Prospecting buddy Washington

[WaProspecting]

Looking for someone who has the same interest in prospecting/hiking. I have a mini sluice, pans, pry bars, buckets, fly pole ect..... About 30 years old, don't mind the average beer or smoke break while prospecting or fishing just looking to have some fun on the weekends coming up.My friends are to lazy for this type of hobby and I want to start heading up to actual known deposit locations. I also don't have a offroad vehicle so dirt roads are off limits for my vehicle but I can always meet you out there and throw some gas money or just hike to the location. If you have a dredge and would like to show me the ropes on it I also don't mind throwing some money for fuel and parts if we can find some good gold with it. I will probably be heading out in the next month or two once the snow melts and the rivers calm down.

 

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[mike(swWash)]

Welcome....where are you located?
There's several folks here and on the main gold forum from the state. I'm sure someone can help you out.

 

[WaProspecting]

I'm in the Auburn/Enumclaw area. About 30 mins from Snoqualmie and about a hour from Waddell Creek. I go out almost every weekend during the summer but usually just hike the Green River Gorge or the Snoqualmie pass area just looking for fossils and crystals while doing some gold panning along the way. Found some leaf fossils that broke and a couple of flakes last year but also didn't have my sluice with me.

Just would be nice to go prospecting with someone who has more knowledge about this stuff and knows some spots where I won't get shot at. Would hate to step onto a claim this summer and have a gun pointed at me when I'm just trying to have some fun. I was wondering if its mandatory for claim owners to post claims on the internet for the public to see or do I have to call in to get a map of the area?

 

[mike(swWash)]

As far as looking for public areas to pan I use these 2 sites to start with. The more you use them the easier they are to understand.

Mining Claims Maps

https://thediggings.com/entities/by-location/usa

 

[mike(swWash)]

I'm about an hour east of Waddell and maybe we can meet up when the weather gets better.
The gold isn't big or plentiful, but I can show you some spots for color in the pan.

 

[WaProspecting]

Thanks Mike for the information on the claims. Ill send you a private message with my email so if you ever plan on heading out just let me know. Just got snow the other day which means the spots I usually go to are going to be blocked off or high water for the next couple of months. I never made a trip to Waddell but those gravel bars do look tasty and much less work.