There’s no denying that “Gold Rush” is one of the most popular and long-running factual TV shows aired in the last two decades. Whether people are caught by the trials and tribulations of gold digging in remote areas of Alaska or are enthralled by the competition and dramas which have steamed off from the cast members, the truth is that it’s impossible not to tune in season after season of “Gold Rush”.
While the original show is undeniably interesting, so is its spin-off “Parker’s Trail”, which became memorable for not only bringing a new and enthralling show concept to the “Gold Rush” franchise but also for putting some unforgettable cast members on the map, including the outdoors guide Karla Ann Charlton.
If you’re wondering where Karla is, and want to know why exactly she isn’t in the newest “Parker’s Trails” seasons, then just keep with us!
Why Isn’t She In The Show?
As one of the longest-running TV shows on Discovery, it has already become usual for “Gold Rush” audiences to see almost the same faces season after season. That’s why the prospect of Karla Ann Charlton passing from only appearing in “Parker’s Trail” to joining the cast of the main “Gold Rush” was so exciting, but utterly disappointing when it didn’t last long.
Though there wasn’t any official statement announcing that Karla Ann was leaving “Gold Rush” and her mining crew led by Rick Ness, the fact that she didn’t appear in the show after the 11th season’s finale just makes it obvious that she isn’t in it anymore. With that being said, no clear explanation regarding the reasons for her leave was ever posted by the show or Karla Ann herself, leaving us with only speculations and no clear answers.
With Karla Ann’s reasons for leaving “Gold Rush” remains a mystery, her Instagram account lets us see that she’s been doing well, between traveling around the US, trekking, or just spending time with friends. That seems like a good way to spend her time now that she’s been away from the mining operation for a couple of years.
What Happened To “Parker’s Trail”?
Even though a huge part of the “Gold Rush”s audience was surprised at Karla Ann Charlton’s exit from the show, her leaving was somewhat expected by those who’ve been closely watching “Parker’s Trail”. While the latter was the show which launched Karla Ann to fame and eventually gained her more appearances in other shows of the franchise, the truth is that she hasn’t been accompanying Parker Schnabel during his mining adventures for at least three seasons.
The first time we saw Karla missing from “Parker’s Trail” was during the 4th season’s premiere, when she and cameraman Sam Brown were left out of Schnabel’s trip for gold search in Australia, having mining prospector Tyler Mahoney take the place of the only woman in the crew. That arrangement has continued almost the same for the following seasons, most recently releasing “Parker’s Trail” 6th season in 2023, with Schnabel, Mahoney, Dr. Diego Lazarzaburu, and Danny Etheridge as the main crew to go on the search for Incan gold in Peru.
This new trip through the South American jungles comes at high risk, but a worthy one considering Schnabel’s crew is searching for at least $100 million in gold, which could surely come in handy given the many financial losses which Schnabel’s Alaskan operation has been through in the last year, as seen during “Gold Rush”s 13th season.
Will Karla Return To The Show?
While we know that Karla Ann Charlton has been away from TV for a long time, the possibility of her coming back to “Gold Rush” isn’t lost yet for her fans. The reason the audience still has some hopes for her return comes from the fact that Rick Ness is also coming back to mine in Alaska, increasing the possibility of him also bringing some of his old crew members.
As the most devoted audiences might remember, Karla Ann used to be part of Ness’ crew for a couple of seasons before she left after the end of the 11th one. Later in the 13th season, her former boss Ness also announced that he would be taking a break from the show and mining altogether, due to his continued mental health issues.
Karla Ann Charlton, the survival expert & guide is one of the crew members in the hit reality show, Gold Rush. She was part of Parker Schnabel's & Rick Ness's team. Click the link to know about Gold Rush's Karla Ann Charlton.https://t.co/sHp6STMtjW pic.twitter.com/YnkJ3mepnr
— eCelebrityFacts (@ecelebrityfacts) November 10, 2021
Later in early 2023, Rick announced his return to mining in Alaska, without making it clear whether this also means his return to “Gold Rush”. Though neither he nor Karla Ann has so far mentioned whether she’ll come back to work with him, the possibility of it happening is there.
The same could be said about “Parker’s Trail”, though in that case, it seems that Karla Ann’s return depends highly on what destination Schnabel chooses for his future gold trips.
Who Is Karla Ann Charlton?
We’ve got to know Karla Ann through her several features in “Gold Rush” and its spin-offs, and we know she’s great at everything she does, whether that is guiding a crew through the wilderness, or working in the gold room of a mine operation.
With that being said, Karla is first and foremost an adventure enjoyer and nature lover. As she wrote on her official website, her inspiration to explore nature comes directly from her mother, who was a paddle guide who not only passed down her navigation and survivalist skills to Karla but also taught her about resilience and determination.
Those talents Karla took to heart, and have been guiding her path from the beginning, also exploring different disciplines such as guiding hunt crews in such remote areas as the Yukon, something she demonstrated very well during the first season of “Parker’s Trail”, as the crew explored the legendary Klondike Trail.
Besides being an excellent guide, Karla has spent several years of her life documenting professional and casual snowboarding events, on top of being a first aid provider, is a trained rescuer in avalanche-risky terrains, and a professional photographer. All of this makes her one of the best in her areas of expertise, and the perfect choice for anyone who wants to hire her, whether that be for trekking or searching for gold.
Debut On TV & Other Projects
Despite how vastly knowledgeable and experienced Karla Ann is when it comes to adventures in the wild, her debut in “Parker’s Trail” was surprisingly her first time on TV.
Before debuting in the show, Karla Ann and Parker Schnabel were already well acquainted from the time she worked for him as a truck driver. Well aware of her experience exploring the wild, there was no way Schnabel wouldn’t be choosing her for their Klondike Trail adventure: ‘Somebody had to try to keep us alive! Really. So Karla was there to,’ as he told Monsters and Critics in 2017, admitting that neither he nor Rick Ness knew what they were up to then.
The next season saw the crew exploring Guyana, with Ann once again as the guide, alongside Schnabel, Ness, and new cameraman Sam Brown in search of El Dorado. The following season premiered in 2019, saw the same team except for Ness, as they explored Papua New Guinea. That was the last time we saw Karla in “Parker’s Trail”, but she followed with appearances in “Gold Rush” starting in 2018, and several features in the spin-off “The Dirt”.
What Is She Up To?
While Karla hasn’t appeared on other TV shows since leaving “Gold Rush” in 2021, she’s been busy with lots of other projects.
Firstly, her Yukon-based wilderness guiding service Karla Ann Adventures is active and doing well, and so is her casual job as a photographer, which she describes as her ‘first passion’. Besides that, Karla Ann uses her social media to promote projects she’s interested in, such as The Uninvited Invitational, a film and social movement project focused on women in snowboarding.
While it’s still unclear whether Karla will return to “Gold Rush”, these days she seems to be doing what she loves the most, and that is truly what makes her so great.
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