Alwaysdirty Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Well, somehow I was able to take today off of work and spend it prospecting. I decided to head back to a new spot I find a little while back that I specked a couple of pieces at but didn't detect anything. I had the plan of being super thorough not leaving any stone unturned and spending most all of the day there. I ended up placering about a 15-20' length of very deep overburden, detected other portions of the wash and hit the hillsides for about an hour. I went for the extra effort because this spot had been drywashed a long time ago so I knew there would be something here if I gave it the time and of course the best piece ended up being under the deepest section of overburden. Right before I found that piece I was trying to dislodge a pointy schist boulder and the part I was pushing on broke off and I smashed my forearm against the fresh sharp schist rock. It punctured two holes through my skin and for the first time in a long time I had to break out the first aid supplies. Worst part was flipping the skin open to scrape out schist pebbles lodged in there and flush them clean. Lucky they were small holes so I'm kind of being a cry baby... With all the effort I only scraped up two detected piece's of gold and several small specked pieces. But you just never know it could have been far better or worse, I had a blast and didn't hardly think about work for a change. It was a good day! Diggin deep! The crescent nugget was at the coil here. Carnage... and aftermath. Battle wounds, good thing I heal quick! Good times!! 13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SanDomingoJim Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Congrats...looks like a golden happy face! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Heck yeah !!! Way to go man, and nice pieces 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertpilot Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Pretty sweet! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Holy Crap dood!! You earned that yellow stuff. And its some nice ones! WTG bud. Tom H. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Tom Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Glad you got some yeller Bro. You do like to dig some and if I were a little younger I'd be right there with you. Old Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Nice pieces...Certainly worth the pain, prospector!...Cheers, Unc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeJ Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Way to go Shay !! That's a lot of work, but it looks like it paid off. Good on you for following your hunch and doing what needed to be done.... Congrats Luke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Ouch! That wash is now missing a couple of nice pieces of gold. WTG Mitchel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampstomper Al Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Nice..! Hard earned; well deserved..! Swamp 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Furness Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Well done Shay! Hard work and knowledge really paid off! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 That first picture is a rare shot! A gold monster sitting upright Tom H. 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Very nice gold and dang hard work! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 Thanks everyone!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjadair3 Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Right on man! Hard work paid off! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowPoint Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 "Hey Now", Are you copying my style of digging????? Well "Good-on-ya" because it works,....just ask Luke J. I found that out when he and I where out "root'n-around" last. Good time, Good company. Gary 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boulder dash Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Excellent going alwaysdirty. Nice skills 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowPoint Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 17 hours ago, Alwaysdirty said: Well, somehow I was able to take today off of work and spend it prospecting. I decided to head back to a new spot I find a little while back that I specked a couple of pieces at but didn't detect anything. I had the plan of being super thorough not leaving any stone unturned and spending most all of the day there. I ended up placering about a 15-20' length of very deep overburden, detected other portions of the wash and hit the hillsides for about an hour. I went for the extra effort because this spot had been drywashed a long time ago so I knew there would be something here if I gave it the time and of course the best piece ended up being under the deepest section of overburden. Right before I found that piece I was trying to dislodge a pointy schist boulder and the part I was pushing on broke off and I smashed my forearm against the fresh sharp schist rock. It punctured two holes through my skin and for the first time in a long time I had to break out the first aid supplies. Worst part was flipping the skin open to scrape out schist pebbles lodged in there and flush them clean. Lucky they were small holes so I'm kind of being a cry baby... With all the effort I only scraped up two detected piece's of gold and several small specked pieces. But you just never know it could have been far better or worse, I had a blast and didn't hardly think about work for a change. It was a good day! Diggin deep! The crescent nugget was at the coil here. Carnage... and aftermath. Battle wounds, good thing I heal quick! Good times!! Hey Shay, based on that first photo that looks as though there is a massive bedrock outcrop extending across the wash,.......Have you found any gold just up from that?????? If so, your bigger nuggets would have been stopped, and jammed up to that outcropping . There are most likely many large rocks, (boulders??) that had also been slammed up against it. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Au Seeker Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 I always tell my helpers at work if you ain't bleeding you're not working hard enough, but dang Shay I think you went a bit too far this time!!! Love the cresent piece, it would put a "smile" in anyone day, great job and way to move the dirt and rocks!!! 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 49 minutes ago, GDM/PV said: Hey Shay, based on that first photo that looks as though there is a massive bedrock outcrop extending across the wash,.......Have you found any gold just up from that?????? If so, your bigger nuggets would have been stopped, and jammed up to that outcropping . There are most likely many large rocks, (boulders??) that had also been slammed up against it. Gary Good eye Gary! It is a massive bedrock outcropping. I too have found nice size nuggets caught up like that. But I think someone beat me too it here as rocks were not slammed up against it and a few were set on top of it. I still cleared the little overburden and nothing on both sides. I originally found this spot because of the handstacks you can see on the right in the second picture. They are older I assume from the large amount of vegetation grown over them and the amount of replenished overburden below them I removed. But this trip I found a sunbaked brittle plastic bottle on those handstacks and the exact spot you mention had rocks set there that were not as old, there was no debris wadded up around them from flooding. I bet someone detected something there within the last couple years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowPoint Posted November 30, 2017 Share Posted November 30, 2017 Looking at your second photo, I assume that you are looking downstream of your dig hole (the first photo)???? And based on what I can see, the wash appears to slam up against a wall(??) and veers to the left (an inside bend). If that's the case you may have stacked all the rocks and overburden on that inside bend where gold would collect and be stopped. I have done the same thing (way-too-many-times in the past), and have had to "Re-remove" my throw-pile before getting to the overburden on that inside bend But when I eventually accomplished the painstaking task it proved to be worth it. Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted November 30, 2017 Author Share Posted November 30, 2017 (edited) You are also correct about the points of view except that the wash veers right when looking at the second picture, to the left is another incoming wash feeding straight through. The old handstacks wrap around to the right, I placered my way upstream around the corner to where the first picture is. I dug right up to the bottom of the stacks and all along the wall the water would crash into,the gravels at the wall were very compacted. I also detected the overburden I moved. Edited November 30, 2017 by Alwaysdirty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 Gary, you can see in the third picture is downstream where I was standing to take the picture is where I started to placer there wasn't many rocks until I got to the corner turning left and all the Rocks were jammed up there, on up to the bedrock outcropping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LowPoint Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 Your photos are a bit vague, but if the old timers staked the rocks on one side, they where most likely getting the gold out of the bottom and from the opposite side. Are you on bedrock in the gut of the wash, or is what I am seeing there more loose rocks, etc.???? Get to "absolute-Lowest point of bedrock" and detect it, then you will know that you have gotten all of the "detectable nuggets". Good Luck. Gary 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 (edited) 41 minutes ago, GDM/PV said: Get to "absolute-Lowest point of bedrock" and detect it, then you will know that you have gotten all of the "detectable nuggets". Down to bedrock clear across the wash from side to side, I also detect up the sidewalls a few feet. The crescent nugget was in the deepest section of overburden which was also the lowest section of bedrock, it was in a hole on the blow out side stuck in a crack, it got caught trying to "escape". I also didnt stop at the first picture, I cleared all that upstream overbudren right up to the outcropping of bedrock. If I take the time to placer you better believe I am going to bedrock. Edited December 1, 2017 by Alwaysdirty 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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