James Cracknell takes on one of the hottest and most extreme terrains in the world, as he investigates what the early pioneers of America’s Gold Rush went through in pursuit of riches. Thousands of ordinary Americans died as they trekked across North America with little supplies or survival skills. James will follow in the footsteps of 28 year old William Manly, one of the bravest men of the 1849 exodus. He’ll pit himself against mountains, deserts, and wild rivers, to discover what Manly went through, as he risked his life to rescue families stranded in America’s Death Valley.