First time out!

Patricia, an email and website friend, was reluctant to guest blog but allowed me to edit parts of her emails for publishing… I like the way she tells a story and hope you will enjoy!

How naive I was when I look back and how I thought like so many that you dip a pan in the creek, slosh it around a little bit and expect that pan to be filled with shiny nuggets!

My first experience was more like this: A friend of mine had two rusty older pans and we decided to pick a creek this past summer and dip in! Well, fall in was more like it as I kept slipping on mossy rocks trying not to get wet! I gave up since I was soaking and sat down on a large wet rock in the middle of the creek and proceeded to dip my pan in the creek on the downstream side of the rock. Each time I did, the pan went "clonk" as I was hitting large golf ball size gravel, not the soft sand I thought I'd be scooping up with gold in it.

Lesson one learned: this was not going to be as easy as I thought, and probably a lot of other newcomers have found this out also.

It was good that it was a warm day, as I was now pretty much soaked up to my waist hopping from rock to rock, so I just waded in. (hencethe waders as a Christmas present from my sons).

We finally got down to some finer gravel sand and proceeded to pan away for a couple hours. I have to wonder now how much I washed away not really knowing what I was doing.

So off to the library to check out every book they had on Black Hills gold, and cruised the internet and youtube for "how to’s" on panning and placer mining. That’s when I discovered the creeks may have some gold, but better yet to find out what gravel benches and old diggings look like and try that out!

Finding available unclaimed places to dig/pan was not easy, so when you offered to lease the Tallent, I was ecstatic. The Tallent has so many unusual features with the cut /old diggings/gravel benches, so much to actually see and learn first hand about what I was reading!

I have to wonder how many people who stake claims actually realize how much work is involved in finding a claim let alone working one? For me the work is enjoyable, the locating part frustrating. Still have a lot to learn, and I have been grateful for your help by email, and the info in your blogs. --ttyl, Pat

Pat added this when I sent her a copy to look at…

I know that in finding you and Bob on the web was truly amazing. Not only are you both incredibly knowledgable but your willingness to share what you know with every one and being so supportive in the search for a claim of one’s own is amazing and seldom found in a world where people seem so self centered. I enjoy reading your blogs not only for the knowledge you two impart, but because of the enjoyment you both seem to get in sharing what you know with others as well as really enjoying helping others find a claim! I know a few of us who have tried to find one on our own have found the maze of information to finding and filing a claim frustrating and almost impossible and it wouldn't have been possible for me and others to find one without your help. You and Bob understand men & women who truly enjoy prospecting with their friends and families, and sharing and encouraging them and realizing it’s the enjoyment of the process of looking for that gold, with the emphasis on the process not just the finding of the gold or silver or mineral one is looking for.