The Two Rookies from Washington State (Pictures Added)

[skyhigh]

Figured I would make an appearance in this forum, as it has been the one I have been poaching information from..Some really helpfull info here in the archives..Keep it up! it is mucho appreciated...Hopefully someday I can post a picture with color in the box and a smiling kid.

Below is the post from the "new member" forum..Anybody reading this from the Whatcom county Washington area that wants a couple of tag alongs we are more than willing and pay our way.

"Saying hello from Washington...Cool site here with a TON of info...My boy (13) has been bit with the media gold fever..He loves the recent shows on TV...Anyways, he did real good on his grades this term so we helped him buy a sluice box. Damn its alot of work digging, classifying, sluicing, panning but real fun.

We have been treasure hunters for ever, beach combing, arrowhead hunting, rock hounding, golf ball hunting etc. etc..We are planning on getting a membership to our state prospector club (WPMA) to help support the activity and hopefully learn some tricks of the trade along with access to some producing claims..

Here are some photos from our outing yesterday...No color found but great exercise! Who needs a gym membership"

 

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[63bkpkr]

Hello Skyhigh and Son who is, as your Dad indicates, also High on prospecting looking for that golden color. Welcome to Tnet! I've only been on here myself since mid 2010 and thanks to other members I have also learned a lot and I still am. Yesterday I put up a reply to a sluicing post in the Gold Prospecting section and I think it could be worth your while to check it out. Two videos showing what the water should look like when "it is right" going through your sluice. Also lots of other inputs about sluicing. Then if you just want to continue checking my 2010 posts as well as all the info I was being given then go to the Sluicing section and around pages 3 to 5 you will find some of my other posts, look for the handle 63bkpkr. I also have some posts in the Metal Detecting for Gold section, I use the Whites GMT and have found gold with it!

Your son looks like he's a good young man and congratulations on the good grades. That took effort and determination on your part and it will pay off for you in the future. Keep going with that Positive effort and determination as it will always be a benefit to you as well as to those around you. I've been blessed with a world of goodness once I chose to let it in to my life. Odd how that a person should have to choose goodness rather than it just being a part of their life! Have Integrity in everything you do because without it we have nothing!!

There's lots of info on the internet about Basic Gold Panning, a really good one was put up by a fellow from Oregon. Also check out info on how to Read A River as it will teach you where the "Lazy Gold" just drops out and lays down on the river bank/bed/bedrock.

Here's wishing you both good success in your mission to find the Gold............63bkpkr

 

[skyhigh]

Two videos showing what the water should look like when "it is right" going through your sluice. .63bkpkr

Thanks for the reply 63...I saw your post there and thats why I didnt ask the question about water flow.(smile) Did try the links you had in the word document but could not get them to work when I copied them into my browser..

We did end up yesterday with a couple of cool finds though that I forgot to mention..Who woulda thunk that Washington state had palm trees back in the day..

 

[2screwed]

Those fossils are way cool! Welcome to the hobby!

 

[63bkpkr]

skyhigh, that is odd about the links as when I tried them just before I posted them they worked fine. Maybe just go onto YouTube directley and search for them as they are worth watching. What they show is when the sluice is setup correctly the water coming into the rear of the box will form a v and then an x further down the sluice and its actually getting ready to form another v but it exits the box. It is just short of creepy to watch it doing this in the video but its all about physics, surface flow and a few other factors but it works and tells you it is working when you've got the v forming that goes to an x and then to a v. Though IF it spells out your name you should pack it all up and go home. OR just go to my old post and click on them there its like page 5 in sluicing.

The fossils are slick! I enjoy finding bits of prehistory like that especially at the top of a 6000' mountian that used to be seabed. At least where I hike that's what there are sea creatures, simple ones............63bkpkr

 

[gold nuggets]

Just wanted to say hello Skyhigh to you and your son and welcome to the forum.
Gold Nuggets

 

[OldNBroken]

Whereabouts are you in Washington?

 

[skyhigh]

Whereabouts are you in Washington?

We are in north Whatcom county (near Bellingham)

 

[OldNBroken]

We are in north Whatcom county (near Bellingham)

Bah, the rusty side o the state.

 

[2screwed]

Bah, the rusty side o the state.

Rusty this year for sure!

 

[gnatnutz]

skyhigh and son, my name is Phil and I live in Concrete in Skagit county. Looks like a small creek that you are in, try heading up the nooksack to the south fork. It shows small flake gold. Sauk river valley around Darrington is a good area to look also. Plenty of garnets around. I also do fishing radio shows for a local radio station in Mt vernon and work at Holiday Sports in Burlington on Mon and Tue . noon till closing. Bring your son by sometime and I can drop some ideas in your sons pan.

 

[gnatnutz]

Sky high and son, my name is Phil and i live in Concrete in Skagit county. Don't get too dejected about the rusty part of the state! If you have developed moss in your armpits and are the color of a snowflake , the two of you will do just fine. Give the South fork of the Nooksack a try as it shows small flake. With the fossil picts I would guess that you could possibly be up around Glacier as this is common for that area. I do local fish shows for Kaps radio in Mt vernon and also work for Holiday Sports in Burlington on Mon and Tue noon till closing. Stop on by the store sometime with #1 son and I can drop some ideas in your pan.

 

[skyhigh]

Sky high and son, my name is Phil and i live in Concrete in Skagit county. Don't get too dejected about the rusty part of the state! If you have developed moss in your armpits and are the color of a snowflake , the two of you will do just fine. Give the South fork of the Nooksack a try as it shows small flake. With the fossil picts I would guess that you could possibly be up around Glacier as this is common for that area. I do local fish shows for Kaps radio in Mt vernon and also work for Holiday Sports in Burlington on Mon and Tue noon till closing. Stop on by the store sometime with #1 son and I can drop some ideas in your pan.

Hey Phil...Thanks for the reply,

We are on a small trib to the Nook not quite as high up as Glaicier..We will for sure stop by soon and say hello...Is Holiday carrying an prospecting gear?

 

[2screwed]

I hope you guys find some nice color on your trip to the Nooksack and I'm looking forward to hearing how you do. Don't forget to carry your Gold and Fish booklet with you. You can get that here:

Mineral Prospecting & Placer Mining Regulations and Permits (Gold and Fish Pamphlet) | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Here's a good site to check out:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_gold_panning.pdf

Good Luck!
2s

 

[gnatnutz]

Hey skyhigh, Phil from concrete here. Holiday sports only carries a couple of panning kits right now but they are planning to carry a couple of sluices , somthing new for them. I pick up most of my gear from a small place called the Roost in Sedro Woolley. They carry pans , sluices , classifiers, vials, miners moss, v-mat ( deep & shallow ) books, tools, snifters, enough to keep you going. When you stop by I will be sure to let you know their location. Look forward to meeting ya!

 

[skyhigh]

I hope you guys find some nice color on your trip to the Nooksack and I'm looking forward to hearing how you do. Don't forget to carry your Gold and Fish booklet with you. You can get that here:

Mineral Prospecting & Placer Mining Regulations and Permits (Gold and Fish Pamphlet) | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Here's a good site to check out:

http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/ger_gold_panning.pdf

Good Luck!
2s

Good information 2screwed..I did talk with a couple of our local game wardens before our first trip and made sure I was understanding everything that was required.
Someday I hope we can share a photo with some color in it..

 

[KevinInColorado]

Great first outing. Next time take him somewhere others are finding gold so he has an easier shot finding some flakes :-)

 

[sojourner]

Cool Fossils. I never saw anything like that there before either. Thanks for sharing.

 

[gnatnutz]

Hey Skyhigh;
I was down at the Roost gold panning supply shop last week and the owner said that someone came by and purchased a blue bowl setup. Sounded like it might be you by the description that she gave me. Said she was pretty sure that the guy said he was from the Whatcom county area. I know that we talked at Holiday sports about the blue bowl for checking black sand cons. Did you get one to check those cons we talked about? If you did let me know the outcome.

Gnatnutz/ Phil from Concrete

 

[gnatnutz]

Skyhigh/ I forgot to get your phone number when you were at the holiday. Give me a call at the store on monday or tuesday between lets say 1pm and 7 pm so I can get your number and keep in contact whit you. Got some new info for you on an area that showed decent color, a lot more than the nooksack but access/ ahem!/ is the problem. I'll google map the area to check road access. Give me a call.

Gnatnutz/ Phil from Concrete