Awesome Day crevicing

MadMarshall

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Nov 12, 2012
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So my brother and I went out on The North Fork American River...Taking the Booths trail really wasn't that fun on the way back but the day started of will some nice chunkies and it ended with some nice chunkie gold... I ended up with over 2.3 grams in pickers the biggest beining .3gram the smallest .1 .... and .9 of a gram of dust by the end of the day.....






Every pan before that and after that had a decent picker in it and allot of dust I pull the camera out and hardly anything...Oh well we went back to that spot and cleaned up today...was about half the results of yesterday.. Had to come home early as it was my Brothers Birthday 33...So we went to the Casino and were home 2 hours later Figures..We still have the money to see the new Star Trek but to tired tonight..We make tomorrow an early day and go see it.. All in All niot a bad few days.. Now if only GoldPrices were on thier way up!!!
 

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Alex Burke

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Nice, at 2:18 in the first video the bedrock is squared and block looking I just kept staring at it lol. It looks so crystal like in a way. Did you crevice there at all Mad Marshall or notice that too?
 

Quickpan Dan

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I'm truly sorry that I didn't get the camera it was a quarter mile downstream and I was lazy. Crap but anyway I was breaking off huge chunk of bedrock last weekend, and was wondered if using cold chisels and wood splitters with a hand sledge is technically legal here in the motherhoode of CA. The reason I ask is because of the size of the new rock that has been added to the river. Didn't think I could bust it open at first but it broke off top heavy and took little effort to send it into the drink. Probably 5x3x6-7 tall solid greenstone . Guessing 3k pounds. Anyway Seven pans of pure love, probably three grams. Middle fork AR . I wish I had a vid Mr Marshall it was a glorious earthquake that washed a four foot wave up the opposite side
 

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63bkpkr

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MM,
First video @ 1:23 is first pan of samples with some very nice looking gold (not telling anything you didn't experience). The pans in the 2nd video have much less gold (again nothing you do not already know). However, what was the difference between the area of the first pan versus the other pan with only small qty. of gold? Something changed! Was it a bend in the river, the type of cracks in the rock the sample came from, is there a tributray coming in just back up river from the better paying sample location? (may be dry now and be coming down from above?) What is different between those spots?

Then just like Meteor M indicated, all that square looking rock on the other side of the river sure does look interesting!! Did you happen to check over there? As MetM surmised all those blocks are moveable and they are all in the high water zone so they will most likely have gold trapped somewhere around them. It will be tricky wiggling the rock loose without having it fall as you will want to clean all surfaces that become available after the block is moved, 2 man job along with some wood support's.

As you were on the river "today" that should have been 21 May and the river was at about 250 cfs and it is dropping quickly!

Thank you for the vid's and the share........................63bkpkr
 

Alex Burke

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Sort of I think, something I try to think about is when you break bedrock it is often super sharp so you don't want to leave pieces someone barefoot could step on it etc. Or leave an obvious "I broke rocks here spot" if I do break some I make sure I put the sharp parts back in cracks after. Also you don't want to be above high waterline I guess, legally. This is ARA right? So I'd guess they don't allow it. Interested to hear other peoples opinions.
 

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MadMarshall

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I am unsure How long it took me to get up as I forgot to time it..But I suspect less then an hour. Also 63bckpcker I am a very firm believer that the river doesn't move gold like people tend to think.. I need to crush all that rock!Just can't not enough time or resources... Moss had some decent pickers and dust up higher but the rock is tough walking up as it is very slick and underground seepage make its dam deadly..I sampled way up high but only came up with a few specks of color!!I just couldn't take anymore time to sample high as I would probaly end up hurting myself.I think the reason that pan was crap was becouse I was breaking the crack to far downriver..And the river was not responsable for my gold...My best pans tended to be on the upriver side of the crack...the crack I was working was a 3 ledge crack... the lowest point being upriver and the crack got higher down river...The water seepage from the mountain followed that crack to the water..I just followed the water coming down...The otherside of the river I think my brother said he got .8 but it was very hard rock...The bedrock changes right there twice!! But some rock is impossable to break with handtools..I will be back in that area again soon as I am still intent on connecting Steven's to Pickering Bar. MeteorMiner I apologize for all the broken and shear rock I have left but the river is pretty good about cleaning up my mess...As for legal I do my best but on the otherhand if I followed every rule I would not have a chance at making a wage!!!I do what is "RIGHT" not Legal....My camera is a KODAK easyshare my brother got..Sometim cheap till I cxan buy a better one. I can be a lazy prospector in the sense that I leave gold as my interest is only if I can make wage and I often leave places that still have gold but just happen to have dwindled in production..I know the errors of my ways but I am pressed by Society to turn a profitt and pay my dues so I must dig accordingly..But in a perfect world I would love to stay on one digsite and move huge rocks even though I wasn't neccesarly making wage...I love prospecting!!!!!I don't ever want to be a miner!! If I had it my way I always be on the search!!! AS that is where I find the most enjoyment THE HUNT...QuickpanDan glad to hear it... I am hoping to make some trips to the Middle Fork But so many places on the North Fork I have yet to be.
 

Alex Burke

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Lol I don't care, I say break it all day. Just trying to answer other guys question. I've broke quite a bit myself in the past.
 

oldbrundogg

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Thanks for posting again Mr. Marshall, I really do enjoy your vids. Beautiful scenery, some technique shots and glorious gold to finish. Little more practice and I think you should start directing the shows on t. v.
OBD
 

Jeff95531

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Always enjoy your vids MM. The American looks alot like the Smith here. Sooooo many text book perfect places to prospect, you feel like a kid in a candy store. A big difference tho is you find pickers about as often as I find flakes. (I wish) LOL
 

Quickpan Dan

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I love your reports and vids Mr. Marshall but I have yet to see a rock that can take more than ten feathers with any substantial surface crack (and on the edge of the formation)
 

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