I have been trying to locate the source of the gold on my claim for quite a few years

now. (See looking for the source 2­24­15). This Sunday my nephew David and I, made a trip

into a very remote area we had scouted out last July, ( see we have a plan 7­20­15). The

plan was to see if there was the same type and size of gravel, and the same heavy gold we

have further downstream. The majority of the gold from my claim is coming out of an

ancient channel, and that channel is what I've been looking for.


   The area that we went into has a very steep canyon and there was no place for the

helicopter to land on a scouting flight last July. So the plan was to get out on larger rock

outcropping high above the river. When we got in their Sunday we discovered the water

was very low and they're now was a small gravel bar just large enough to set one skid on

while we unloaded. I was very pleased, I wasn't looking forward to climbing down off that

rock.


   I started detecting right away, after 3 hours of detecting I had found one very small

piece of gold and one small piece of lead. David had decided to do some panning, when I

check back with him several hours later, he had found a small piece of gold a little larger

than mine. We were both surprised by the fact there was virtually no trash in this area. At

that point David decided to do some sniping, and I went further down the river detecting.


   By the end of the day, and after talking to David, I am convinced the gold is coming in

further downstream. I found no gravel there that came out of the ancient channel. And the

fact that neither of us found any old trash, leads me to believe the old timers never worked

this area. I don't think this area was worth working in the old days.


   I don't like coming home with little to no gold but, I do like finding another piece of the

puzzle. On my next trip I will be looking downstream, between this point and were I've

found heavy gold before. I am slowly narrowing the area down

   The one thing that helps me deal with the end of my annual fishing trip is, it signals the

beginning of fall. That means, shorter days, less work, more free time. And best of all, time to get

ready for winter.



   Fall is my favorite season. The summer heat is leaving, and detecting season is starting.

During the summer it's too hot and the ground is too hard to metal detect for coins and relics. But

after a rain or two the ground softens up, and the days are cooler. The perfect combination for

treasure hunting. That gives me two or three months to look for nuggets, coins, and buried

treasure.



   When winter sets in and runs me out of the hills, it's still "all good". That's when I do my

research for next season. I truly love going through old stories and bits of history looking for clues.

For me, its nearly as much fun as the detecting itself.



   So as cold drinks turn into hot tea, I'll be going through my notes, checking my detectors, and

all my gear. I want to be sure everything is ready for some exciting weekends. And of course, I'll

be taking my video camera so you can join me.

 
    This weekend I had a small dose of reality. I'm aware of the fact, life is pretty easy for most people in this country. A lot of people are getting fat and lazy. I get that!

 

     But! - Saturday I was cleaning fish on my boat at the dock. A man, I would guess around 25 - 30, and his 5 or 6 year old son pulled up to the dock on one of those plastic kayak. The kid got out and on the dock with no problem. When the man attempted to get off, the kayak flip over. He went into the water, when he came up he grabbed the edge of dock. He tried to pull himself up, but wasn't strong enough. I stood there for a moment and watched in amazement as he tried to pull himself up. I could not believe he did not have the strength to pull himself out of the water. Each time he tried and failed he ended up deeper in the water. At that point and ran over to help get him out, luckily for him he was not overweight and I was able to pull him up onto the dock.

 

     I'm betting this man works at a desk, and the heaviest thing he picks up every day is a cup of coffee. This made me sit and look at the people in camp ( being Labor Day weekend camp was packed) I was truly surprised at the physical condition of the general public. All I could think about was, does no one have any pride in themselves.

 

     Most people that read this blog are miners, if you don't have some strength, keep moving boulders and you will. Now - I'm no Charles Atlas ( there I go dating myself) but I can at least pick up my body weight. When I get to the point where I can't, I will expect my children to take me to the mountains and shoot me!