All in all, a good three days at Meat Creek. The determination of the other location that didn't pan out after three trips at least didn't follow me to the new dig. Rockguy had a similar plan and moved below (downstream) of where the bulk of Meat Creek's gold has been recovered. His move produced the .57 grams in the post from last week. I moved about 20 feet farther downstream, and since this was a solo trip, I used his new set up. It's kind of boring working solo, nobody to talk to as Dora is horrible in a conversation.
Anyway, we were later than normal leaving so I could confirm with Forest Circus that no campfire restrictions were in place. I was actually loaded and ready to leave at 6am but had to hang out, finish my pot of coffee, and call them at 8am. We arrived at camp around 9:30am, found that someone had helped themselves to our firewood. I had enough for the first night, but now I had to switch gears. I hiked to the dig site to confirm all our equipment was still there, then went about setting up camp. I didn't even step in the creek at all Wednesday, now I have to cut firewood instead of setting up to mine.
Now to mining, some of you know besides rednecking things, we're a bit renegade as well. I set up to "power sluice" 20 feet or so downstream of Rockguy's hole. It's where Adam had worked Memorial weekend last year, but not in his hole.
i was on a stair step bedrock a foot in, at knee deep, I'm working rusty cemented gravels. Now this bedrock is hitting the creek from the north side, and travels all the way up the hillside almost to the road. Twenty feet upstream, the bedrock climbs the south side. There is a wash that enters the creek five feet upstream of my dig. I suspect it is spring fed and never completely dry though you couldn't tell by just looking at it. Four years ago, I dug a hole to bedrock, maybe three feet deep. I had water flowing over the bedrock and this was six feet above the creek level. Depending on where the transition occurs, I could be at a plunge pool sort of thing, only the pool is full of rocks and gravels.
Here's a little vid:
I'll have to upload pics from my phone in another post.
