conversation question

[KiddoTheMiner]

what was the stupidest thing you did when you first started?

when I first started I literally used a popcorn bowl as a gold pan filled it with piedmont clay I found in a creek and
swished it around slowly letting the material out and in the bottom there was mica witch I thought was gold

later my dad took me to the crisson gold mine and bought me a bag of cons and I learned the actual way to pan

But what was the stupidest thing you guys did?

 

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[TheGoldProspector]

what was the stupidest thing you did when you first started? when I first started I literally used a popcorn bowl as a gold pan filled it with piedmont clay I found in a creek and swished it around slowly letting the material out and in the bottom there was mica witch I thought was gold later my dad took me to the crisson gold mine and bought me a bag of cons and I learned the actual way to pan But what was the stupidest thing you guys did?

Hmmm...nothing is "stupid" as long as you learn from your mistakes..

However, one chiily morning I forgot not only water to keep hydrated, but I also forgot to anchor my A52 to a tree- needless to say, it took off, straight to the bottom to the torrent of water within the river..

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Hmmm...nothing is "stupid" as long as you learn from your mistakes..

However, one chiily morning I forgot not only water to keep hydrated, but I also forgot to anchor my A52 to a tree- needless to say, it took off, straight to the bottom to the torrent of water within the river..

im assuming you jumped in the river to get it and that got you hydrated

 

[TheGoldProspector]

im assuming you jumped in the river to get it and that got you hydrated

My buddy actually yelled at me, pointing in the general direction of the Bottom of the river...sluice missing from where I had left it..
Yes, dove in deep, delving into the torrent. Brrrrrr :x

 

[Campngolf]

Mine was last Friday. I had tested three spots for best production and decided which had the best color. I proceeded to run a nice bucket load thru the BGT knowing I was gonna get some nice flakes and perhaps even my first nugget. BUT, as I picked up the BGT I totally space out and dumped the trap contents back into the river.

But I figure you gotta give some back to satisfy the rivers gods once in awhile.

(Lesson learned - ALWAYS pay attention when pulling the sluice outta the river)

 

[Terry Soloman]

I showed a "friend" a nugget patch I had found. First and last time I ever did that.

 

[Duckwalk]

Last stupid thing I did... I wore a pair of shorts and tennis shoes to go prospecting. We have many plants here in Georgia... One of the most abundant would be poison ivy. Not even paying attention, I went trumping through the woods; pans, bucket, shovel and all. I was so excited I didn't look where I was walking and coated my legs in poison ivy. I was pink from my knees to my shoe line in calamine lotion for days....

 

[Aufisher]

Wore tennis shoes in 33 degree water for 6 hours. Took three days for my feet to thaw!

 

[KiddoTheMiner]

Wore tennis shoes in 33 degree water for 6 hours. Took three days for my feet to thaw!

i did that too but I don't think that's quite as bad as using a popcorn bowl for a gold pan. lol

 

[goldenmojo]

Tried to jump over a natural rock wall section to keep from tripping over it as I made my way down a large bedrock section. Couldn't quite get enough vertical and hooked my left foot as I went over. Face planted into the sand about six feet below. Spilled the entire contents of a pan I had just creviced out.

 

[Bonaro]

I tried to squeeze in one more dredge trip late one year. It was almost Halloween and I didn't realize that even though the temps were mild in the lowlands, it was frozen in the mountains. The water at the edge of the stream was frozen and all the rocks were iced over. I was on a tight budget so I was using a thrift store wetsuit that was at least 25 years old. I was dredging hard ans fast trying to keep warm when I reached upstream for a rock. I suit ripped in the armpit and tore from collar to collar making a giant scoop and filling the whole suit with *&$#@ cold water....no one can hear you scream underwater... stupid stupid stupid

 

[fishnfacts]

Being a newbie I don't know yet but I am sure I will find out soon enough.
I am sure I will make every mistake everyone else has and a few more.
My wife says I am stupid to spend $300 to find $20 worth of gold. I say she is stupid to sit on the couch eating potato chips watching soap operas.
Now I ask you, who is right?

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I showed a "friend" a nugget patch I had found. First and last time I ever did that.

Terry, I understand! I've learned a lot about "friendship" over the years.....

 

[Armchair prospector]

I took my 4" to Pipi valley about 10 years back, saw a hole that had been dredged, decided to set up and go to see if he got to the bottom, got in the water. Forgot to bring my goggles. Crapola!

 

[Jeff95531]

I had a great spot picked out but was short on buckets. I had classified my rather large sample down to 1/8 inch in a five gallon bucket. I needed to dump it all into another bucket. Reached over and grabbed a planter bucket and dropped the soupy mix into it. Most of my gold bearing sample poured out into the grass because I forgot about the drain holes!

 

[rodoconnor]

Married my first wife, better known as the Oxbow Incident.

 

[Fullpan]

Two stupid things - 1. Forgot to warn friends from the city that my 5 - inch dredge was NOT a swimming/diving platform. They sank it in 15 ft. of water - spent
the weekend not dredging... 2. Parked in the wrong spot:

 

[DDancer]

Oh there are many stupid things I've done~ live and learn ya know hehhh
Prospecting wise my top 4 dumb arse moves~~

Arizona mineral hunting down in Patagonia looking for wulframite and scepter quartz : Drove into a remote area in the afternoon with a sandwich and 16oz bottle of water in my pack. No other supplies in my truck because "hey I'm only going to be here for a few hours" and I'll get out before dark. Well I found a good dig and before I knew it, yep, sun was going down. Got back to the truck at sunset and didn't know the way out. Well at least there was an old campfire pit nearby, and I kept somewhat warm, but I was most happy to see the sun come up. Never again.

Western Australia gold prospecting top 3 dumb ass moves:
1) Didn't GPS my position for my truck and spent a while finding it again after having trekked for 10k. Actually walked back towards camp, gps'd, and found the track I came in on.... 4k walk and 3k return to truck~. Lesson always waypoint the truck as well as the camp.
2) Took a break (happened twice on different days) and set my pick down. Picked up swinging and left the pick there. Lesson always waypoint your break area. I still had to find the pick a few more times but its much easier with a waypoint. Second lesson pick up your pick.
3) Group I was tagging along with made an agreement for a community pot on the gold we found~ to be broken up at the end of each camp (usually every 2 weeks)~ and further agreement to work as a group on any patches we found. This lead to a bit of hate and discontent and in the end cry's of foul over gold recoveries. Lesson : you find it you keep it and if you find a patch make damn good and sure the others know to keep off till your done. And if you do find a patch expect seagulls to be flying around you and sometimes thru your patch.

 

[M.E.G.]

what was the stupidest thing you did when you first started?

Well, this wan't the first stupidest thing (and probably not the last either), but two Decembers back when winter was really starting to come on, where heavy snow fall was being predicted for the mountain ranges below 5000 ft (a lite snowing had already taken place a week earlier), knowing I had a battery in my 4x4 truck that been showing signs of retirement, I headed out to do a final check on the property (Mineral Estate) postings and what not. Now, this property is approximately 45 miles from town, much of the accessed by a dirt road, the last 7 miles of which is pretty much 4x4 country only (I'm talking rough and narrow), and on the other side of a 4200 ft pass.

Well, early afternoon made it to the property entrance. Before continuing on in, I stopped to take some pressure off the bladder and inadvertently shut the engine off before getting out. Outside temp had dropped from 45 degrees just a couple of hours ago to just above freezing already...ice crystals not quite forming on the outside body panels yet. I'm thinking, OH SH*T! Sure enough the battery was nearly dead. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK is all the starter did. Well, I figured I had about four hours, at most, to hike about 3+ miles back to the main road on the opposite side of the mountain range and hope someone was coming down from one of the other roads. I figured my best and quickest bet would be to climb up the mountain (which I estimated to be about a 2000 ft) and down the other side which would bring me to the main road below the 4200 ft level.

Off I go. Climbing step ass terrain, over and under downed trees and through bushes, all of which are covered with remnants of the last weeks dusting of snow. About two hours later, I'm getting pretty close to reaching the point of the mountain where I intended to cross over. I'm Cold. Soaked from head to toe. Looking off in the distance, as far as I can see, its coming. A very dark band of clouds. Thoughts are racing through my mind. Continue on, hopping when, or If, I do make it to the road, will I come across help before I turn into a popsicle? Or do I go back down to the property, start a fire, get warmed up and hope someone comes looking for me? I've got food and water, and will have the truck as shelter from the elements. NO BRAINIER at that point. I got back to the truck a little before dark. Its getting real cold now, ice crystals forming all over the truck's body. I coast the truck down into the the flat of the property (I know, some are thing roll start the truck you idiot. It's an automatic) and proceeded collecting wood for a fire. I get the wood all set for the match and found I had no matches. I forgot to put them back in the truck after a clean out.

My body is shivering uncontrollably and starting to stiffen up. I'm having trouble thinking. Its almost dark to the point I can't see but a few feet. I'm thinking I have to pull a MacGyver, and quick. I had gas in a container for the chain saw and jumper cables (even if I forgot to bring matches, I learned some time ago, one never goes into this area without a working chainsaw and fuel. Its in an area of major fire damage. Dead trees fall over the access constantly). Jumper cables? Go figure. And there was still a little charge in the truck battery. Great idea, right? You all know what a spark near open flammables will do. I couldn't be so lucky. It was so cold the pre-mixed fuel, as cold as it was, wouldn't ignite with what little spark the battery could muster.

What now MacGyver? Answer: Heat the fuel and get it's molecules more active.

So I started the chain saw and worked it cutting up some of the wood I collected for the fire, and then while the saw was good and warm, poured some fuel over the hot muffler and onto the wood. Didn't take but one or two arcs from the cables and I had me a fire. And with all the fallen dead trees to choose my fire material from, I had a fire someone could see from a long ways away.

Couple hours later my cloths were dry and I was toasty warm allover. Now the wait for my rescue.

Snowfall still holding off, about midnight I hear the rumble of a familiar truck exhaust and see the glow of headlights coming through the trees. It was my son. He pulls up next to me standing by a nice fire and says, if I knew you intended a stay over, I wouldn't have come looking for you. The little Smart Ass.

Well, on somewhat of clear skies, I got back and after a nice shower I was in bed about 3:33 am only to be awaken by the wife at 7 am and told to take a look outside. There was atleast an inch of snow already on the lawn, and it was COMING down hard. This is at an elevation of just under a thousand feet. The winter snow fall starting that morning in December placed in excess of four feet over that mountain range, blocking access til some time in May.

 

[spillercanyon]

I once found a spot to work but it was under a very large poison oak bush. No problem, I removed the bush and was ready to work. I didn't know you could get poison oak from the roots. I laid down on those roots all day, bare chested, digging my hole to work. I had poison oak all over my body, worst case I've ever had and I've had it quite a few times.

Another time we were floating the dredge down the river through some rapids, one of us on one bank, the other on the other bank, both holding a rope and walking down stream letting the dredge float. The rapids were strong enough that you had to really lean back to not get pulled down stream. Well, a gold pan ($6.00) fell off the dredge, my friend on the other side immediately lets his rope go and runs after the pan. I, holding on to my rope still, got yanked into the river, down the rapids, tipped the dredge that we had piled all our gear which spewed our gear over a 100 yards of the river. Spent the afternoon retrieving our gear, drying the engine and dealing with cuts and bruises.