Armed camp? or Friendly co-existance?

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Fullpan

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May 6, 2012
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Since I don't get out much, was wondering what the dynamic is with you guys and the hiking crowd is. There must be a thousand
hikers to every prospector at the staging/parking areas in the areas around ASRA in Ca. Do you just ignore each other, has there
been confrontation? Any political discussions, etc? Any trouble-makers hanging around the parking? thanks!
 

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Where I go, I never see anyone.... actually I take that back, about 4 years ago, we saw a tarzan looking guy with a loincloth walk by. In order to get where he was, he either swam upstream or walked through the posion oak. If he walked through the poison oak, he probably was hating life the next day, and it may explain why he never came back.
 

I almost never see any one else and I'll make a little effort to keep it that way or avoid them figuring out what I'm up to. Most people in this area you may see would be hunters, mushroom hunters in the seasons. Rarely ever a hiker, may be a geocacher, more likely meth heads.
 

I never see anyone here even when there is a car or two and if there are people they are right at the turnoutor parking area....In Texas I used to Mountain bike to remote fishing holes ...there I would run into skinny dipping college girls OFTEN ...the only thing that I really miss about Texas.
 

I've met a lot of hikers over the years depending on where I am & have always had friendly visits with them. Mostly I see women and we stop and talk or walk together if I'm heading out. I strive to make it a positive experience and I've had lots of time sitting at the river just talking and enjoying life where I'm at. But there used to be some confrontations back in the day with the kids before they got to know me sometimes when i was dredging up a storm but it all worked out and for the best over time :)
 

Yes, Reed - I saw or read somewhere that you dredged under spotlights after dark back then - must have been a unique experience!
 

I have met a few Hikers and prospectors and even know a few local kyakers that frequent certain runs on the river and stop to chat and give me the latest river gossip.I was ignored for years..I rarely run into people of ill intent but I have met people somewhat like myself and are a little territorial But time has a funny way of figuring things out. Its not uncommon for men to be armed though I personally put no stock in firearms as I rather tempt fate in others ways..When I am in the woods what is mine is yours for the most part as it should be and as I have yet have a man take more then he needed..But I figure as in all walks in life weather it be the outdoors or the city,, people should always be taken with some caution.. I did encounter a young man today camping in an unlikely spot who has been their for a week .. He approached me asking if fishing was any good in the river. My brother and Donavin and I started making small talk and come to find out he has been out there for over a week and without food and decent water for almost 2 days and he looked a little wore out..I asked him what his business was as I am a nosey basterd and have been making frequent trips thru the area and was aware of the camp but he was never present..Anyway when I asked why He stated that he had some really big decisions coming up..We left it at that..Since Donavon was headed back to colfax anyway and I always keep a crap load of bottled water in the car I told him to make the hike out with us and we would scavenge what food we could to get him by.. A couple cans of soup and cups of noodles and all the water he could carry.And I told him that since it was likely that I would be in the area in the next few days I would restock him up with what I could.. Truth is I have no Idea why one would do without rather then go home but it was not my place to ask and I don't care makes no difference out their is a different set of rules!! I like to think that out in the woods people actually give a dam for people and their well beining. Anyway Just my two cents.. usually best to throw1.5 cents back..
 

Yeah I see people walking by all the time in a couple of the places that I go. It gets a little annoying sometimes because it seems like every single person stops and asks "what are you doing down there?" Or "what are you trying to catch?" Or something like that.. And then if I say that I'm trying to find gold they usually say something along the lines of "Wow I didn't know there was gold around here!"......... I decided that for now on I'm just going to say I'm trying to catch some fish. Maybe bring a fishing pole with me everywhere I go. I'm amazed at how many people don't even know there's gold around where I live.. And I live in a town that exists because of gold...
 

Hikers & Miners

Over the years I've met a few folks sometimes even large church groups leading co-ed outdoor experience hikes, the kids have a great time but are messy. In general everyone has been friendly, then again I am as well. One morning I was in a camp back away from the river and a group on the other side started target practicing, they brought in 2 tons of ammo the way they were popping things of. I heard something hit the hill Way above me so I figured I'd touch of my little pea shooter to let them know someone else was around. It fires a pee that is 0.036" less than a half inch in diameter and makes a monstrous noise, they stopped shooting. I went out to talk with them and sure enough they were walking around to see who brought in a canon. They explained they were shooting into the hill away from the river and I explained that I heard something hit the hill way above me and they assured me it would not happen again. Nice fellas. I've never met hikers that were not nice. Oh, and I've never had a problem with humans taking things from any of my camps and that's been since 1964. Bears on the other hand have been a Royal Pain since sometime in th late 70's. Again, my pee shooter's Sound is usually enough to have them leave and not return and I want it to continue that way. Please do not feed wild animals, the ones with four legs!............63bkpkr
 

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I know of you speak but nay That youngster still be in secret ravine as far as I know my last trip a few weeks ago and there are a few more fulltimers in that area of more note but anyway This man had no notion of the pursuit of gold as I could tell and very ill equipped for camping let alone prospecting.. I think he was truly reflecting on desicions he has or has yet to make.But I will speak no more as I dislike it and its really of no difference at all..
 

I liked him. An old prospector name of Al brought him a bucket of food the last day i was there. Very decent of him. I gave him what I had left also. There was another prospector that had a camp further up secret ravine - can't remember his name - he stopped by a few times also and we talked gold. I am envious - I'd love to spend a couple weeks out there doing nothing but panning and exploring.
 

Oh Terry, you need some time out in the desert playing with kangaroo rats, Butchering the Human Carcass! Really now this is a family site..................63bkpkr
 

A Couple of Weeks Out There

sidvail,

It is a special treat to do that! Takes some planning and the pack coming in tends to be heavy especially if one brings some luxury items like I do (tent, foam pad, air mattress, cook stove w/fuel bottle, cook pot, camera/tripod, a healthy first aid kit, camp chair) shovel, gold pan, classifier, metal detector, steel cable to put the food up on, heavy duty insurance policy in my left arm pit w/holster and whatever strikes my fancy. I do it all the time and now with a full time job, maybe I used to do it. Oh and of course the shoulder surgery I need to recover from, then another in six months from now and then a knee 6 months later. I will be "good to go" in 2015.

181_8162.JPG Yup, this otta do!..............63bkpkr
 

Thieves and bureauratz have been my only problems,mostly on the trinity river where the fishermen are extremely thick. Kayakers stole some equipment offa our dredges on the sacramento but the trinity has been a BAD place for many buds as environutz abound with the mine mine mine mindset and much vandalism. On one of my claims here in Shasta County I hiked back to camp after a 10 hour dredge day and the whole camp was missing,tent,screen room,food,stoves.lanterns,even the full bloody toilet for gods sake --now them was some shatty thieves.John-
 

John, that is ugly stuff! That is something that would seriously upset me! Humans should Not do things like that! You/me/we when we are out there depend on that camp to keep us alive and well. I'm guessing your camp was close to a road??

Sorry about that...............63bkpkr
 

Hoser John said:
Thieves and bureauratz have been my only problems,mostly on the trinity river where the fishermen are extremely thick. Kayakers stole some equipment offa our dredges on the sacramento but the trinity has been a BAD place for many buds as environutz abound with the mine mine mine mindset and much vandalism. On one of my claims here in Shasta County I hiked back to camp after a 10 hour dredge day and the whole camp was missing,tent,screen room,food,stoves.lanterns,even the full bloody toilet for gods sake --now them was some shatty thieves.John-
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Sounds like you need somebody to stay back and keep watch. Have them hide in the tent until they hear them messing with the camp then give them a little scare xD
 

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