Time to start sluicing!

[Daveinthebush]

February and time to start sluicing??

Yea, recent rains have broken the snow cover off the small streams up here in Alaska. So February you say.  Well in the spring there is too much runoff and the streams are all flooded around here.  Right now the water is way down allowing one to walk ou into areas and sluice streams that will be a raging torrent in two months.  Got to find the sluice box first!!

Down on the Keani Penn they dredge in the winter for the same reasoning.  You just have to be hardy. :roll:

[Robert]

I have been getting the itch.  Thinking about a trip out to the John Day river.  A friend of mine used to live in Mt Vernon and say's he knows where to go.

[Daveinthebush]

I loaded the snowmachine up today with the sluice, pans and shovel and headed across the river to prospect.  It was a little cooler than last weekend, about 20 degrees.  I found one really nice looking spot and gave her a try. Nothing.

I then headed west till I ran out of snow at a creek crossing, just no way to get across the darn thing.

Well back the other way and up No Name Creek.  The ice had broken up in spots but I busted a trail about a 1/2 mile up.  I found a cliff along the creek with lots of quartz in it. Then I spotted a nice little crack with lots of quartz and small gravel backed up into it.  Shovel to work and the ground was all frozen.  I panned out what I could get and at least found some color but nothing worth continuing with.

Well it has to warm up a bit more if I am going to go there again.  It is on the north side of the mountians so does not get much light or sun at all.  At least it was fun getting out.

Maybe next trip out.

[Robert]

I might have to go try those cool Califirnia mountains this summer.
  I'm looking for a little sluice, I have to return the one I have to it's owner.
  Meanwhile, my pans and classifiers will work for fooling around.

[dangerranger]

I live at the southern end of the CA motherload. theres been alot of construction work going on around here.I cant wait to try the creeks below them.our rainy season has just gotten started.