Goldwasher
Gold Member
- May 26, 2009
- 6,083
- 13,244
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- SDC2300, Gold Bug 2 Burlap, fish oil, .35 gallons of water per minute.
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- All Treasure Hunting
I've been chomping at the bit to sluice a spot I sampled last fall below where I've gotten nuggets before. Theres quartz in some of the gold I'm still trying to decide if its undug material on the edge of handstacks or if its eroded from the stacks themselves. when I come across the material its very distinct and not like the material that's in the cracks actually in the waterway. When I find it in traps its pretty hard and shows really good chunky color.
Well. since we had this river of moisture coming in I knew there would finally be enough water to run my Bazooka. Between waves of rain I got out Saturday for about two and a half hours Sunday I got about an hour and fifteen minutes. I only ran about eight partial buckets maybe between the two days. This is an area that was originally dug by the Kanaka Hawiian Islanders that were here during the beginning of the goldrush. It was not reworked by the Chinese and during the depression work was focused on the rich pockets that are located on the ridges above. Like today the drainage only has water seasonally. So counting on water to placer mine was an issue back in the day which is a good thing for me. It made effective work sporadic. A modern prospector has more versatility dealing with the water situation.
I think the Islanders were looking over my shoulder especially on Saturday.
The day started out weird from the get go. I backed up my truck had put on my rubber boots I'm standing by my tailgate and I hear a couple tom's down below gobbling cool I'm thinking same ones I saw the other day same general area...spring season is coming up
I went to close my driver door right as I leave the back of my truck and hear a young cat/kitten meowing sort of a help me I'm right here meow. I come back around fully expecting to see a wet lost cat as I am actually pretty close to houses. As I'm walking coming around I hear it farther down the draw at the edge of the tree but don't see it then no more meows and no more gobbles
I throw on my pack grab bucket and shovel and head into the trees so I can hit the old trail to the diggings. There is an old road That I have cleared I can cover the distance to the diggings in total silence and its below the modern trail. I have this feeling that I really need to pay attention today. Walking slowly scanning the understory listening to the awesome sound of a swollen creek.
Make it to my spot drop gear set up sluice no rain some blue patches of sky. Set up my sluice start opening up the hole I want to work.On my second bucket I'm working in a t-shirt rain still hasn't come in yet but, Its on the way.
I'm on my second bucket even though I'm running a bazooka the material is mucky and the water fast so I'm feeding with my Jobe scoop but, feeding quickly like a four minute bucket. As I'm feeding I catch a faint stale skunk smell...keep feeding check my self for scent lol I was damp and had my down vest on earlier which does need washed lol...I smell skunk again same stale old smell....
Now my mind is going over a conversation I had with a neighbor the other day and I will give some back story. This is in the area of my claim. Sometime in late December a mountain lion killed a skunk and added it to its deer kill stash pile there are numerous scrape piles on the ground and several tracks about three and a half inches across a young cat. My neighbor and I were talking about how this cat was gonna be ripe for a while. I wasn't sure of the wind direction so I chucked a couple cobbles upstream in a few directions....still feeding sluice skunk smell stronger...I don't like this I'm scanning every direction. I don't like my thoughts or the feeling.
I climb up higher on the bedrock near my hole . I catch the wind direction its coming from the direction my back was facing while I'm cleaning the hole out. I'm scanning and looking.....in this one area...hmmmm don't see anything I am looking over this one area for a good minute...I go to look the other way not fully turning around right as I turn my head .....BOOM right from the brush I was just staring at something LOW LONG BROWN AND FAST explodes from the bush and runs directly up the tailings coming down from an upper bench. It was fast quiet and 20 YARDS AWAY. It bolted from right next to the creek. It must have thought I was looking at it, it held fast until I saw me turn.
Muscle memory is awesome...I do not remember drawing my 1911 but, since it was out I popped off a few rounds into the bank near where it ran up after the second shot I heard more cobbles come down the hill fifty yards up farther. never did I hear the clumbsy thumping sound of a bounding deer. This was a ninja of the forest damned Catamount trying to sneak up on me glad he ate a skunk a month ago.
I wasn't freaked out my hair never stood up but, it was hard to keep my head into my work very well two more buckets the rain was coming in pretty good. I went home to freak out my wife. The next day I went back and dug a few more buckets never smelled a skunk. If its the same cat he has been seen a few times in the last month young about 50lbs and seen during the day several times....he's not gonna last long if he keeps it up.
Well. since we had this river of moisture coming in I knew there would finally be enough water to run my Bazooka. Between waves of rain I got out Saturday for about two and a half hours Sunday I got about an hour and fifteen minutes. I only ran about eight partial buckets maybe between the two days. This is an area that was originally dug by the Kanaka Hawiian Islanders that were here during the beginning of the goldrush. It was not reworked by the Chinese and during the depression work was focused on the rich pockets that are located on the ridges above. Like today the drainage only has water seasonally. So counting on water to placer mine was an issue back in the day which is a good thing for me. It made effective work sporadic. A modern prospector has more versatility dealing with the water situation.
I think the Islanders were looking over my shoulder especially on Saturday.
The day started out weird from the get go. I backed up my truck had put on my rubber boots I'm standing by my tailgate and I hear a couple tom's down below gobbling cool I'm thinking same ones I saw the other day same general area...spring season is coming up
I went to close my driver door right as I leave the back of my truck and hear a young cat/kitten meowing sort of a help me I'm right here meow. I come back around fully expecting to see a wet lost cat as I am actually pretty close to houses. As I'm walking coming around I hear it farther down the draw at the edge of the tree but don't see it then no more meows and no more gobbles
I throw on my pack grab bucket and shovel and head into the trees so I can hit the old trail to the diggings. There is an old road That I have cleared I can cover the distance to the diggings in total silence and its below the modern trail. I have this feeling that I really need to pay attention today. Walking slowly scanning the understory listening to the awesome sound of a swollen creek.
Make it to my spot drop gear set up sluice no rain some blue patches of sky. Set up my sluice start opening up the hole I want to work.On my second bucket I'm working in a t-shirt rain still hasn't come in yet but, Its on the way.
I'm on my second bucket even though I'm running a bazooka the material is mucky and the water fast so I'm feeding with my Jobe scoop but, feeding quickly like a four minute bucket. As I'm feeding I catch a faint stale skunk smell...keep feeding check my self for scent lol I was damp and had my down vest on earlier which does need washed lol...I smell skunk again same stale old smell....
Now my mind is going over a conversation I had with a neighbor the other day and I will give some back story. This is in the area of my claim. Sometime in late December a mountain lion killed a skunk and added it to its deer kill stash pile there are numerous scrape piles on the ground and several tracks about three and a half inches across a young cat. My neighbor and I were talking about how this cat was gonna be ripe for a while. I wasn't sure of the wind direction so I chucked a couple cobbles upstream in a few directions....still feeding sluice skunk smell stronger...I don't like this I'm scanning every direction. I don't like my thoughts or the feeling.
I climb up higher on the bedrock near my hole . I catch the wind direction its coming from the direction my back was facing while I'm cleaning the hole out. I'm scanning and looking.....in this one area...hmmmm don't see anything I am looking over this one area for a good minute...I go to look the other way not fully turning around right as I turn my head .....BOOM right from the brush I was just staring at something LOW LONG BROWN AND FAST explodes from the bush and runs directly up the tailings coming down from an upper bench. It was fast quiet and 20 YARDS AWAY. It bolted from right next to the creek. It must have thought I was looking at it, it held fast until I saw me turn.
Muscle memory is awesome...I do not remember drawing my 1911 but, since it was out I popped off a few rounds into the bank near where it ran up after the second shot I heard more cobbles come down the hill fifty yards up farther. never did I hear the clumbsy thumping sound of a bounding deer. This was a ninja of the forest damned Catamount trying to sneak up on me glad he ate a skunk a month ago.
I wasn't freaked out my hair never stood up but, it was hard to keep my head into my work very well two more buckets the rain was coming in pretty good. I went home to freak out my wife. The next day I went back and dug a few more buckets never smelled a skunk. If its the same cat he has been seen a few times in the last month young about 50lbs and seen during the day several times....he's not gonna last long if he keeps it up.
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But, I do like ghost stories.
