Welly well well well.
I finally made it up past tunnel 1 on clear creek (the ten mile stretch) last weekend with my boy.
A couple of weekends and found some good spots to sluice with lots of gravel and whatnot.
Gold is few and far between here, I was kind of disappointed that I could find more gold in a day in the Platte.
Beautiful country up there, but it seems to be worked out (or the gold is locked into the fast deep spots you can't get to without a dredge and balls of steel).
I met some nice people, I am terrible with names but there was a keene highbanker, a gold hog highbanker, LeTrap sluicer, and finally a nice guy from out of state with a custom built gold hog matted sluice. Everyone was very nice and accommodating of new arrivals "Set up anywhere you like, nice to meet you". Prospectors are real people, god bless 'em.
After running for a couple hours I had a massive punk dam in front of a giant hole. Everyone marveled at the simplicity of the BGT and they had lots of questions which I happily answered.
Went a second time to a more remote spot and dug all day, the boy helped a ton but ended up shooting rocks out of the tailing pile with his new slingshot
.
Saw some ultra fine going in the sluice, have about a couple of gallons of cons to work. Confidence is not high however as I don't think I got much.
I did however find a st. mary pendant made out of sterling silver about two feet down in the cobble.
If you haven't been up in a while they are doing the usual "destroy the river for a footpath", like they are doing all along the platte river in denver. sickening.
