Jeff95531
Silver Member
- Feb 10, 2013
- 2,625
- 4,094
- Detector(s) used
- Teknetics Alpha 2000
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
I have been really stressed/worried for a good portion of this past year. But with the lords help I was able to sell my momās house and car in FLā¦ to a guy in MA from where I live in CA. Then I found/bought her a very nice Travel Trailer in Eugene OR and had it delivered and set up 3 doors down from me. The stairs and deck were being installed when I flew down, got her and brought her back. She is 87 and a tiny little person whom I love dearly. Anyway, mission accomplished. She is happy, comfortable and home for Christmas.
A few of you here got me motivated and a few others told me specifically I needed to get back out for at least one last time for 2013. I surely needed to get away and I made the plansā¦along with a goal to at least double my take for the entire year. (trust me, what I've got is not that much, it would cover the bottom of a thimbleā¦maybe)
I have a special spot that I have been prospecting when I can. The first time was when I found 10 small flakes in half a shovel full. It was in a small waterfall in a drainage of a āno name creekā which fed into a larger one, which feeds into the Smith. I posted my results and many of you thought that site was worth pursuing. So I did...I worked my way upstream.
Time before last, I made it to another waterfall, much larger than the first. There were some large boulders at the bottom and the water was hitting them and dissipating. Since I did not have my hip waders with me (live & learn), I picked the best spot I could get to and once again found some good flakes in a small sample. But what really caught my eye was the sediment and leaves surrounding the rocks at the base of the falls. In all the mud and muck there was a distinct channel of water escaping beneath the boulders. It was a blond sand streak with black sand on both sides. Very promising looking. Especially when you can't get to it.
For the next visit, I started gathering ALL of the needed equipment and checking it off three times. I thought āthe gloves are offā this time and Iām gonna grab me the FULL size adult shovel, pry bars, work my new spot proper and come back with 5 gallons of Ā¼ classified material and gold! I briefly thought about bringing the come-along and some chains. One of those rocks at the bottom could easily be moved using the stuff I have. I decided against it as the outlet under it all is really what had my interest.
As I laid in bed thinking about all this, it suddenly struck me that in two days I would be going there toā¦MINE! Wow! I had not done that yet this year, ever even! This would be my first mining experience! All year sampling and now mining! I did not get much sleep after that.
Finally, Monday comes! Karen is sleeping late so I run up to the post office to check the mail. Surprise! The one pound of pay dirt I ordered is waiting for me from elkie13.
Side bar: As some of you know, I recently completed my Highbanker LeTrap sluice. It works but still needs to be dialed in properly, maybe even new spray bars. I just COULD NOT even THINK about experimenting with my recovered gold of this year to test it in my sluice. So I ordered a bag of pay dirt that I know will have some gold and similar to the gold I find here. A ācontrolled amountā I could work withā¦with no emotional attachment. Not to mention I have been to Quartz Creek in AK, I trust her and it felt really good to support their cause.
Anywaysā¦.I get the package home and stare at it and shake it for about ten minutes or so to see if I can see any gold inside. Nope. So I double check all my supplies again, gently wake Karen and get the truck pointed the right way. Itās only 15 miles but it takes 35 minutes to get there. By the time we eat, leave and arrive the sun is already setting behind the mountains. I get my waders on, PVC gloves on up to my elbows and grab my classifier, bucket and shovel. The first thing I notice when I get there is someone had done exactly what I had thought about doing to one of the boulders...move it. I could see the marks not only on the rock, but also the tree which was used to pull it. But quess what? Anyone who likes to play in waterfalls knows something about cemented bedrock. The boulder may be out of the way but all the rocks underneath are cemented in. And in much harder material than cement. I havenāt tried a sledge hammer on that stuff yet, but everything I have tried has failed to crack it, much less get below it. I smiled to myself and went to work.
The full size shovel worked great, for about 10 minutes. The track down narrowed and dropped between the two remaining large rocks. I hiked back to the truck and got my hand trowel. When I started digging again, I plopped it into the classifier. It just sat there in a big sandy glob. I used the rocks to grind it through and then decided to save the rocks too. That is how much I believe in this spot.
One hour later, its 50 degrees, Iām standing in freezing water, Iām sweating, the spray has me soaked and the hole just keeps going down and down and down. I'm all the way up to my armpit using the trowel and have to empty water out of my right glove about every three shovels. Each time I come up, I have half a trowel full. It was slow going to say the least. I wished I had a suction gun, couldn't believe how long it took me to get 2 Ā½ gallons of very wet sand. Thenā¦couldn't believe how much 2 Ā½ gallons of wet sand could weigh. I grabbed some moss off the boulders for good measure and got it all packed back to the pickup. As I put everything away, I look at the rocks that didn't make it through the classifier. On a dark piece of wood, a yellow flash says āLOOK AT ME!ā One of my best flakes this year goes in a fresh vial and I am glad I kept and lugged back the rocks. I look in the classifier and see thin tiny shreds of gold on the sides. I am very happy.
Today of course last minute things must be attended to. Nice dinner organized and planned for Christmas. Everyoneās at peace, good will to all, comfortableā¦.ācept for me. As I get caught up with my chores, I start to wonder about whatās in the back of my truck. I grab a flashlight, drag out the bucket of rocks, drop it all in my Garrett Super Sluice pan and start working it. I checked each and every rock and found nothing. What I did find was lots of flour gold and little yellow slivers all over the bottom of the pan! Using a flashlight on those at night was something else. All so small, but lots! Like watching minnows dart around in a creek. Sadly I have learned that this is exactly what happens to placer gold in waterfalls. Butā¦.
I have some AK gold to find and finish dialing in my sluice,
I have 2 Ā½ gallons of the best pay dirt I have ever āminedā in my life to go in the sluice and
I want it all done with results and photos posted no later than 12/31
To be continuedā¦
A few of you here got me motivated and a few others told me specifically I needed to get back out for at least one last time for 2013. I surely needed to get away and I made the plansā¦along with a goal to at least double my take for the entire year. (trust me, what I've got is not that much, it would cover the bottom of a thimbleā¦maybe)
I have a special spot that I have been prospecting when I can. The first time was when I found 10 small flakes in half a shovel full. It was in a small waterfall in a drainage of a āno name creekā which fed into a larger one, which feeds into the Smith. I posted my results and many of you thought that site was worth pursuing. So I did...I worked my way upstream.
Time before last, I made it to another waterfall, much larger than the first. There were some large boulders at the bottom and the water was hitting them and dissipating. Since I did not have my hip waders with me (live & learn), I picked the best spot I could get to and once again found some good flakes in a small sample. But what really caught my eye was the sediment and leaves surrounding the rocks at the base of the falls. In all the mud and muck there was a distinct channel of water escaping beneath the boulders. It was a blond sand streak with black sand on both sides. Very promising looking. Especially when you can't get to it.
For the next visit, I started gathering ALL of the needed equipment and checking it off three times. I thought āthe gloves are offā this time and Iām gonna grab me the FULL size adult shovel, pry bars, work my new spot proper and come back with 5 gallons of Ā¼ classified material and gold! I briefly thought about bringing the come-along and some chains. One of those rocks at the bottom could easily be moved using the stuff I have. I decided against it as the outlet under it all is really what had my interest.
As I laid in bed thinking about all this, it suddenly struck me that in two days I would be going there toā¦MINE! Wow! I had not done that yet this year, ever even! This would be my first mining experience! All year sampling and now mining! I did not get much sleep after that.
Finally, Monday comes! Karen is sleeping late so I run up to the post office to check the mail. Surprise! The one pound of pay dirt I ordered is waiting for me from elkie13.
Side bar: As some of you know, I recently completed my Highbanker LeTrap sluice. It works but still needs to be dialed in properly, maybe even new spray bars. I just COULD NOT even THINK about experimenting with my recovered gold of this year to test it in my sluice. So I ordered a bag of pay dirt that I know will have some gold and similar to the gold I find here. A ācontrolled amountā I could work withā¦with no emotional attachment. Not to mention I have been to Quartz Creek in AK, I trust her and it felt really good to support their cause.
Anywaysā¦.I get the package home and stare at it and shake it for about ten minutes or so to see if I can see any gold inside. Nope. So I double check all my supplies again, gently wake Karen and get the truck pointed the right way. Itās only 15 miles but it takes 35 minutes to get there. By the time we eat, leave and arrive the sun is already setting behind the mountains. I get my waders on, PVC gloves on up to my elbows and grab my classifier, bucket and shovel. The first thing I notice when I get there is someone had done exactly what I had thought about doing to one of the boulders...move it. I could see the marks not only on the rock, but also the tree which was used to pull it. But quess what? Anyone who likes to play in waterfalls knows something about cemented bedrock. The boulder may be out of the way but all the rocks underneath are cemented in. And in much harder material than cement. I havenāt tried a sledge hammer on that stuff yet, but everything I have tried has failed to crack it, much less get below it. I smiled to myself and went to work.
The full size shovel worked great, for about 10 minutes. The track down narrowed and dropped between the two remaining large rocks. I hiked back to the truck and got my hand trowel. When I started digging again, I plopped it into the classifier. It just sat there in a big sandy glob. I used the rocks to grind it through and then decided to save the rocks too. That is how much I believe in this spot.
One hour later, its 50 degrees, Iām standing in freezing water, Iām sweating, the spray has me soaked and the hole just keeps going down and down and down. I'm all the way up to my armpit using the trowel and have to empty water out of my right glove about every three shovels. Each time I come up, I have half a trowel full. It was slow going to say the least. I wished I had a suction gun, couldn't believe how long it took me to get 2 Ā½ gallons of very wet sand. Thenā¦couldn't believe how much 2 Ā½ gallons of wet sand could weigh. I grabbed some moss off the boulders for good measure and got it all packed back to the pickup. As I put everything away, I look at the rocks that didn't make it through the classifier. On a dark piece of wood, a yellow flash says āLOOK AT ME!ā One of my best flakes this year goes in a fresh vial and I am glad I kept and lugged back the rocks. I look in the classifier and see thin tiny shreds of gold on the sides. I am very happy.
Today of course last minute things must be attended to. Nice dinner organized and planned for Christmas. Everyoneās at peace, good will to all, comfortableā¦.ācept for me. As I get caught up with my chores, I start to wonder about whatās in the back of my truck. I grab a flashlight, drag out the bucket of rocks, drop it all in my Garrett Super Sluice pan and start working it. I checked each and every rock and found nothing. What I did find was lots of flour gold and little yellow slivers all over the bottom of the pan! Using a flashlight on those at night was something else. All so small, but lots! Like watching minnows dart around in a creek. Sadly I have learned that this is exactly what happens to placer gold in waterfalls. Butā¦.
I have some AK gold to find and finish dialing in my sluice,
I have 2 Ā½ gallons of the best pay dirt I have ever āminedā in my life to go in the sluice and
I want it all done with results and photos posted no later than 12/31
To be continuedā¦
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