Welcome To The World Of Gold Prospecting!

Welcome To The World Of Gold Prospecting! I've been an outdoorsman for most of my life. Hunting and fishing are still things that I enjoy, but once my sons were raised and out on their own, coupled with the expense of it, I've found that my interest has tapered off.

My Dad prospected as a hobby, and I loved going with him.... Whenever he let me. He was kind of a loner, and mostly went by himself. He mostly made his own equipment, and looking back on it, I'm not sure he did things right, but he sure did enjoy it. He always had a rock hammer, shovel, and a gold pan in the car or pickup when we traveled, and we'd make frequent stops alongside streams or interesting rock formations so he could dig around. He didn't ever really find anything, but that wasn't really point, either. He loved being outdoors and hiking the mountains kept him healthy and happy.

I suppose I got the bug from Dad, but I really didn't take the hobby up until ten years ago. One of the greatest things about it is that all you really need is a gold pan, a shovel and some water. I enjoy panning alongside a stream of water, but I've also filled 5 gallon buckets with "material" (dirt that could contain gold) and I take it home and pan inside my garage using a horse water trough that I've filled with water. I usually fill the buckets in the summer and pan them in the winter because I don't have many winter hobbies. ***Don't forget to mark your buckets with the information on where you dug up the material, otherwise you might find good gold in one, and forget where it was that you got it from!***

I encourage everyone to take up this hobby. It's fun for entire family.

Dennis