Alaskan Pay dirt

[SteveDigsGems]

Earlier this evening I decided to pan some Alaskan pay dirt that I bought from an eBay seller. I bought 1 pound for $15, and it is guaranteed to have gold, because the lady sprinkles a pinch in. I didn't get rich, but I am really happy with the experience I got out of it. I have a lot of friends that want to travel out to my local gold bearing rivers with me to sluice, but before we go, I'm probably going to have them pan some of the dirt in my backyard. It is a good opportunity for them to see how the gold behaves, and it will motivate them for the upcoming trip.





Sorry about the quality, my camera ran out of batteries, this is an iPad picture. I'll get some batteries next time I'm at the store and upload what I found.







-Steve

 

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[elkie13]

Well guys we met with the FS and I'd have to say the way I felt afterwords was discouraged. Sounds like we can keep going in out current pay with a little modification to our Plan but the letter they gave us gave until the 28th to remove out dozer and our backhoe from the premises. We are admitting we didn't have the dozer on there but the backhoe was so we are fighting that.

The real problem is the ridge trail, we have 160 acres in a canyon with no safe way to get our equipment to most of it without our trail so not sure what we are going to do there.

Our current hot spot were we are getting pay dirt happens to be under an existing trail, no problem, the trail splits in two here so we don't need two trails going to the same place, right? Well, no, we need to make sure we aren't destroying a historical trail so we have to prove how old it is. S#+* they didn't even know it was there until we cleared the alders on it! I thought they're be happy I don't have to cut any trees.

Oh and also they made sure to tell us that MSHA was on the hunt for small operations like ours so we'd better be ready. Guess that's the next battle to face.

We took our afternoon of sulking, then ran some dirt. We may or may not have used unauthorized equipment, I can't say, got some gold, and made a plan to address this business, I'll keep you posted. We aren't going down without a fight, that's for sure.

The picture I have for you tonite is on discouraged miners, in a rainstorm, running their concentrates.

 

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[theseeker]

Elkie13, I can definitely understand your discouragement but keep your chin up and dig like hell while you have the equipment up there for the next week or so! Hoping for the best outcome for you folks!

 

[Jeff95531]

Bummer. Like theseeker said, gotta make hay while the sun shines. Won't be getting much sleep as you need the best material you got stacked up and waiting to be processed. Are atv's allowed? They can be good little pack mules. And as far as MSHA goes, here is a link to the top 20 violations. You may have to enter a date, metal mining and surface to get specific to your operation. Forewarned is forearmed.

http://www.msha.gov/STATS/Top20Viols/top20home.asp

Also, set backs abound for all of us, even me. I spent several months finding good locations that also had good gold. It was not easy and I did not plan on school getting out. What has school got to do with it? Now all of my "secluded spots" have kids, rubber rafts, loose dogs, tents and hanging laundry. It's now forcing me to look deeper in and at places a lot harder to work safely. But I'll do it, just like you will. Now go get that gold!

 

[Oakview2]

"Oh and also they made sure to tell us that MSHA was on the hunt for small operations like ours so we'd better be ready. Guess that's the next battle to face. "

Let me translate, they have already alerted them on your operation.

 

[SteveDigsGems]

That is ridiculous, make sure you document! Keep us updated too, maybe someone on here will have had experience with something you may face. Good luck. With the gold, and the a-holes.

 

[elkie13]

I'm sorry for the dire tone of my previous post. I guess I didn't cool off enough before I posted.

It's a new day, the sun is out, and were still here in this place that we love. We're gonna get some gold while the gettings good.

We may pay a visit to the forest service office today to get a few thing ironed out or we may just stay here and play.

I'll play their game, it's part of the deal. We're miners and they can't take that away. If they kick us out, then we'll just go get us a patented claim or a state claim.

Last night we cleaned up what was in the bottom of the grizzly, not to bad for a short cleanup run.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Sorry you are catching grief up there. The American way, the western frontier... All things of the past? But they can't break our spirit! Keep digging, hope y'all get some good gold. Thanks or the updates.

 

[elkie13]

Year an update. Yesterday, we packed up and paid a visit to the FS office. The was a person of higher authority there and we hashed out a plan to keep our operation going. We have to remove the dozer and the small tractor until we get our amendment signed but the let us keep the backhoe. So we will still be able to work, albeit slowly.

If you ever have to work with the forest service be sure to read what you sign carefully. Turns out the version I signed was not what I submitted, they sent the signature page separate so I didn't realize they had modified it, I thought we had approval for things I didn't have. Rookie mistake, which I will never make again.

They seem to be really working with us and I am grateful. After we got back we felt so much better we ran a bunch of dirt until 9pm. Good showing I think.

I'm also attaching a picture so you can see the terrain we have to deal with.

 

[Jeff95531]

Sounds good and looks better. The thing that still bugs me is the part where you find a trail and somehow it is your responsibility to ensure it's not historic? That would be their job I would think. If it is up to you, Google it and call it done!

 

[elkie13]

Hi guys, Ran two runs today, still running the cons. We came upon this neat clay layer in our dig. Smelled like swampy gym socks. But, we've never really found as gold as much in it as on it. Tough to dig, we wanted to where the bedrock was but we couldn't get through it. Water coming out had an oily sheen on it... I have a picture of our gold so far, somebody dumped it on to of the morning run before I could get a picture for you guys. Also have a picture to show you it's not all work and drama. This is grandpa signing Mexican lullabies for the kid.

 

[Oakview2]

The state of California would sooner legalize murder and rape, than let anyone setup a placer operation like yours. We are alll pulling for you and your family. Gods speed, good health and great hunting

 

[khpony]

elkie13.......My concern would be that someone at the FS only faxed you the signature page. It sounds to me like they didn't want you to know they had made changes to your plan.

 

[elkie13]

The person at the FS had been helping us write the plan, when they sent it back I thought that they had just reformatted what I had written. What they actually did was modify it so if you read it closely, we weren't allowed to do anything.

Don't matter, we wrote our amendment yesterday, and I'm gonna watch them like a hawk this time.

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Wow elkie,

I'm new to this thread and sooo very excited about your journey. Yet it's a soap opera in real life. I'm truly not a huge FS fan. I've asked questions to them and get "very" vague answers. I figure I'll do as they say, assuming its what they want. Sometimes I think it depends on which agent you're dealing with. They've all got opinions on things anyway. Enough of that.
I'm truly glad you're pushing on with your dream. Wel'll be hoping that all goes well and you get enough color from your dig. I've been wanting to get a claim for some time. So I'll put this in my file for when I do.
Re-read the paperwork for plan of operation before signing.
I know I'd done the same thing you did. Assuming that it was the same paperwork.
Once again, I enjoy your pics. And dig, dig, dig.

 

[elkie13]

Murfy was in the house today. We just uncovered this huge refrigerator size rock. found good gold around it.

Then we broke another hose on the tractor, stop work, spill containment, go to town for another hose, then back for more hydraulic fluid. Now the backhoe is stuck in the hole with the booms down and can't move them. Must have air in the line or something. Burning the midnight oil now studying the book...

The gold picture in only a couple hour run till the rocks piled up on us and we had no way to move them.

Oh and we had to drag the cons bucket back to camp cause the four wheeler died too. Such is the life of a miner.

 

[khpony]

Sounds like the old saying "if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all". Hope you get all your equipment going again! I'm sure that many of us are envious of what you are doing and wish we could be there also.

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Sounds like the old saying "if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all". Hope you get all your equipment going again! I'm sure that many of us are envious of what you are doing and wish we could be there also.

Yeah. Why is it once you think you're about to go full blast. Something else happens to slow it down. Life seems like a soap opera at times. Lol

 

[elkie13]

Hi everyone sorry I haven't updated you in a while. On our last day on Sunday I lost my phone. Drained the settling pond, looked everywhere and then guess what we found while running the concentrates?! We use a big utility sled to place under the sluice box to clean up and I guess while I was wrestling that thing the phone fell out of my pocket. Threw it in some rice a roni ( cause that's all we had) and its back to working!!!

Anyway last run we found a small nugget, these are very uncommon at our claim because the glacier flattened most of the gold. Came in at a tenth of a gram.

Our week total came in at a half ounce, very disappointing. But we only really worked four days cause we spent all that time with break downs and the forest service and such. Also we are noticing that our clean outs have gotten smaller since we added bars to the grizzly. We've got to figure out how to clean those big rocks that come off the back or the grizzly....

Maybe break out the hyroforce nozzel?

This photo is of the last run, didn't get a picture of the week total cause my phone was in its rice bath at the time. I see if one of the others can email it to me.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Gotta love that rice trick! Glad to know rice a Roni works just as well as white rice. In my family rice has saves a few iPhones from their demise. Keep digging brother. Nice find on the nuggy.

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

You know. You're still doing better than most, even at a half an ounce.
By chance are you guys using a trammel to clean the rocks? I don't recall seeing one. That's part of why you were trying that wash basin above the grizzly bars. Could you build a separate gram for that. Keeping it completely separate from the wash plant. Just an idea if you hadn't thought of that.