Boredom & What If & Weather & Whether

[63bkpkr]

So, if a fella was bored what would he gravitate to in late June?

So, if the remnants of a tropical storm were overhead and getting thicker what then?

So, if he was in relatively good physical condition but still had a touch of surgery speaking to his nerve endings, the question is whether or not to go?

The tropical storm remnants might drop a lot of water in the mountains then again there is no way of knowing for certain what it will change if anything. The river is very low @ 81 cfs and prime for prospecting. A 24 hour storm, all depends on its severity. If it is severe then the last two miles of dirt road could be tricky as even dry they require 4 wheel drive and compound low.

Wait and see I suppose is the situation however "things" are ready to load up.

This pack is almost 36" x 36" x 16" deep and when the final items go into it, it will weigh 75 lbs which, happens to be 10 lbs lighter than typical. On the outside to the left of the picture is a 'virgin' Super Mini Bazooka Gold Trap, behind it is a minimalist air mattress. To the center of the pack is a light blue object/denim sack with my BatPan in it, the orange item is my SPOT messenger that went through a "test" send today and it passed superbly. On the right is a one man tent and behind it a foam pad. The GMT is in the pack along with all sorts of other 'necessary' items including food for 14 days and a full roll of toilet paper (no dry oak leaf rub on this trip!)

Same pack with a few more external items like my knee brace and my hiking boots and the long dark stick to the far right of the picture is my 6' 2" hiking staff with a mountain bike handle bar grip glued to the top of it.

Ok, the front metal item is my insurance policy I carry with me, always! The two little fellas in the background are my erstwhile backpacking buddies that I've not been able to take with me for several years. I thought I would be able to bring them this time but not so as my weight limit has been reached, sorry Woof & Intrepid!

And this is the other item I had really wanted to bring with me on this special trip (if it happens) but alas it is a heavy though wonderful movie camera and so it must also remain behind. The guys and the camera are a real bummer to leave behind.

So these are the musings of a bored backpacking/prospecting junkie. So, if you'd wanted to get out in the hills late this week/early next week but will not be able to you are not alone, I feel your loss of enjoyment...............................63bkpkr

Oh, there is also the secondary gear pack that will come as far as the vehicle goes. It will sit there in case it is determined it is a must to bring in. Of course that will require a hike out and a hike back in with a pack that is just a bit heavier than the one pictured above. Such are the choices of a prospector, and people think we are a lazy bunch, shame on them!

Addendum:

And here is the gear bag on the freighter frame.


Contents of the gear bag.
And the magic number for the gear bag pack is only 58 lbs and I'm surprised at that as I sure thought it was heavier than the main pack. But the last time I carried the gear pack I just strapped it onto the main pack (it was a lighter main pack) and the load together was strenuous.

Just fun and games!

 

[63bkpkr]

Good on Ya and Go For Itckd315 ! Let's compare notes after our trips....................63bkpkr

Oh, My River: Sunday night the water was running at 86cfs. Today at noon it was @ 90cfs. Today at 3:30 PM 98 cfs. and at 9:30 PM 111 cfs and to finish off the day at 10:30 PM it is still at 111 cfs. Tomorrow will bring us some new reports.

 

[Hoser John]

Rain bad and snow day 3 in higher altitudes. Gullywashers almost got my toys wow,another 1992 when we had rain/snow July 4th John

 

[Jeff95531]

"Look....up in the sky...is it a bird, a plane....?"



"Naw, that's just Herb going prospecting."

Great Gold to ya and do a little star gazing for me

 

[gold tramp]

Thanks for the friend invite.
We were looking for something way out like miles where no one goes, being from the desert we dont like crowds.
And If we aint doing 10 miles out we don't even call it a hike, but thanks any ways and stay safe.

 

[63bkpkr]

Guess what? The sun is out. It has stopped raining where I go. The river is @ 188 cfs likely will peak at 200 and then will drop like a rock back to below 86.

Be back about 09 July. Till then keep your head down because gold does not fly.

Happy 4th of July to all! This is the day that marks our independence from unjust rule. A heavy price was paid for it back then and during all wars and conflicts to this present day. Fight for what this country stands for, Freedom & Justice for All! Do Not Let the Bums take it from us!!.................................63bkpkr

 

[Hefty1]

Herb ya take care out there and let us know when ya get back. If you can and need anything out there let me know.
Stay dry...not like me on Monday Whew!

 

[Hoser John]

Still raining in Redding and 107 by fri/sat with 90%+ humidity--gonna get a mite nasty.....John

 

[Oakview2]

Good time to be in the water Hoser

 

[TerryC]

So, if a fella was bored what would he gravitate to in late June?

So, if the remnants of a tropical storm were overhead and getting thicker what then?

So, if he was in relatively good physical condition but still had a touch of surgery speaking to his nerve endings, the question is whether or not to go?

The tropical storm remnants might drop a lot of water in the mountains then again there is no way of knowing for certain what it will change if anything. The river is very low @ 81 cfs and prime for prospecting. A 24 hour storm, all depends on its severity. If it is severe then the last two miles of dirt road could be tricky as even dry they require 4 wheel drive and compound low.

Wait and see I suppose is the situation however "things" are ready to load up.

View attachment 818437 This pack is almost 36" x 36" x 16" deep and when the final items go into it, it will weigh 75 lbs which, happens to be 10 lbs lighter than typical. On the outside to the left of the picture is a 'virgin' Super Mini Bazooka Gold Trap, behind it is a minimalist air mattress. To the center of the pack is a light blue object/denim sack with my BatPan in it, the orange item is my SPOT messenger that went through a "test" send today and it passed superbly. On the right is a one man tent and behind it a foam pad. The GMT is in the pack along with all sorts of other 'necessary' items including food for 14 days and a full roll of toilet paper (no dry oak leaf rub on this trip!)

View attachment 818435 Same pack with a few more external items like my knee brace and my hiking boots and the long dark stick to the far right of the picture is my 6' 2" hiking staff with a mountain bike handle bar grip glued to the top of it.

View attachment 818451 Ok, the front metal item is my insurance policy I carry with me, always! The two little fellas in the background are my erstwhile backpacking buddies that I've not been able to take with me for several years. I thought I would be able to bring them this time but not so as my weight limit has been reached, sorry Woof & Intrepid!

View attachment 818454 And this is the other item I had really wanted to bring with me on this special trip (if it happens) but alas it is a heavy though wonderful movie camera and so it must also remain behind. The guys and the camera are a real bummer to leave behind.

So these are the musings of a bored backpacking/prospecting junkie. So, if you'd wanted to get out in the hills late this week/early next week but will not be able to you are not alone, I feel your loss of enjoyment...............................63bkpkr

Oh, there is also the secondary gear pack that will come as far as the vehicle goes. It will sit there in case it is determined it is a must to bring in. Of course that will require a hike out and a hike back in with a pack that is just a bit heavier than the one pictured above. Such are the choices of a prospector, and people think we are a lazy bunch, shame on them!

Addendum:

And here is the gear bag on the freighter frame.
View attachment 818646

Contents of the gear bag.
View attachment 818647 And the magic number for the gear bag pack is only 58 lbs and I'm surprised at that as I sure thought it was heavier than the main pack. But the last time I carried the gear pack I just strapped it onto the main pack (it was a lighter main pack) and the load together was strenuous.

Just fun and games!

I also own the OLD version of SPOT. I will soon replace it with a Delorme INREACH. Check it out, Herb. TTC

 

[Quickpan Dan]

Good luck!! Will be headed up for a week in late July. Need inspirational posts!!

 

[Hoser John]

That 110 yesterday sure melted that new snow fast

 

[delnorter]

You have that right John. I and a co-worker transported a paving machine to from Crescent City to Redding yesterday. The air conditioning in the 10 yard dump truck we hauled it with didn't work. Oh boy, talk about hot. Pulling the hills on Hwy 299 really taxed the old beast. Pretty girls along the Trinity River though. Not all bad.

Mike

 

[63bkpkr]

Boredom & What if - The Quest to be "Out There" - Some Results

Hello to All You Folks that stuck it out in the city's from the 25th of June till July 4th! I'm Back!!

Quite a trip I had for myself and "I" started it out poorly by having only 2 hours of sleep before I left and I knew it was a poor choice but I did it anyway. I was on the road by 3:45 AM, only an hour late. Driving in the dark of the morning was nice and that part Was a good choice! Comfortable all the way to the top of the trailhead but that changed as soon as I put the pack on.

I did not intentionally set the picture up so the pack looks larger than life but it is a good sized pack just the same.

I set the hike in to rest after every 45 minutes of hiking and that worked out well with 10 to 15 minute pack off breaks. When I arrived at the creek crossing, at the bottom of the trail, I was tired but not worn out just yet. I surveyed the crossing, this was the first time ever to use this location, and noted two items: I would need to walk in the swollen creek to get across and the hill on the opposite side would test my remaining strength. I changed shoes to my "water walkers" did the crossing, changed back to my hiking boots and made it up the hill at one point on my knees. At the top all I had to do was walk through the forest to find the trail and take it up river to my final destination. Problem was there were a lot of downed trees across the trails and getting around them was Not Easy. This navigating around the trees, going up and down the hillsides at the trees was quickly draining my remaining strength and humor. My body reached the point of having had all it could take of my thick headed determination so I had to stop. I picked a spot in a rough forested section that was just above the water.

At least I would only have a short way to go to get water but getting out of here would require that first trudge up a heavily wooded hillside littered with lots of 'tree stuff'. But that would be saved for the next morning. I boiled filtered water for my freeze dried meal and consumed my first Mountain House meal of the year. I entered my one man tent, sealed the door, killed all living things in the tent (save for myself), did a spit bath and fainted into sleep. The next morning I packed it all up and headed out. Somehow the night before I had stopped just short of a triple downed tree crossing on an impossible hillside that I now had to negotiate. Thank goodness for my over 6' tall hiking staff! I made it over this mess but it took way too much out of me way too quickly, I knew I would not be able to continue through this mess of downed trees with the entire pack and that this would complicate things. I made it to a previous camp spot likely not more than a 1/2 mile from my starting point and I was done in. I prepared the spot for human habitation and repeated my previous nights routine.

Before and after preparation of my second camp.

From this new location I would strike out with only the life support basics needed and prospecting equipment I'd brought along to reach the intended prospecting area. But that would come after a bit more taking care of myself and another nights sleep.

In the morning I assembled my pack equipment and headed out. Some storm clouds had come in over night and they tempered the days heat at least for awhile.

From this poor picture, the camera seems to be on its way to the junk pile, one can see the clouds over the mountains. That patch of brown pebbles on the right side is actually the river bed and it does have some water in it though it does not show in the picture? Some of those pebbles are quite large! Reaching the area of the side stream I came across this California Real Estate find of the year. This little "Fixer Upper" Is priced at a mere $35,000, 000.00 due to it pristine location.

On the back side is the 'Out House'.

In any direction from this point the ease of travel worsens! I made my way up the stream bed that looked like it had recently been plowed and re-seeded with some unusually large boulders. I veered of to the right and clung to the edge of the cliff face where a faint animal trail was observed. I followed this over avalanche piles, through rough brush, at times doing some pruning as it was obvious the gardener had been on strike for several years and slowly pushed my way forward. Oh, have I mentioned the clouds are gone and I'm now on top of a reflective oven? I began to feel kind of rough and suspected something was not quite right as I felt dizzy. I left my pack behind to reconnoiter ahead unencumbered by the latest in prospecting gear. I found a cliff I could have dropped over on my safety line but it was Not the Spot I was looking for. At this point I began to backtrack my trail with the pack. During the return hike I noticed some water below me and possibly it was the spot I was looking for. Many years of brush growth and avalanche piles could have changed the looks of the opening I was looking for however, I was in no condition to search any further. I returned to camp but not before taking this picture of a brush pile along the tributary stream.

Looking down the stream one sees a high water line brush pile. On the left side of the brush pile is a large pine tree between 3' to 4' in diameter at the trunk end. For a feeder stream this is a significant pile of floating debris and indicates part of the reason I wanted to investigate this location. Last year 2012 in early December the mountains in this area were treated to a huge dumping of rain. The main river rose from about 3000 cfs to 30,000 cfs and it is obvious this little stream was not little when the brush pile was pushed down the swollen stream. I stumbled back into camp and decided to take it easy for the rest of the day. So ended the 28 th of June.

The following day, 29 June, I got a late start on the morning and moved the camp back to the first location where I was closer to water, had more shade and could recuperate from exhaustion and the heat. I took Sunday the 30th as a full day off to relax and read and smash a few mosquitoes.

On 01 July I chose to test out the bedrock in front of my camp with the detector. I installed the batteries correctly into their holder, installed that into the machine, assembled it, turned it on and no threshold hum. WHAT!!!! Three weeks earlier I'd used the machine and all was well. Without being able to use the detector the entire plan of the trip was lost. I chose to move my camp back to the area of the main trail and river. I also chose to move the equipment 1/2 at a time. The first load was all the food and camping gear, I did the hike and setup the new location and then went back for the second load. All went well!

A picture of camp taken from the opposite bank. I now had a compact camp at the base of the trail with good food protection, shade all day long, easy access to the water, a camera that was not working well, IBID the detector and the question in front of me 'so what could I make of the trip'? I looked around and realized that this river had been totally rearranged by the 30,000 cfs flood waters of late 2012 so why not do a little scratching around the "old way". I now had buckets of sample to process through a Super Mini Bazooka Gold Trap that was supposed to be used as a sampling sluice not a production sluice with the result that the little sluice was over burdened, it took forever to clear the trap and that was the end of that. I took the time to concentrate the heavies in the last bucket by flooding the bucket with water, swirling the contents of the bucket, pouring off all the floating debris and repeating till the sample had been concentrated as best I could. From this effort I obtained 'the flake of gold' taken on this trip, no picture.

This picture is looking up river, one notices the Hump of debris in the center of the picture, it's all river rock that was scoured off the bottom of the river from in front of a water fall and was moved to its new location. This place was severely impacted by the late rain of December 2012 with the result that now 12' to 15' swimming holes exist where before there was a 5' deep pool. Large sections of river bed were left exposed right down to bedrock. Huge boulders were carried down river! It would have been something to see, hear and watch!!

So here I am in super hot conditions with this river in front of me and time on my hands. Every entry into the water is met with this scream from my brain "The water is Freezing"! Finally I realized I had to acclimate myself to the temperature's of my body heated by the Sun to the water cooled by the air in the rapids. I Did It! Once I'd soaked long enough my upper torso would finally accept the water and from then on I was taken back to being a 12 year old boy swimming in his own private pool, a deep one at that. Having my diving goggles with me meant I could watch the fish, check out the floor of the pool and in general I just played in the water for several days till I'd just had enough. On the evening of 03 July I decided to hike out in the morning.

The morning started at 4:35 AM when my body awoke. During the tear down and repacking of the pack by headlamp I had several items go AWOL and lost an hour or so locating things in the mess. At 8:05 AM after a prayer I applied the pack to my back and began the hike out. Storm clouds nursed me to the top of the mountain by filtering out the rays of the sun for much of the hike making it much cooler allowing me to make the hike in one day, actually in 5.25 hours.

I inserted the key into the tailgate to lower the rear window and bingo, it did not work! Oh NO not a dead battery!! I unlocked the drivers side door and opened it and instantly the dome light came on. I climbed in, quickly shut the door, tried the ignition and Bingo the 'ole girl' started right up. Seems the third electronic item to fail on the trip was the motor in the tailgate. Not to worry as my pack was quickly placed on the passenger front seat for the Super Stinking HOt ride home through Sac Town.

All's well that end's well and this trip did end well. I hiked in and hiked out without incident and the rest is all just a part of another adventure in the Mother Lode of California.

I hope all of you also had a great time!

All my best.........................63bkpkr

Addendum:

So looking at bad coloration picture #5: The mountain with clouds and brown river gravel. Now look to the top of the picture to the right, see the mountain in the background and how it has brown sections on it! Question here is, "is my failing camera accidentally coloring river rock brown and is that what we see up on the mountain in the back ground where it is brown? ie; is brown riverbed and are those historic riverbeds up on that mountain?"

Just a question! good night all.

 

[Oakview2]

Herb it appears that your surgery and all the pysical therapy paid off in spades. Congrats

 

[Hoser John]

As always Herb the tag along was great. Trials,tribulations and elations. Glad to see ya back with feets on the ground and enjoying life again bud. Party on John

 

[Jeff95531]

You're back!
Welcome back Herb and happy you got some (a?) gold. Thanks for taking us along and glad to hear everything is back to normal...i.e.
wtf? it doesn't look the same,
Dam* my body aches,
My shi*'s not working,
Where's the fu**ing gold??!!
Swimming hole YES!!! ( I assume you harmed no frogs)
And last but not least..
omg it's great to be back, can't wait to go again!

Lately my kryptonite to prospecting has been Salmon fishing just off the coast. Up at 3:45, boat in the water at 5:15, lines in the water at 5:45, limit by 7:30 am. Wash the boat, fillet the fish, eat, sleep, fish. At least, that's how it goes when we find them.

 

[63bkpkr]

Jeff, your picture and story may have just talked me into doing something I never thought I would do, go live close to the ocean. I happen to LOVE FISHING! On my little trip my goggles allowed me to see what few trout there were in the pool I was swimming in, not very many. There is a pool way up in the mountains that has Native Rainbow Trout that are 18" to 24" in length but the only reason they are there is that it is a two day trip to get there from where the Bronco would be parked and it is way heck and gone up into the mountains so nobody goes there.

Your fish adventure is absolutely lovely!!

I shipped the GMT to White's Repair today, $31 w/insurance. It will be interesting to learn what they find is up with it!

You're back!

Welcome back Herb and happy you got some (a?) gold. Yes, but only one single flake and recall the camera was not working so no pics.
Thanks for taking us along and glad to hear everything is back to normal...i.e.
wtf? it doesn't look the same, True
Dam* my body aches, Not really
My shi*'s not working, Way true
Where's the fu**ing gold??!! Alas, due to several unexpected situations my prospecting was 1) not where I wanted to be and 2) was not with the equipment I had expected to use.
Swimming hole YES!!!

( I assume you harmed no frogs

) Nope, they make great night noises so I leave them alone
And last but not least..
omg it's great to be back, can't wait to go again! Maybe go out before the detector is back again. Just depends on things out of my control. When I go again the pack will be down to about 40 lbs. That will change when the detector is back and I know where "the spot" is at.

At some point I Want to go back to work however that is not up to me. So we will see just how this summer will be spent/used up/frittered away!.....................63bkpkr


And John, I Will Party On just as soon as I can but I think I've about a week of serious exercise I can do before I can slip out through the next window of opportunity!

Well Oakview, not quite yet! I tested this theory by doing a two handed picking up and 'tossing' of a few 8" -10" rocks and the shoulder said no to that. Also sleeping is still poor due to night time only pain of the shoulder, during the daytime it is fine. It even makes nice noises for the Physical Therapist to raise their brows at. But someday it will be well.

And now, to go register the motorcycle as it is back from the shop and runs like a million dollars (before Obama)!

 

[ckd315]

Glad to hear you survived your outing intact...

My trip to gold country was no where near as arduous as yours, and like you, I once again learned that I could get by with about half the stuff(crap) I brought with me...

I can't wait to do it again...

 

[63bkpkr]

Update: 15 July 2013 - Water flow @ 59 cfs, Hmmm! Air temperatures mid 80's to mid 90's, Hmmm!

Sounds to me like it's time to put things back into the backpack and go take a hike. I will explore canyons to locate the stream I was looking for on the first trip and will carry a minimum of equipment with me so the pack could be maybe 45 lbs, almost a "featherweight pack"! The movie camera is a possibility this time.

Cheers and best of luck to us all!............................63bkpkr



Addendum: Interesting how things happen, almost like someone is watching over you:

I was in line to purchase gas today turning the engine off and on as the line moved. I was next in line and went to start the Bronco and click, click is all the starter would say. The attendant and some very kind man pushed the Bronco up to the pump, I filled it up and then the attendant and I pushed the truck over to a parking spot. When the tow truck arrived I was just getting the bolts loose on the battery cables. They hooked up their jumper cables, the Bronco started and when the jumper cables were removed the tow guy announced it is your battery. 1- the starter worked 2- when the cables were removed the engine did not quit So, the alternator was putting out enough voltage to keep the Bronco running and therefore the battery was bad. Also, I was purchasing gas at the same store chain I'd purchased the battery from so I walked in with the old battery, they returned the remaining warranty and core charge money and I purchased a new battery.

Now what if I'd gone down that jeep road and the battery would have been dead on my return?! Ouch that would not have been fun. Interesting how things happen almost like someone is watching over you!

I will be packing the pack tomorrow and by tomorrow night or Wednesday morning I will know what is going to be happening............................63bkpkr


Addendum: 16 July 2013 AD 2:40 PM

My pack has been packed, it was easy to pick up and put on and I am thrilled.

In just about an hour I will meet with the surgeon where I will explain the shortfalls of the surgery to him, I still can not use a 5 lb weight for some of the PT exercises and the darn thing hurts at night so that I can not sleep well. Makes no difference if I'm in town or in the mountains I can not sleep well!

So, we will see what we will see in a short while and I will plan accordingly.

Here is what I've put into the pack with only the air mattress and the foam pad being on the outside of the pack (unlike last time where I had about six items on the outside of the pack lashed to it)

Here is the final appearance of the pack with everything in the picture on/in it save for the hike in clothes and boots and the "Insurance Policy" I carry with me.

More later on.........................63bkpkr

 

[Jeff95531]

Hey Herb...Glad to hear you're on to your next expedition. When we can handle it, fate steps in. If we can't...Karma carries us...IMHO.

I actually feel guilty about not prospecting lately...& finishing the sluice....so I call my bro in law and he says "fish are in close... winds are down...so's are the swells...see ya @ 5:30, go ahead and sleep in" Hmmmm, what to do? Sooo off to the Salmon grounds we go...skunked last time out so this is it dammit!

be safe and enjoy!