Bedrock and Gold: The mysteries . . .

[Lanny in AB]

Do you love to chase the gold? Please join me--lots of gold hunting tips, stories of finds (successful and not), and prospecting poetry.

Nugget in the bedrock tip:

I had a visit with a mining buddy this past weekend, and he told me of an epic battle to get a nugget out of the bedrock, and of what he learned from the experience. I thought some of you might like to learn from his mistake.

While out detecting one day, he came across a large sheet of bare bedrock. The bedrock was exposed because the area had been blasted off with a water cannon (a monitor), by the old-timers! It was not fractured bedrock, in fact it was totally smooth.

He was not optimistic at all of the prospects of a nugget. But, for some reason (we've all been there) he decided to swing his detector over that bedrock. After a long time, just as he was about to give up on his crazy hunch, he got a signal, right out of that smooth bedrock.

There was no crevice, no sign of a crevice, nada! So, he had to go all the way back to camp to get a small sledge and a chisel. The signal in the rock intrigued him, but he still wasn't overly optimistic. For those of you that have chased signals in a similar situation, sometimes there's a patch of hot mineralization in the bedrock that sounds off, but this spot, according to him, was sharp and clear right in the middle of the signal, not just a general increase of the threshold like you get when you pass over a hot spot in the bedrock.

Anyway, he made it back to the spot and started to chisel his way into the bedrock. If any of you have tried this, it's an awful job, and you usually wind up with cut knuckles--at the least! Regardless, he kept fighting his way down, busting out chunks of bedrock. He kept checking the hole, and the signal remained very strong.

This only puzzled him all the more as he could clearly see that it was solid bedrock with no sign of any crevice. He finally quit at the end of the day, at a depth of about a foot, but still, nothing in the hole.

An experienced nugget shooting friend dropped by the next morning to see him, and asked him how the hunt was going. My buddy related his tale of the mysterious hole in the bedrock, and told the friend to go over and check it out, and see if he could solve the riddle.

Later in the day, the other nugget hunter returned. In his hand was a fine, fat, sassy nugget. It weighed in at about an ounce and a quarter! After my friend returned his eyeballs to their sockets and zapped his heart to start it again, he asked where the nugget had come from.

Imagine his surprise when he heard it came from the mystery hole!! He asked how deep the other guy had gone into the bedrock to get it. "Well, no deeper" was his reply.

So, here's the rest of the story as to what happened. When the successful nugget hunter got to the bedrock, he scanned the surface got the same strong signal as my buddy. He widened out the hole and scanned again. Still a solid tone. He widened the hole some more so he could get his coil in, and here's the key and the lesson in this story, he got a strong signal off the side of the hole, about six inches down, but set back another inch into the side of the bedrock!!

My unlucky friend, the true discoverer of the gorgeous nugget's resting place had gone deep past the signal while digging his hole!!

Now, of course, a good pinpointer would easily solve this problem. The problem was, my buddy didn't have one, so why would he widen the hole, right? Well, the other guy was the one with more experience, and that's why he did. It was a lot more work, but what a payoff!

So, my buddy's butt is still black and blue from where he kicked himself for the next week or so for having lost such an incredible prize.

Some nugget hunting lessons are harder than others to learn. . . .

All the best,

Lanny


P.S. When in gold country--check the bedrock, regardless of whether it looks likely or not! Mother Nature likes to play games sometimes.

 

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[Carol in AB]

Hi Lanny--found any gold lately? You've sure got a great site!

Keep on diggin'

Carol

 

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[Lanny in AB]

Lanny, I've been reading this extraordinary thread each night from page one forward. Very well illustrated with spectacular pictures. Regards, Bill

Why Bill--a great big thank you to you for dropping in and thanks for the nice compliment. I'm glad you're enjoying the thread.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hello Bill... I too have been working my way back and forth through Lanny's thread. I even re-read many of the posts because I enjoy them so much. If I ever grow tired of reading such entertaining and informative manuscripts written in a familiar humor that I thoroughly enjoy... then I might as well give up on life altogether.

Unfortunately I guess in some ways, the demand for more installments is going to keep Lanny writing and photographing more than maybe he'd planned, which could infringe on his actual prospecting time!!

Jim.

Wow! What a fantastic compliment. Thanks so much Jim!!

All the best,

Lanny

P.S. For those of you that don't know--Jim is quite an expert when it comes to metal detecting for native silver--do a search on his name and read some of his outstanding posts--exceptionally informative and filled with technical expertise.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi Lanny--found any gold lately? You've sure got a great site!

Keep on diggin'

Carol

Welcome to the wonderful world of gold fever Carol! Drop in anytime.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

The Steam Shovel in the Dark Woods

This will be the next installment as I find the time. It's about our prospecting experiences in the far northern woods in a rather storied gold field where there was a major strike of coarse gold in the 1870's.

All the best, and I haven't fallen off the ends of the earth,

Lanny

P.S.

Sassy gold is gold that's dang hard to find, but you're thrilled to death when you finally capture it, especially when it's nuggets.

Pesky gold is gold that causes trouble: it's too small; it floats; it's goes rocketing out of the sluice or gets flipped out of the pan and then you have to desperately try to re-capture it; it keeps sinking in the stream bed when you're trying to nugget-shoot it; it's the kind that other gold hunters complain they keep hitting and collecting, especially when there's lots and lots of nuggets that are only a gram, but nothing bigger, and they want you to feel sorry for them, etc., etc.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Thanks Lanny, looking forward to it.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Thanks Lanny, looking forward to it.

Thanks D-Man--that sure was beautiful Georgia flour gold you posted a shot of on the prospecting forum. Congrats on catching some--that's tough stuff to corral.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

Wow! What a fantastic compliment. Thanks so much Jim!!

All the best,

Lanny

P.S. For those of you that don't know--Jim is quite an expert when it comes to metal detecting for native silver--do a search on his name and read some of his outstanding posts--exceptionally informative and filled with technical expertise.

Thanks in return Lanny, most kind. I'm an everyday hobbyist that has decided to be a nuisance on the forum until spring's arrival... another month or so and I'm done with frequent posting 'till next winter. Looking forward to your next installment!!

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Thanks D-Man--that sure was beautiful Georgia flour gold you posted a shot of on the prospecting forum. Congrats on catching some--that's tough stuff to corral.

All the best,

Lanny

Thanks Lanny, I had a blast yesterday, and I think my buddy who took me to this spot had more fun watching me than he did in finding his own.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Thanks Lanny, I had a blast yesterday, and I think my buddy who took me to this spot had more fun watching me than he did in finding his own.

It's always nice to have a good time with a good friend. I really enjoy it when I take someone that's never found any gold, and I love to watch their reaction when they finally hit it.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

The Steam Shovel in the Dark Woods

A wolverine just shot across the road!

I’d spent years watching for one in the woods and the wild, and never had I seen a single one. Yet, here I was, plugging along, the Chevy’s headlights making a feeble attempt to stab through the thick darkness of a northern night, getting my teeth jarred by the millionth wash-boarded section of logging road, and there it was—unmistakable—a wolverine!

I hit the brakes, fumbling to find the flashlight, hoping against hope to get a longer view of the wolverine, but all I caught was a glimpse of its tail as the stout predator made its way into the undergrowth among the thick stands of replanted spruce, and pine.

We’d been travelling for thirteen hours straight already, and it would be another three hours before we made it to the goldfield, and that was if we didn’t get lost again. We were in an area of forest, hills, and mountain peaks, crisscrossed by streams and rivers, accented with deep, cold lakes, and the only way in to the gold camp was by way of a maze of logging roads that ran every which way, with absolutely no definitive signs or markers to indicate if we were on the right track or not. I’m sure the little yellow numbered squares every kilometer meant something to the loggers, but they meant just as much as Russian to me.

Right before the darkness of a cloudy summer’s night had descended, I’d had to find a pullout to change a tire. The rubber was completely shredded, and I’m lucky it hadn’t ruined the rim. Moreover, the road was so rough, you couldn’t tell when you had a flat, or if it was simply the normal condition of the trail!

But, the sighting of the Wolverine had been a nice bonus. I’d already dodged numerous Elk, deer, and the odd Moose (Moose are always odd, and ever ugly). Furthermore, we’d spooked several Black Bear that were trying to cross the road as well—more reason for those of you unfamiliar with the woods not to go traipsing around after dark—some of your biggest apex predators are wide awake not hunting for slow moving, citified snacks, but very happy to find such easy treats nonetheless.

More as time permits.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Another great read. Thanks Lanny, can't wait for more!

 

[EagleDown]

Hokay, replace the Wolverine, Elk, Black Bear and the "ever ugly Moose" with an occasional Cougar, Bobcat, Coyote an the 'ever smelly Skunk' and it would be just like where I'm now living. (lol)

Yep, I'm finally back online and this evening, I'll be working on getting my thread back up and running. And, I'll be watching for the continuation of this latest story. It looks like it will be another great one. But then, I've grown to expect no less from the Master Story-teller, my friend Lanny!

All the best.....

Eagle

 

[Jim Hemmingway]

I would think the wolverine in a very rare sight anywhere. We have a population in our area and elsewhere in Ontario Lanny, but over a lifetime of camping, canoe-tripping, and prospecting I've never seen one. And I wouldn't want to meet one at close quarters. Fortunately this creature's habits are elusive where mankind is concerned, and the wolverine prefers solitude.

Thanks for the latest installment... hope we're not placing you under any pressure. There certainly isn't any at all. We appreciate all you've done by way of presenting these manuscripts.

Any sign of spring out your way?? Still winter here, but the days are growing longer... thank goodness... a lot of us... well me anyway... have a serious case of cabin fever.

Jim.

 

[Lanny in AB]

I would think the wolverine in a very rare sight anywhere. We have a population in our area and elsewhere in Ontario Lanny, but over a lifetime of camping, canoe-tripping, and prospecting I've never seen one. And I wouldn't want to meet one at close quarters. Fortunately this creature's habits are elusive where mankind is concerned, and the wolverine prefers solitude.

Thanks for the latest installment... hope we're not placing you under any pressure. There certainly isn't any at all. We appreciate all you've done by way of presenting these manuscripts.

Any sign of spring out your way?? Still winter here, but the days are growing longer... thank goodness... a lot of us... well me anyway... have a serious case of cabin fever.

Jim.

Thanks Jim for your encouraging praise about the writing. No pressure, by the way.

As a matter of fact, we do have some signs of spring--the Starlings came back a couple of weeks ago, most of the snow is melting in our area, but the mountains are still locked in snow. On a different note, I saw a gopher standing along the side of the road today, so I take that sign, and the previously mentioned ones, as hopeful stirrings at least.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

The Steam Shovel in the Dark Woods

But, just to backtrack a bit, this was the same route we had already taken for the two previous summers, and we’d always had curious sightings of wildlife. For instance, not far from where I pulled over to try to get a better view of the wolverine, I’d stopped on a prior trip when my son was with me to watch a little black bear in action. This sighting occurred in broad daylight. I may have mentioned this earlier, but in case not, I’ll briefly relate the details.

As we were travelling down the road through thick clouds of clay dust kicked up by the logging trucks, we came around a gentle bend in the road where there was a bit of a berm. The road was even banked a bit in kind of a speed curve style. And, as we rounded the bend there was a small lake off to the side. My son shouted for me to stop as he’d seen a small Black Bear dropping down into the lake. This was our sighting of the famous snorkeling bear that I’ve written about somewhere else. Moreover, we’d seen some pretty big Grizzly Bears close to this area as well. In fact, I believe the area is some kind of wildlife corridor or something.

Now, back to my story.

Somehow, we managed not to get lost again that night, and several hours later we pulled in to set up camp on a bit of a historic flat. There had been a Hudson’s Bay store here in the past, and there were still a few cabins scattered around the area as well. The sky was already starting to grey up as that far north, the nights are short and the days are wonderfully long.

After unloading the essentials, we partially set up the internal frame for the outfitter’s wall tent, and then we slid the tent across the erected part of the frame. Next, I went inside and put more poles in place to raise the walls, and soon, we had our shelter erected.

It was a great little campsite, with the river just over the bank to the left, and the creek just over another bank to the right. Surrounding us were some mature pines, mixed with slender stands of younger fir, and spruce. There was also the odd balsam among copses of aspen, and northern birch.

Back where we’d had to cross the creek to get to where we’d set up our camp, there was a heavy stand of mostly leafy trees (birch and aspen), but the stand was liberally salted with older pines and fir. This dense area of growth sloped gradually toward the river, and I’d made note of it on an earlier trip, deciding to check it out on this expedition.

But first, we had to make up our beds, unload all of the food and various supplies, store them away, and then set up the wood-burning stove, running the pipe up through the special section fabricated for it in the top of the tent. Next, we headed off with the chainsaw to find some nice dry standing trees to drop them for firewood. Our favorite choices were dead trees with the tops snapped off from the actions of wind and snow. These made excellent wood for burning, as the trunks, protected by the intact bark, were never saturated by the frequent rains, because only the jagged tops were ever exposed.

After laying aside a significant pile of cut and split wood, we unloaded the quad, liberated the lever-action bear deterrent, and got out the detectors, pans, and shovels. I outfitted the quad for an expedition, and headed back up the road to where the creek crossing was.

More as time permits.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

A wolverine? Lanny you're way up north in Canada right? I'd love to see one but surely don't want to run into one. Great story about the sighting. Reminds me of the first black bear I saw. I'll make it short. Lol

It was a cold day in December. Snow on the ground and it was the day after I had killed my first deer. (I just found his rack again after making another move into another rental) So we (Uncle Roy, cousin Andy, and RayDean) were walking the ridge to deer canyon to a spot to scope for deer. I looked down to the area where I had gotten my deer, when all of a sudden I see this black dot. Well, it was more like a black splotch on the hillside mixed in with the manzanita brush. It was moving in the bottom of the canyon through the wash. All I could think about was the stories of how my uncle literally bumped into a black bear tracking a deer.
Oh what a surprise for me. Though I enjoy hunting for food, there were/are many times I wish I had my camera. This was another one of those times. How I sat there in amazement watching this cute, cuddly black teddy bear, walking down the wash and up the other hillside. He didn't have a care in the world.
I tell my kids about this run in and of my first ever hunt with my family and friends. About how we're there to help protect the wildlife and its domain. We're there to enjoy natures many wonders and to explore where others may have or have not been. So as my uncle has done with me, I do for my kids. Share a story or ten around the fire and teach them about the wilderness and the history that surrounds us.
I'm great full for my father to have taken me camping and fishing and also for my uncle who taught me even more about hunting, camping, mining and even more about the wilderness. My uncle Roy to me was like the true Grizzly Adams. That should be able to give you a picture of how he was and is.

Thx Lanny for your stories. Always a pleasure to read. I hope you don't mind a flashback from my youth. This hunt I went on with my uncle a year after my dad (his older brother) had passed away. I guess you could say he adopted me. I'm sure grateful he did. Otherwise I'd be a city slicker with no idea what was out there.

 

[Lanny in AB]

A wolverine? Lanny you're way up north in Canada right? I'd love to see one but surely don't want to run into one. Great story about the sighting. Reminds me of the first black bear I saw. I'll make it short. Lol

It was a cold day in December. Snow on the ground and it was the day after I had killed my first deer. (I just found his rack again after making another move into another rental) So we (Uncle Roy, cousin Andy, and RayDean) were walking the ridge to deer canyon to a spot to scope for deer. I looked down to the area where I had gotten my deer, when all of a sudden I see this black dot. Well, it was more like a black splotch on the hillside mixed in with the manzanita brush. It was moving in the bottom of the canyon through the wash. All I could think about was the stories of how my uncle literally bumped into a black bear tracking a deer.
Oh what a surprise for me. Though I enjoy hunting for food, there were/are many times I wish I had my camera. This was another one of those times. How I sat there in amazement watching this cute, cuddly black teddy bear, walking down the wash and up the other hillside. He didn't have a care in the world.
I tell my kids about this run in and of my first ever hunt with my family and friends. About how we're there to help protect the wildlife and its domain. We're there to enjoy natures many wonders and to explore where others may have or have not been. So as my uncle has done with me, I do for my kids. Share a story or ten around the fire and teach them about the wilderness and the history that surrounds us.
I'm great full for my father to have taken me camping and fishing and also for my uncle who taught me even more about hunting, camping, mining and even more about the wilderness. My uncle Roy to me was like the true Grizzly Adams. That should be able to give you a picture of how he was and is.

Thx Lanny for your stories. Always a pleasure to read. I hope you don't mind a flashback from my youth. This hunt I went on with my uncle a year after my dad (his older brother) had passed away. I guess you could say he adopted me. I'm sure grateful he did. Otherwise I'd be a city slicker with no idea what was out there.

Thanks for your story. Too many people grow up now without experiencing any kind of outdoor experience or outdoor living. You are very lucky to have had people in your life that cared and took you with them, and particularly that you've had a special someone that passed the love of the outdoors on to you with kindness and compassion. Moreover, you're passing the passion for the outdoors that your uncle passed on to you, to your kids.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

The Steam Shovel in the Dark Woods

I forgot to mention that every time we pulled in to that gold field, we had to make the mandatory visit to the local store/post office/gas station/motel/shower/laundry/satellite phone emporium. It was run by a middle-aged couple that had lived there for many years. In fact, long ago when they were young, they had left their city life for a romantic life in the isolated wilds, and trust me, they picked the perfect spot, and they truly loved it.

You’d have to try very hard to find a more isolated, wild place.

However, it was a cultural necessity to check in at the store as a form of polite formality, as the aforementioned northern emporium was a clearing-house of information for all of the far-flung locals in the surrounding hills, valleys, and mountains.

The normal population was around 20 individuals year round, swelling to maybe three or four times that many in the summer months when the loggers and miners invaded the country.

Just down the road from the store is where the creek cuts through a large culvert to run under the road. On the right, just before you cross the creek, there’s a massive rock pile. I’m not exactly sure what type of mining the Oldtimers were up to in that location, but perhaps it was a dragline operation.

I’d seen pictures of an old operation that reminded me of this one. I’d seen it before in a historical photograph from the area, though it was shot much farther up the creek, and there was a rock pile situated there that was about five times the size of the previously mentioned pile, and the rocks stacked in the one upstream were considerably larger as well; so this may have just been the pile from a smaller-scale, similar operation.

After crossing the creek, there was the site I’ve mentioned where we were camped. There was a bit of an old museum there, but it was never open when we were there, and I’m not even sure who would have had the key if I’d wanted to visit it.

Moreover, there was a collection of old mining equipment scattered around the museum, including a steam shovel with the wooden pilothouse still intact! (However, this is not the steam shovel from the title of this gold tale.) This shovel was a real relic, and the size of its bucket is tiny as compared to any modern piece of heavy equipment, but it was indeed a large-scale excavator for its day, one that required a crew to be felling trees and cutting lengths of wood to keep that ever-hungry firebox happily fed.

I’ve often reflected back on the courage and determination of those early miners, and I’ve reflected as well on the extreme physical labor required on their part, back-breaking work that was such a normal part of their placering experience. Moreover, as was often the case, any large equipment had to be packed in--all of it disassembled in to pieces, as there were no good roads in to the area--so any large equipment had to be laboriously reassembled once it reached the gold mines.

On a different note, on the left, just past the creek crossing about a block down the road was an old cemetery--most of the graves were from the 1800's, and many of the interred were young--attesting to how hard the life of those Sourdoughs and Cheechakos were.

More as time permits.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Lanny in AB]

Note--I added a bunch more to the post above, as it was rather short.

All the best,

Lanny