Featherdfishead
Full Member
- Apr 4, 2014
- 230
- 378
- Detector(s) used
-
Primarily Minelab SDC 2300
and Gold Bug Pro with NEL Sharpshooter, Grey Ghost Phones, an EzSluice, a good Pan, various Diggn Tools, and a Good'Ol Dog or Two
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Hello once again
Life's sure been busy but i was able to get out one day the last two weekends. Yet, the gold gods avoid me.
The weekend before last I went as planned in search of the old bulldozer/bucket line mine and the pit mine area. The first place was a total bust and had nothing of any detecting value. After this i wrapped around the ridge and dropped into an area i had previously passed through but hadnt explored thoroughly. I soon located the old mining trail and began to fallow it up stream. These old trails and old ditches always seam to lead to something eventful whether it be gold or relic ( and in this case some old mineing cabins). Locating the old path i get out the SDC and power her up. Swinging away as i head up the trail i listen for signals in my right ear while listening to the nearby stream and a Bullocks Oriole singing 200 ft downhill in the riparian zone. The trail handed over 3 shoe tacks, 1 trouser grommet, 2 square nails and afew random shards of scrap metal but not the dropped nugget or coin i was hoping for. Actually a very clean trail compared to many i've walked. Soon I spy'd ahead an old cabin all but collapsed on itself. Took some pics poked around and headed up the trail to find another cabin in better condition and another close by this one that had been smashed by a windblown old White Fir. More pics and some lunch while looking around and off to find were they were mining. The pockets on the hillside above were my main goal but after locating only three very sloughed old pits and not seeing any other indicators of the old timers chasing the gold i headed back downhill twords the stream to find were else theyd been mining. A short time latter i located the only exposed bedrock left from the old time mining days. The area is slide prone and many slides had buried the old workings completely. Not a target in the entire area besides afew nail fragments. Another bust but also another area checked off my list.
This past weekend was another goldless one but an exciting any way. A friend found his first piece after 9 YRs of detecting and it was a 3 dwt beauty. He and another buddy called to tell me to plan on getn together on sat and hittn the spot he scored his piece the day before. We hit the spot mid morning. My no longer a gold virgin buddy with his SD 2100, another friend with his MXT and me with my SDC. We worked every inch of that hillside and not another piece of gold to be found. Pounds of nails, boot tack, lead and scrap metal but not a wink of color. It was hard not to get excited hitting the lead that sounded so good, and the old lead warble helped to avoid some lead but it was everywhere. I did find on old lead with grease grooves and my buddy part of an old locket with his mxt. Near the end of the day i located an old chinaman drift that none of us had found previously. This stretch of river has ancient cement stone on the high bench adjacent to the current streams course and the chinamen would drift the bottom of the cement stone were it contacts the serpentine bedrock. I scurried inside about twenty feet to find it water logged and about 80 ft in length from the vantage i had. I left at that and will return with the right gear and a buddy to explore it as thoroughly and safely as possible.
Pics of trail, cabins. Yes those little windows are actually doors, small and low so they could be shut up in winter. This is the only cabin i;ve ever found that still had a bed frame, ready to move in. LOl.
No pics from last weekend but will show drift in the future — and hopefully some color — My dry spell has continued and i'm destined to brake it.
Getn out sunday and hopen lady luck is with me.
AjR
Life's sure been busy but i was able to get out one day the last two weekends. Yet, the gold gods avoid me.
The weekend before last I went as planned in search of the old bulldozer/bucket line mine and the pit mine area. The first place was a total bust and had nothing of any detecting value. After this i wrapped around the ridge and dropped into an area i had previously passed through but hadnt explored thoroughly. I soon located the old mining trail and began to fallow it up stream. These old trails and old ditches always seam to lead to something eventful whether it be gold or relic ( and in this case some old mineing cabins). Locating the old path i get out the SDC and power her up. Swinging away as i head up the trail i listen for signals in my right ear while listening to the nearby stream and a Bullocks Oriole singing 200 ft downhill in the riparian zone. The trail handed over 3 shoe tacks, 1 trouser grommet, 2 square nails and afew random shards of scrap metal but not the dropped nugget or coin i was hoping for. Actually a very clean trail compared to many i've walked. Soon I spy'd ahead an old cabin all but collapsed on itself. Took some pics poked around and headed up the trail to find another cabin in better condition and another close by this one that had been smashed by a windblown old White Fir. More pics and some lunch while looking around and off to find were they were mining. The pockets on the hillside above were my main goal but after locating only three very sloughed old pits and not seeing any other indicators of the old timers chasing the gold i headed back downhill twords the stream to find were else theyd been mining. A short time latter i located the only exposed bedrock left from the old time mining days. The area is slide prone and many slides had buried the old workings completely. Not a target in the entire area besides afew nail fragments. Another bust but also another area checked off my list.
This past weekend was another goldless one but an exciting any way. A friend found his first piece after 9 YRs of detecting and it was a 3 dwt beauty. He and another buddy called to tell me to plan on getn together on sat and hittn the spot he scored his piece the day before. We hit the spot mid morning. My no longer a gold virgin buddy with his SD 2100, another friend with his MXT and me with my SDC. We worked every inch of that hillside and not another piece of gold to be found. Pounds of nails, boot tack, lead and scrap metal but not a wink of color. It was hard not to get excited hitting the lead that sounded so good, and the old lead warble helped to avoid some lead but it was everywhere. I did find on old lead with grease grooves and my buddy part of an old locket with his mxt. Near the end of the day i located an old chinaman drift that none of us had found previously. This stretch of river has ancient cement stone on the high bench adjacent to the current streams course and the chinamen would drift the bottom of the cement stone were it contacts the serpentine bedrock. I scurried inside about twenty feet to find it water logged and about 80 ft in length from the vantage i had. I left at that and will return with the right gear and a buddy to explore it as thoroughly and safely as possible.
Pics of trail, cabins. Yes those little windows are actually doors, small and low so they could be shut up in winter. This is the only cabin i;ve ever found that still had a bed frame, ready to move in. LOl.
No pics from last weekend but will show drift in the future — and hopefully some color — My dry spell has continued and i'm destined to brake it.
Getn out sunday and hopen lady luck is with me.
AjR
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color me green with envy as my abilities to hike/climb like that are dubious to say the least. Quest on 
John
