Ep 1. The Long and Grinding Road

In the first episode of Jade Fever season 5 titled "The Long and Grinding Road," we are taken back to the Cassiar Mountains where the Count's Market crew is back at their mining site ready to take on the new season. However, it's not an easy start as winter has left several challenges for them. The team discovers that the only road that leads to their mining site has been severely damaged due to snow and ice, making it almost impossible to transport the heavy equipment necessary for their mining efforts. So, the team is forced to abandon the mining site and come up with a new plan.

The team decides to use a long-abandoned path they found some time ago. The path is longer and more difficult, but it's their only hope to move forward. They also have to find a way to get their equipment to the site, which includes a large rock crusher unit that's almost two stories high and weighs over a ton. However, the road that they need to take doesn't have the clearance for such large equipment, so the crew has to get creative and figure out how to get it to the mining site.

Meanwhile, Claudia and Robin explore a new mining spot that was discovered in the previous season. They have high hopes for the area and believe that they can find a significant amount of jade there. The place is covered in a dense forest, making it a prime spot for finding jade. However, it's also a challenging environment to work in. Claudia and Robin have to navigate their way through thick brush and steep terrain to find a suitable spot to start mining. All the while, they keep an eye out for predators like bears and wolves, which could be a big problem.

Back at the original mining site, the rest of the crew tries to figure out how to move the rock crusher unit. They decide to disassemble it into smaller pieces and transport it that way. But, this proves to be a daunting task as the unit is very heavy. The team has to take their time and make sure that they are moving each piece correctly to avoid any accidents.

After almost a week of obstacles and challenges, the crew finally arrives at the new mining site, exhausted but also excited to start mining. But as they begin to set up the operation, they realize that the area is a lot more challenging than they anticipated. The dense forest that looked like a prime mining spot, in reality, was too dense and filled with trees that felt impossible to remove. The team was distraught, feeling like they had made a mistake in coming to the new site, and they were on the verge of giving up.

However, Josh, the crew's leader, decides to create a new path in the forest, which would make it easier to transport the jade from the mining site. With the help of his crew, they create a path for themselves and their equipment. It's a grueling task, but the team is determined to do whatever it takes to make the new mining site a success. With a new path in place, the crew finally starts to mine jade, and they quickly realize that their hard work has paid off. They find some of the best jade that they had ever seen.

"The Long and Grinding Road" is an exciting start to what seems to be another compelling season of Jade Fever. The episode showcases the challenges that the crew had to face while trying to make their new mining site a success. It's evident that the crew is passionate about what they do, and they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to find jade. The episode is a true testament to the tenacity of the Count's Market team and leaves viewers eager to see what other challenges they will face in the future.