Spring prospecting trip pictures

Brian in AK · Spring prospecting trip pictures

Here are a couple of pictures from a trip I took to Alaska a couple of weeks ago. It was a cold winter and the rivers and creeks had very thick overflow built up, the picture with the shovel on the ice is a spot where I found a couple of nuggets last year. Some places had 6 feet of ice and others were bare.

I was limited to 50 lbs of gear for the trip so I didn't have any tools to do any sampling on this other than scan it with the detector...

The one and only nugget I found on the trip... .44oz I really like the new NF 14 elip coil.
I did find a quartz boulder that gave me a good signal with the detector but couldn't find any visable gold, I stashed it away in the brush to look at some other day.
Only saw one bear on the trip, luckily we parted ways with no gunfire... Shocked

Only problem was that when I scared him off he ran straight in the direction of my camp. Makes for some light sleep.
Regards,
Brian

RexB

Brian in AK,

Nice looking pictures and interesting country. Maybe I'll have a chance to get up there someday. Was that bear a black bear or a grizzly? Almost a half ounce nugget, sounds like a successful adventure to me. Do you have to pack a .44 mag or something for bears up there?

Rex

Brian in AK

Rex,

It was a great trip. The bear was a grizzly, pretty good sized for an interior bear too. I have a 10mm that I like to carry, I know it is under sized but it makes me feel a little better.

Brian

wes

Brian, Looks like you got a sweet patch up there to keep you busy for awhile.
Glad you didn't get eaten. Do you live up there in Alaska?

Brian in AK

Wes,
I grew up in Alaska and lived there until last year when I took a job overseas. My wife (she's a California girl) said she didn't want to spend another winter up there so we moved to Boise. Now I just need to figure out how to find gold down here...

rehab

if the miners was gettin paying gold with a rocker, you can bet there's alot more around. Looking at the pics of iron stains, and a quartz seam with colors reminiscent of other good gold strike areas farther south, there's a pretty good chance you could make something of this, or at least hold it in your name until you figure out a plan.

Maybe you could get up a party and haul in a dredge, and some basic equipment, plus a decent metal detector and split the finds after expenses, as many do in AK in the summer months. You'll have food and technology the first timers never had, and you situation won't excatly be 'do or die trying' either. Besides, think of the outdoors, fishing, and life in solitude that can't be bought in the lower 48....

wes

Brian, We're pretty spoiled with our weather down here in CA, so you can't blame her too much. At least your just a short drive from the Norther Nevada goldfields now. Thanks for the pics, thats some awesome country up there and I have much respect for all the prospectors, past and present that walked that ground.

Reno Chris

I had a really great time visiting Alaska last June - I want to go back someday for sure. I can undestand about the winters though. Those long, long nights with just a little day light each day would kill me. Great place to spend summers.

Brian: sometime when you are down this way, let me know.

Chris