The Grizzly Tales- A First Year Dredger Diary

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Still nice coarse stuff. I love that long picker!

 

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[KiddoTheMiner]

Still nice coarse stuff. I love that long picker!

I love all the pickers

 

[chef440rt]

It's gold mining day for you Grizz! So how did you do? Wish I was there.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Let me tell ya... Today couldn't come fast enough this week! It went by real fast too. We did good! Once again no big pieces , But a bonanza on the small stuff! Chunkies, just about all of the flakes are pregnant, very little super flat flat stuff.
I think we are on the outside edge of the pay streak. Next week we are plopping right in the middle of the river.
We made a big deep hole and found good material under a slanting hunk of plucked bedrock nestled into the hardpan. Nice hard gravel but again not the quantity i wanted.
I think we are going to stop dredging out big potatoes though and focus on larger flatter areas with no really big rocks and work on cleaning as large an area of hardpan as possible.
Beautiful day and great to meet more happy NH prospectors.
8 days of Dredging left for me in NH!

 

[cobbler]

That's one wicked smile, and pile of gold!

 

[triple d]

Grizz. did you still hit the clay layer. How deep down did you get.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Yeah we hit it at 4 feet. Cleaned about 25 square feet of clay. It slanted off toward the middle of the river to about 5' down. The better materials were on the streamside of the hole. Our takes are getting better.
I really want a quarter ounce during our 5 day labor day trip. I think its going to happen. We want to put 75 yards through the dredge and make a swimming pool!

 

[chef440rt]

Nice pile of gold! Keep it going!

 

[chef440rt]

Hey Grizz, I'd think you'll find this interesting. I asked a pro about clay layers just to learn more about them. He didn't really read my question right because I am a very bad writer, but he gave some good info. My original question was:

Hi Jess, can you take some time to explain clay layers. I was just curious about why and how they form. I've also noticed that the clay sometimes has small gravel in it and sometimes it is smooth like modeling clay. I've also noticed different colors of clay like bluish gray, brownish gray and battleship gray. I've tried many times to go through the clay layer to see what is beneath it but, but it has always been over 18'' inches deep. What is usually below the clay layer? And lastly, I know from experience that gold will sit just on top of the clay, but will it ever be mixed in the clay? Especially the clay that has small gravel in it. Thanks, -Bryan

Check out the answer at




My question is at 22.45

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

First saturday on the river this summer and the dredgers were out in force. I counted 14 people dredging or helping on 7 or 8 dredges and highbankers. Its amazing how pounded this place gets and still turns out some great gold. One gentleman had quite an impressive collection.
We however didnt do great... We moved lots of dirt and made a 6.5ft deep hole. We cleaned some nice clay and had nice tightly packed gravels. Just no gold.
Im not sure bout this one. I mean the material looked good and we had deep clay. Got lucky and only had to erode 2 widow maker boulders to get to clay.
The material was so hard packed if i didn't have my blaster we would have had to stop in some areas.
Im how you say befuddled.

 

[chef440rt]

I think there was a meet there this weekend called the little dig 4 or something like that. I felt the same way at the last place you saw me. I had very hard pack like you explained and had to put my blaster on to get through the super hardpack. I did good the 1st day but the next 2 days, I got the same amount as the photo you have above. Hit or miss I guess.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

Im chalking it up to hit or miss as well. I can say that we will be making a swimming pool if we stay in one hole for a few days.

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

5 hard days of dredging begins the 30th!

Our regular season is now over...
I started processing the cons and here are the + 10s nice little collection.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Gorgeous!

 

[triple d]

Grizz your having a banner year for N.H. Have you been out lately haven"t seen any reports. Also have you had any problems with your dredge. Must have quite a few hours on it now. Might be getting one.

 

[Sideways Sherry]

That's is some beautiful gold!!

 

[GrizzlyGremlin]

The Grizzly tales is over. Tomorrow I'm flying to Denver Colorado to start a new chapter, new life, and new job!
I just got back from the 5 day end of the season run, and it was a very nice week.
A great way to say see ya to The Granite State.
We dredged 4 days out of the 5 because I still need to pack!
The week went well. We only punched 2 holes and burned a day and a half before we hit great material at 4 feet.
The last 2 hours of our second day we hit a nice juicy layer and followed it the rest of our trip.
Our best day was our 3rd.
We finally had well over a gram day!
Our goals and expectations were not met by a long shot.
The experience and learning has been the real gold!
The dredge has over 200 hours on it and when i fly back on september 11th it will be making the 2000+ mile drive in the moving truck to a real gold producing state!!
Ill get pics of the season totals when i beg Chef to put them up for me! All in all just under 8 grams for the season. More pics to come.

 

[H&F909ORO]

Totally drooling at that gold. Guess your hard work payed off well. Job well done

 

[Sideways Sherry]

That is so awesome! I wish we could dredge here.

 

[KevinInColorado]

Looking forward to welcoming you to Colorado!