Parker Schnabel is one of the cornerstones of the popular “Gold Rush” franchise. The young protégé of a gold mining dynasty, Schnabel has appeared in every season of “Gold Rush,” and even earned himself a spin-off show called “Gold Rush: Parker’s Trail.” This particular series sees Schnabel travel across the world in search of the valuable mineral that his family has always sought, and he has visited Guyana, the Klondike Trail, Australia, and Papua New Guinea.

Now in Season 12 of the main show, “Gold Rush” is seeing the stakes rise, and even the names of the episodes carry a hint of conflict, with titles like “Ground War,” “Battle of the Greenhorns,” and “The Vindication.” This current season also sees Schnabel call in the heavy equipment known as Slucifer, while other members of “Gold Rush” face surprise inspections and seek out new locations for mining operations. However, astute fans may notice that Schnabel is appearing less and less on the show, but there’s a clear reason why.

Parker Schnabel is busy running and growing his company

In a recent Facebook video in which Schnabel answered questions from fans, he spoke about his growing absence, saying, “People who are watching ‘Gold Rush’ don’t see me as much as they used to. Because, as soon as a business starts getting big enough, you’re dealing with so much paperwork, and permitting, and employee stuff, and accountants, and taxes, and the list goes on and on and on. And, I don’t enjoy the day to day of that, but I enjoy the process, and I enjoy the outcomes.”

Schnabel continued by saying that he appreciates the mining crew that he has assembled, and that having varied skills among them is immensely important. He also brought up the fact that when a gold mining operation is on the smaller side, members often need to wear many different hats and engage in different jobs, but now that his company is growing, the tasks need to be divided out appropriately.

The “Gold Rush” star then added that he isn’t a mechanic or a welder, but he’s thankful for having people on his team who are, going on to explain that he is sacrificing a lot of his time in the field to run a bigger company, which he is thankful for because he doesn’t like stagnation and wants to continue growing. Although fans might be sad that Schnabel will appear less on the show, it seems like he definitely has his priorities straight when it comes to his own professional goals.

Some people prefer their stereotypical nine-to-five jobs. Waking up at a normal time, driving in traffic with everybody else, going to lunch around noon, and packing it up by mid to late afternoon. However, some among us prefer something a bit more on the unconventional or wild side, and these individuals often buck common conventions for the chance at something greater, more exciting, or way more profitable. This is probably why the reality television series “Gold Rush” is so popular, mainly because people can fantasy a life that isn’t defined by offices, written schedules, and unnecessary meetings.

Featuring a robust cast of rugged explorers, adventurers, and life-long miners, “Gold Rush” has proven to be an overwhelming success that has led to an entire barrage of spin-off shows. One of the long-running miners on the show, Tony Beets, originally appeared in Season 2 and he quickly became one of the fan favorites for his personality and drive. As noted by Discovery, Beets is from the Netherlands and moved to Dawson City in 1984. From there, he etched out a living milking cows, but soon found himself drawn to gold mining in this remote section of the planet, and he soon became one of the most successful miners and operators in the Klondike region. So what made Beets give up a simple life of cow-milking for gold mining?

Beets appreciated the money and excitement of gold mining

Since Tony Beets is wildly considered to be one of the most prolific miners in that arctic region of North America, one may wonder what propelled him to such lofty heights, specially knowing that he originally started off as a cow-milker. Speaking with Entrepreneur, Beets was asked how he came to gold mining, and he replied, “I hung around Alberta and BC for a bit, then I went to the Yukon for the money. They said you can make a thousand bucks a week, so I thought, ‘If they get that, I’ll get a little more.’ And that’s what happened. I guess I really like the lifestyle; that attracted me to it most. You do whatever you want, yell at people whenever you feel like it. And then there’s the hunt, the treasure. I like it.”

In other words, it seems like Beets’ motivation simply started off as a chance at making a better life for himself, but from there, Beets realized that he really enjoyed the lifestyle. Of course one can probably imagine that being a cow-milker in 1980s Dawson City isn’t exactly the most satisfying or lucrative enterprise, though gold mining surely is. Beyond the chances for riches, gold mining also represents a chance for adventure – to see the unknown and to reap the bounties of the land in the form of precious minerals. This has long been a drive for explorers in human history, and Beets and his fellow miners in “Gold Rush” just represent a fresh iteration of this primal spirit of curiosity and discovery.