. We have to stay vigilant and keep our crew focused on the big picture. We sometimes get too caught up in the short term and lose track of the fact that we are trying to be a positive encouraging example to millions of people.