First real panning trip, not practice - sore and skunked

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

We to the Lost River and then Tunnell Brook in NH today, I don't think I will try to do 6 hours of panning along with a 3 hour drive each way in a single day! When I tried to get out of the car BOTH my legs cramped up, doesn't help that I have bad arthritis in both knees!
Found lots of Garnets but no gold, although I keep hoping since I was basically concentrating the dirt and dumping it is my 5 gallon bucket to bring home, only panned a couple pans down, will work it tomorrow.

OMG I never realized what hard work panning is, first getting down to the river with the gear and not killing myself, second trying to dig down with a shovel in a rock garden. Couldn't get down too far, although I tried.
However I had fun and my wife had fun, she found a beautiful 2 pound conglomerate with sheets of mica, really nice.

I think from now on I will spend the night at a campground, there are plenty up in the National Forest and also Twin Rivers. THe wife asked what I want for Christmas, I told her a sluice!

 

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[Oakview2]

Sometimes the real treasure is spending time on the creek with family. Beautiful area and good health and happy hunting to you

 

[lowctoy]

The worst day digging is still better than a day at work,but be careful that fever will get you just like me, have fun and take care.

 

[Fullpan]

Now that i'm back up from the floor from laughing, welcome to prospecting! Most of us went thru the same thing. That is a good looking creek you're in. I would
suggest you classify down one more increment(maybe 1/8" or 20 mesh) until you find the size of gold common to that creek. Your creek looks just fine for
sluicing at this point in the season. And finally, I can see a large oblong boulder tilted up against the right bank about 50 yards downstream - that's where i would look next time(downstream side). Hang in there, and thanks for posting the beautiful pics.

 

[Hoser John]

Welcome to the feast/famine world a mining-great isn't it because at night visions of nuggets,instead of sugar plums,dances through our heads. Better luck next time-John

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I think the big thing is that I actually found something my wife enjoy's also. I tried to get her into shooting, but the only time she would want to use a gun is if she caught me running around. She enjoys rock hounding and loves the show Gold Fever. She likes shinny things

 

[calisdad]

It is said Edison made 1000 lightbulbs that didn't work. When asked if he failed he just replied: No, I just found 1000 ways to not make a light bulb.

Fullpan's 2 suggestions are good ones.

Enjoy the ride.

 

[TerryC]

Hey Ben. Did someone tell you it would be easy? Also, you had to know NH gold would be hard to find. Keep at it. You'll find it. Its rarety makes it worth it! Don't give up! Try this... hand-pick ALL the larger rocks and pebbles out of the hole. Secure the shovel in the hole then, using a smaller trowel, scrape the sand onto the shovel. That yeller stuff likes to fall out of the sand QUICKLY when trying to push the shovel through! TTC

 

[lost]

If you come back home after a day of prospecting, and your not sore, you've been slacking off and not doing it right. For me, every time at the end of a day of hard digging, when I crawl, and I mean crawl, into my truck I say Thank You God, then I know I've given it all I had. There is no expensive piece of furniture made that feels better than my truck seat. Good luck with your gold hunting. It's like a fever you can't get rid of.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

If you come back home after a day of prospecting, and your not sore, you've been slacking off and not doing it right. For me, every time at the end of a day of hard digging, when I crawl, and I mean crawl, into my truck I say Thank You God, then I know I've given it all I had. There is no expensive piece of furniture made that feels better than my truck seat. Good luck with your gold hunting. It's like a fever you can't get rid of.

Well I did it half right, I was able to slowly walk to my car carrying a couple buckets of concentrate although I had to stop every few yards and put them down and catch my breath and rest my muscles, they were only about 60 pounds each. It was heaven to sit in the car and I also got most of the way home before my leg started to cramp up, the last 45 minutes I was massaging my right leg as I drove and then couldn't get out of the car I was so cramped up.
So even though I may not have found any gold (lots of Garnets though) I had a great time!

When I got home and started panning the cons today, my middle son came out and said "you only brought back 2 buckets? You should have brought more!" He has the fever as well

Going on a mineral trip next Saturday for smoky quartz. Doing that for the wife as she wants to try it, then back to the rivers in a couple weeks.

 

[blynch35]

man ben that is nice place you got there. like everyone said its not for the lazy lol i work harder at the river than i do at work. hang in there you will find it good luck to ya.

also sounds like you might need a small shopping cart that they sell at walmart.

Drive Medical All Purpose Folding Cart, Red: Home Health Care : Walmart.com

 

[lost]

If your getting cramps in your legs it might mean your not taking in enough water or other liquids. Try Gator Aid or other such products to replace the electrolytes you are losing. Cramps that soon after exertion is some times a warning sign.

 

[Goodyguy]

Dig DEEPER!

Sorry but the gold is a lot deeper than most want to dig for. Get down to the bedrock for best results. Bedrock is the solid layer (sheet) of rock that tells you when you've hit bottom. That's where the gold has to stop settling because it can go no further. It's also where the most and the largest placer gold is found period.

Right now it looks like you are just prospecting the upper layer of gravel (surface gravel), you wont find much gold there if any. Sometimes you even have to dig past a layer of hardpack also known as false bedrock to get to the gold depending on when the gold was originally deposited.

Try using a hoe to rake away the overburden before digging, Sometimes you have to move away the large rocks by hand one at a time until you can use the shovel and or hoe.

I welded together a scoop and then welded onto it a shovel handle that works great for scooping out gravel from a deep hole under water without loosing paydirt, also works great for raking away overburden........


Also to dig through those cobbles a spade works better than that wide blade shovel you are using.
If you hit hardpack (conglomerate) the work really starts.... It takes a long pointed wrecking bar and lots of energy to break it up.

Read this for more info on finding gold in New Hampshire. http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/geo/documents/geo-1.pdf

GG~

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Goodyguy
I agree that I didn't get that deep, got down about 1 foot. in the next stream over I saw where someone had dredged and there was a 4x4 foot hole 4-5 feet deep and no bedrock, so I think it is deep in this area. But being my first real time I am learning and appreciating all the advice I have gotten and am getting!
I am hooked that is for sure! I have been thinking about a sluice, 3 foot is max in the Nat. Forest, but wonder if I should continue to go with the pan until I find some gold and learn what I am doing.

 

[Goodyguy]

Goodyguy
I agree that I didn't get that deep, got down about 1 foot. in the next stream over I saw where someone had dredged and there was a 4x4 foot hole 4-5 feet deep and no bedrock, so I think it is deep in this area. But being my first real time I am learning and appreciating all the advice I have gotten and am getting!
I am hooked that is for sure! I have been thinking about a sluice, 3 foot is max in the Nat. Forest, but wonder if I should continue to go with the pan until I find some gold and learn what I am doing.

Panning is the tool you use to find a pay streak.... Once the paystreak is found that's when you go for production IE: sluice, highbanker, trommel, dredge, etc.

No use doing all that shoveling and classifying into a sluice or other production equipment until you are on the gold.

You may also want to go to an area where the bedrock is not so deep.

GG~

 

[calisdad]

Another fine tool from our resident inventor. Looks like a good one too.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

That is neat, I want to try to make one!

 

[NeoTokyo]

Not many people get gold their first time out, it took me years.

That area looks very nice and I can see in your 4th picture that someone has made two small damns, probably for a sluice.

You might like a Bazooka gold trap sluice a lot because you dont have to classify, you just put your material right in and angle/high flow does the rest.

Keep it up and keep having fun.

 

[Goodyguy]

That is neat, I want to try to make one!

You can buy a similar tool already made from : http://www.bucketdigger.com/
Just put on a longer handle to go deeper.

 

[placertogo]

The last picture shows a bush growing in the center of the stream. I would be panning the gravel from the downstream side of that outgrowth. That bush will slow the flow and let heavies drop off.