Extreme hiking for some mediocre gold

[quintcork]

So I decided to get out and check a new spot on the Raging river. As most prospectors in the Seattle area know, this river gets hit hard even though the gold is.. let's just say thin, light, and overall bad. So I decided to get access to a section which would not be easy to get to. Needless to say it was not worth it. I hike in 2.5 miles via a power line trail which ends abruptly 400 feet above the river. Extremely thick brush all the way down and 45 degrees+ steep. I check out if there's a path on the side and it's a shear cliff (pic below 👇) finally I get around it into a forested area and bushwhack using my shovel all the way down. After 2 hours of production panning and testing I end up with .02 grams 😬. Was the adventure worth it? Yes. Will I be going back? Absolutely not.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Been to the Raging...you'd be far better off if you could find a spot on the Sultan, but be sure to check for claims, first.

As for the effort to get there, men have gone much further for far less. This I understand.

 

[quintcork]

Been to the Raging...you'd be far better off if you could find a spot on the Sultan, but be sure to check for claims, first.

As for the effort to get there, men have gone much further for far less. This I understand.

I've been to the sultan once, when I first started panning and went to a park at the mouth of the river. Barely found a speck but I also sucked at panning and locating spots. I've been doing bunch of research on N.F and M.F Snoqualmie which are closer to me and more accessible. Any idea what it's like out there?

 

[Mudflap]

Yea but you found that beautiful 2017 D Lincoln ! Grin

 

[DizzyDigger]

I've been doing bunch of research on N.F and M.F Snoqualmie which are closer to me and more accessible. Any idea what it's like out there?

Never worked the Snoqualmie, as it's quite a ways south for me, and to be honest I haven't panned in the Sultan for over 30 years...got no idea what's there now.

As far as larger rivers go, I've also worked on the Stillaguamish, Sauk, Nooksack and a few more, plus I live right on the Skagit. The Stilly, Sauk and S.F. Nooksack all hold gold, but the Skagit is pretty much a bust.

Are you running a sluice, or just panning?

 

[Quinc]

You probably just need to hike another 1/4 mile up stream to hit the mother load! =)

 

[quintcork]

Never worked the Snoqualmie, as it's quite a ways south for me, and to be honest I haven't panned in the Sultan for over 30 years...got no idea what's there now.

As far as larger rivers go, I've also worked on the Stillaguamish, Sauk, Nooksack and a few more, plus I live right on the Skagit. The Stilly, Sauk and S.F. Nooksack all hold gold, but the Skagit is pretty much a bust.

Are you running a sluice, or just panning?

Driven over all of those rivers up north on the way to canada. As someone who doesnt have a car (19) it's hard to get out to new places. I have a small plastic California riffle sluice which doesnt run material any faster than panning. I really need to get a wider sluice so I can run some real material but I first need to find ground thats good enough to justify dropping more money on prospecing.

 

[Quinc]

Driven over all of those rivers up north on the way to canada. As someone who doesnt have a car (19) it's hard to get out to new places. I have a small plastic California riffle sluice which doesnt run material any faster than panning. I really need to get a wider sluice so I can run some real material but I first need to find ground thats good enough to justify dropping more money on prospecing.

keep an eye on FB marketplace and craigslist. Great way to save some cash.