How did you end up catching Gold Fever?

[crystalpayne]

So this is a little different, but I love this site and I love reading about peoples lives and adventures and relating to the passion you feel about prospecting! Everyone is so supportive and encouraging, I probably would have given up if hadn't been for yall's kind words!

So what was it that gave you gold fever? What made you go out on a limb and try this for yourself?




Above was my first find and It completely had me hooked!

 

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[maverick41950]

That is some fine looking color!!!! Have you weighed it? Is the picture blown up or are those pickers really that big? I am full of questions.

Bryan

 

[uklfester]

sitting in the merced river finding a buncha black sand but no color.. now im hooked on actually finding something!

 

[crystalpayne]

Yes and that picture is not only blown up but zoomed In!!! It's .6 grams!!! Don't be jealous Maverick!!! ;-)

 

[maverick41950]

Yeah, I thought it was a puny little pile but just had to ask.

Bryan

 

[GrizLeeBear]

I got gold fever the first time I found a gold coin. My fever sort of simmered and then gold went north of $2,000 per ounce and now I am on fire!

 

[B H Prospector]

You can catch the fever from the damnest places. I caught mine as a kid in the sixties when I saw the Disney movie Bull Whip Griffin with Rody Mc Dowel and it burned even hotter when I saw North to Alaska with the Duke. I just had to wait to grow up and move to gold country and here I be livin the dream!

Good Luck!

B H Prospector

 

[Terry Soloman]

I caught the fever at Eight-years old. It was late spring 1965, and it was my first time riding back into the Bradshaw Mountains with my Father, on a three-week trip to help pack out one of his friends that had prospected his claims through the fall and winter above Humbug and Cow Creeks. When I saw the mason jars full of gold nuggets and flake gold, I was hooked!

 

[goldog]

Might have been Knotts Berry Farm. It then laid dormant for 10 or 20 yrs until a friend's dad took us dredging.
Being in CA I now work the local washes for a buck and a half a day.

 

[blynch35]

i got it a couple years ago watching the gold rush alaska i thought i can do that so i traded some old morgan silver dollars for a new keene A52, i went to the park and found gold on my first shovel ive been hooked ever since.

 

[austin]

Was a hippy(bum) and we were out west doing our thing in the early 70's. Parents had money and we decided to buy a 3/4 ton truck with a camper. Spent 6 months panning, dredging and SUFFERING. Joints have never recovered, but thank god, I learned my lesson and never wanted to see a stream, river of cold water or a yellow mineral again. Found gold, but man we paid for it. My hats off to anyone who does this full time hoping to get rich. I went back to my two babies, a 1972 Harley Sportster and a beautiful(to me) girlfriend.

 

[Goldwasher]

Might have been Knotts Berry Farm. It then laid dormant for 10 or 20 yrs until a friend's dad took us dredging.
Being in CA I now work the local washes for a buck and a half a day.

Funny you mention Knotts my dad and Grandpa worked at Knotts Grandpa since the 60's I spent a rediculous time "backstage" as a kid during the 80's and have been on the mine ride and log ride more times than i can count i could not get enough of nthe Ghost Town part of Knotts we also spent a good amount of time out at Calico past Barstow. The gold panning there was my first. Then in third grade a kid i went to school with was related to the guys who were the family who founded the GPAA Tom and Perry and a few other guys brought a bunch of gear to our school and did demonstrations and told us there was gold in the hills near our houses i was hooked it was like 1988.

 

[KevinInColorado]

June of 1989, learned to pan at a tourist place on Clear Creek here in Colorado called "The Old Timer's" (not there anymore)...been fascinated ever since but have had more time to put into it the last couple years or so since my kids grew up...they even went out with me as a birthday gift last summer

 

[soupfreak]

Back in the 90's a friend of mine and I would go up into the East Fork and the Mt. Baldy area to pan. It was fun but at the time I was just not into it (probably because I wasn't finding anything, and seeing how people trashed Azusa Canyon just made my blood boil!!!) Fast forward to 2005 and my Mom passes away. In the midst of dealing with everything I started making random trips out into the Mojave to regain some sanity. I came across Bill Manns series of books and started hitting up some of the sites he points out. Next thing you know I'm running around with a metal detector looking for all manner of treasure. Only recently I got the urge to get back out there...more for the chase than the prize LOL!!!

 

[DesertNuggets]

I caught the fever in the desert.. Must've been fine gold dust in the air. Antibiotics, nothing cured it.

 

[Reed Lukens]

8th generation California Gold Miner
I did write a story on my facebook page with pictures here»»
Facebook

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

These are really funny! I caught mine here in NH where gold is almost non existent. Drove 2 hours dug a hole and panned for 6 hours i had no clue how to pan but on my last pan i hit a piece of crumbly bedrock. I tore it apart and scraped the peanut butter consistency dirt into my pan i was walking across the stream to my car jus swirling the pan around and found my largest picker to date lol! I lost it and started yelling and even fell down in the river. I ended up driving around showing other panners my precioussss!

 

[Meurnik]

Watching all the gold shows on TV/internet started it, and lurking on this site made it worse.

 

[Goodyguy]

It was a honeymoon trip to Colorado back in 1975 that first gave me the fever. Going to all the typical tourist attractions, Estes Park, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Central City, etc.

Yep Central City pretty much did me in, and then we stopped at a pay to pan mine near there where they salted the creek with gold and I haven't been the same since.

GG~

 

[Hoser John]

1957 got the fever at our house in Bagby-now whole town blownup ,burned to the ground and bulldozed into the merced river. Tried to give lessons to numerous brothers but they just wanted to play. 100' from the house was great black crumbly shale and in 15 minutes of work just walk a block to the store,they had a scale on the counter and all them worms,lures,ice creams and candy bars were mine ALL MINE-hahah-never stopped since 57 sooo so 56 ++ years and counting ,been out 4 times in 7 days so don't think I'll stop till I drop-John