INTERVIEW: Kayla Johanson fights the elements on ‘Gold Rush: White Water’
Photo: Kayla Johanson is one of the stars of Gold Rush: White Water. Photo courtesy of Discovery / Provided by press rep with permission.
Gold Rush: White Water, the spinoff of the successful Discovery reality series, follows miners as they search for gold in the remotest locations in Alaska, specifically the McKinley Creek area. In addition to Fred Hurt and Dustin Hurt, one of the stars of the series is Kayla Johanson, whose team works in the deep recesses of the Chillkat Mountains, braving the elements and evading brown bears in the local area. Their mission is a tough one, but they are determined to find gold, both literally and figuratively, and stay away from the dangers of the rising waters in the creek.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox talked with Johanson about her gold mining in Alaska, including her reluctance to sign on the dotted line for the reality series and how she learned her profession from her beloved grandfather. Here’s what she had to say …
On whether she was an immediate yes to join the series …
I was kind of on the fence. I wasn’t sure if I was going to do it yet or not, mainly because I already had my own dredging operation going here. I usually work by myself, so I’m my own boss. I make my own schedule, and I don’t really have anyone telling me what to do. At most, I might work with other person if I bring in some help, but for the most part I work by myself. So I was kind of the fence if I wanted to change that and leave that behind to go work with a bunch of different people, which was a little bit challenging at first. It ended up being really fun, so I’m glad I did it.
On whether she liked having the cameras around …
It definitely took some getting used to. Before doing this, I’ve always been super, super camera shy, so the cameras were terrifying to me when I first started. I was like a deer in the headlights my first week there. It became a personal challenge to get over that camera shyness, and toward the end I was pretty comfortable. But the beginning was pretty rough.
On how she became a miner …
I’ve always been into rocks and finding things ever since I was a little kid, but when I was a teenager, I think I was about 17 almost 18 years old, I was living in California. And my dad used to take me camping up in the San Gabriel Mountains, and I used to see guys up there panning and dredging for gold. And it sparked more of an interest in it, so I started playing around with panning a little bit. And then I found out that my grandfather who lived in Arizona would do panning on the side for a little extra cash here and there, so I went and stayed with him to visit. And he taught me about panning and reading creeks and things like that. It just stuck from there on, and it’s been an obsession ever since.
On the difficult elements in Alaska …
There’s definitely a lot going against you when you’re mining up here. For one, the weather can be unpredictable. We can get a lot of rain, which can cause big floods later in the season, or in the very beginning in the spring when there’s still a lot of ice, you can have ice dams that build up and then release. And that causes major flooding, but also giant sheets of ice coming down the river can destroy your equipment. So there’s definitely a lot going against you up here. Not to mention, then you have the threat of bears. You’re not at the top of the food chain up here.
On how frequently she see bears in the wild …
There’s definitely signs all around. I see bear poop and bear prints pretty regularly. I don’t always see the bears. I think last year I probably saw five or six bears. That’s a pretty good amount in one season, and there have been some recent bear attacks up here. So it’s definitely something to be aware of.
On being a role model for girls and women …
I think it’s a good thing for young women to see that just because a profession or a hobby is viewed as being male-dominant doesn’t mean that a woman can’t do it as well. It’s all about what you’re interested in and what you’re passionate about, and if you’re passionate about something that is usually something guys do, then go for it. I don’t think gender should really matter if it’s something that you love to do.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Gold Rush: White Water airs Fridays at 9 p.m. on Discovery and is available to stream on discovery+. Click here for more information.
