Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

Prospecting Trip Reports

Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-18-2007, 9:33 PM
Greetings GoldGrubbers,

Well, another fantastic opportunity for me to prospect on the Uwharrie River near Troy, NC, on Sunday 6 May. Had wanted to post this right after returning, but the Air Force has kept me too busy...until now. Sorry...

After I learned I was heading to Pope AFB, NC, for an inspection, I contacted KevNC and Will-D to say I was in the area and if they could perhaps come out and do gold prospecting activities on Sunday 6 May. I had the day off, so why not do something fun? In the end, KevNC said he could meet me about 0845L with his dredges and we'd have some fun. Awesome!

I got up at 0500L and left Pope AFB at 0530L driving Hwy 24/27 and 109 West to Eldorado, just out of Troy. Despite the darkness and one wrong turn, I got to the low water bridge about 0700L. The sun was up, so I could sluice. Getting on my waders and assembling my Wolf Trap sluice, I proceeded to sluice just downstream from the bridge, waiting for KevNC to arrive. I dug first in the rootball of an overturned tree and then in the gravel bar beside it. After 45 minutes I took a breather from digging, screening and sluicing. My lower back isn't what it used to be. Then I tried a small spot behind a big rock, digging sand & gravel. About 0820L I did a clean up and panned out the black sands. To my disappointment I only had about 4 small specks of gold. I waded over to the bank and waited for Kev NC, knowing he'd be there soon.

On que, about 0845L, KevNC arrived and we unloaded his 4 inch and 2 inch Keene dredges in the river. One of our forum members came too -- Dave? Dang if my old memory is failing. Hope I got your name right...if not, plz forgive me. We suited up and waded upstream about 1/8 of a mile and set up shop on the left hand side of the river channel. The water was almost clear and low and much warmer than when I was there in March (52 degrees). Maybe 65 degrees this time? The day was sunny & clear and so beautiful. KevNC commented how I obviously brought the good weather each time I came. Thanks Kev. :)

KevNC advised me, anchoring the 4 incher in the middle of the river on the left, where to try and I got to work dredging with that beast. Wow! Having used his 2 inch Keene last time, feeling my way along in the muddy water, this was a HUGE change. I was under water, wearing a weight belt, using his new dive mask (seeing everything clearly) and vacuuming up all I could as fast as I could. I worked mercilessly sucking up every grain of sand and blasted every crack in the bedrock, once I got down to it. I never really worked bedrock before, until now. Now I know where the gold can be found! That water hose nozzle can really blast mud, silt, sand and gold out of the cracks & crevasses...right into the suction nozzle. It can also blast decayed slate apart and free up silt & GOLD! I threw rocks aside like they were styrofoam as I endeavored to get to all the sand/gravel/mud and gold.

The first 3 hours went by in a blink of an eye. Once my suction quit and my air stopped I knew something was amiss...out of gas. I got up and Kev NC said "good, it's been 3 hrs...let's see what you're doing down there". So, we cleaned out the top mat and miner's moss into a large tub and he quickly panned out the cons to reveal some good/fine color. His comments were basically "you're doing good"..."keep going". So, we refueled the dredge and I was off again. He worked with Dave and the 2 incher until I needed help with a clogged inlet hose. Kev NC is a master at unclogging plugged lines! Thanks Kev :)

Man, I was motivated now to suck the living daylights out of that hole I had created...expanding in all directions to keep vacuuming the bedrock perfectly clean. KevNC graciously kept unclogging my inlet hose with his rubber mallet and PVC pipe whenever I got it clogged. If your aren't clogging your aren't trying hard enough...sometimes the overburden wall would collapse in on you, causing a huge mud cloud, and of course blind you, and a series of rocks amost too big would get sucked in and clog the line at a bend. Lesson learned: keep your inlet line as straight as possible! Also too, the shale bedrock would crumble under the suction and lots of jagged shards of shale would be sucked in before you could stop it, causing a clog in a bend of the inlet hose. Again, THANKS KEVNC for keeping me going and under water!!! To have gotten out of my hole, with the mask & weight belt on, and found the clog and beat it free would have been extremely cumbersome and production limiting, and exhausting. I was blessed... with my guardian angel.

3 hours later I ran out of gas & air again. Boy...could hardly stand up with the weight belt on, with those slippery rocks, with rubbery legs, and make my way back to where KevNC was starting atop the dredge sluice box doing a quick clean up. This time he saw a nice picker sized flake in the black sand. Awesome! That one went directly into my snuffer bottle. Thanks KevNC! The biggest piece of gold I ever have found prospecting. Refueled one last time and back under water I went...

All the while I was under H2O dredging, KevNC was coaching and helping Dave maneuver and utilize his trusty 2 inch Keene. Dave was adventureous, not "needing" a wet suit and dredging in his shorts and t-shirt. Brrr...after a while I was kind of cold and stiff in a wet suit, so Dave, you're the man, sticking to it hour after hour in that 65 degree water. I noticed KevNC and Dave moving up and down the area close by trying different locations to dredge. As I was under water most of the 7+ hours I can't detail all that they did. I sucked up a few crawdads and saw one small fish...

At about 4:30 to 5PM we were done for. The sun was dropping behind the trees and the breeze started to pick up a little. Dave must have had hypothermia big time by then, but he kept going. I was stiff and sore from throwing rocks away for the 2nd and 3rd time that day. Funny how you move rocks, thinking you'll never get that far, but realize later..."hey, I know I have thrown this very rock at least two other times today". It was time to call it quits. We cleaned out the sluice box into a big tub: Dave did the same with the 2 incher. We packed up and floated back down the river to the bridge. After loading up the dredges, screening the cons, we said our good bys. KevNC let me take the black sand cons home outright. Must have had 8 lbs of cons. THANKS KEVNC! I have yet to pan out all the cons. Will this next week for sure, and post a pic on the Forum for all to see. I did find a lot of lead bird shot and bullet fragments, so I know I was in the "sweet spot" of heavy metal in the river. My first 2 pans of material panned here at home seem to indicate some good but fine color. Can't wait to get it panned out soon....and to share a pic or two.

So, a quick 1 1/2 hours drive back to Pope AFB that afternoon late, smoking a big cigar, and I was in hog heaven. Nothing like an exhausting GoldGrubbin experience in nature and finding gold....any gold. My sincerest appreciation to KevNC, Will-D, Dave, ABEARZZ, Brian and everyone else on this Forum for making my prospecting dreams come true. Kev -- you are such a gracious host...you let me use your new Keene dredges (last two outtings), wetsuits...even your newest dive mask (it's a real gem over the S & M mask!) and that's to a guy you barely know. I tell you all, prospectors, hands down, are the nicest bunch of folks I have every met.

Have posted a few pics of our day out. The Wx was beautiful and the friendships even nicer. God bless you all..

Randy a.k.a C-17A

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

twig/al 05-18-2007, 11:43 PM
C-17A , Sounds like y'all had a great time!!!

twig/al

Alabama Prospecting Supply
www.alabamaprospectingsupply.com
Email: tom@alabamaprospectingsupply.com
Southeast Treasure Hunters Forum
www.southeasttreasurehunters.com

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

navydoc 05-19-2007, 2:00 AM
What a great report!! Makes me wish I was back home.

One shot....One Kill!
'nough said.

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

Kev NC 05-19-2007, 3:13 AM
Hey Randy, I glad you had a good time. I bet you slept like a baby that Sunday night! LOL. I was starting to wonder if you have been kidnapper on the way back to Pope. Can't wait to see the pictures of the gold.
You had better stop saying all those nice things about me you are going to give people the wrong impression of me. LOL

Kev

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

Herschel 05-19-2007, 6:31 AM

Another great narrative of the joys of dredgin' by none other than our own C-17A.

Randy, sounds like you all had a great time. Big Smile [:D]

Herschel
"Chief Instigator"

Stop "Poly-Ticks" in Washington!!
(definitian)
Poly: many
Ticks: blood suckin' insects

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

DAN_NC 05-19-2007, 4:48 PM
IM GLAD YOU HAD A GREAT TIME KEV AND ABEARZ ARE SOME GOOD PPL ALSO GLAD YOU FOUND SOME NICE GOLD BUT ...... SINCE YOU WERE IN MY HOLE WHEN YOU FOUND YOUR PICKER ILL BE WAITING BY THE MAILBOX FOR YOU TO SEND IT TO ME LOL

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-19-2007, 6:21 PM
DanNC,

Hard to tell where one hole stopped and another started! Let's just say if I was, I removed a LOT of overburden for you and got down to the bedrock. So, now all you have to do is go back and start sucking up all the gold I left when I had to call it quits! Happy dredging.

Randy

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

WILL-D 05-19-2007, 7:03 PM

Great post Randy;

Sorry I didn't get to join you, but we'll get together again. I'm glad you had a good time. If I can get back to my retirement I'll be spending more time in the water.

Take care buddy and keep in touch.

Another thing! You are a great writer. You need to get some of your work published. You have a knack for making me think I was there dredging instead of you.

WILL-D

Have shovel,
WILL-Dig

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

sunnyslife 05-19-2007, 7:40 PM

WILL-D wrote:
Another thing! You are a great writer. You need to get some of your work published. You have a knack for making me think I was there dredging instead of you.

I have to agree with Will on that and, if you are into making a few dollars here and there writing articles, a great place to go is

www.associatedcontent.com

They don't pay a lot but, if you can write a few articles a week, it adds up. I love it and they do pay promptly.

Great story!

Barb

I am too blessed to be distressed and too annointed to be disppointed.

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-19-2007, 8:38 PM
Thanks to all for the very nice compliments. I just like to "share the adventure" thru my eyes....with everyone here on the Forum. I know some folks don't get out/can't get out all that often, so when I can....I write about it as best I can recall. Part of my goal is to encourage others to get out and prospect, as well, whether first timers or old pros.

WILL-D, So sorry you could not make it. Ask KevNC, it was darn near perfect that day. Plenty more to come too! Forgot to mention the back of my head/ears actually got a little sun burned -- what a rookie mistake. Thought being under water was enough. Nope. Nothing bad, but made me laugh at myself. I'll have my SPF 50 Bullfrog next time!

KevNC, Naw...everyone knows you're a great guy. Your image/reputation is untarnished. Great BBQer too...just ask anyone that was at Heather Grive last year :)

Gold update: I panned out about 6 pans of cons tonight in my tub/kitchen sink. Found color in each one. Will try to get thru the bag as soon as I can before I Green Bowl the lot to recover anything I missed. Lots of -100 mesh specks and a few small flakes so far...stay tuned.

C-17A

Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-22-2007, 1:27 PM
Greetings GoldGrubbers,

I panned out the cons from this trip and am happy to report I did not get skunked!
I got .54 grams of gold , including one nice flake and several small flakes, and 4.2 grams of lead bullets.

Picture posted here on the Forum.

A person could spend all summer on that river, having fun and getting gold!

C-17A

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

Kev NC 05-22-2007, 1:45 PM
Randy, You did well that day! Now you know why Abearzz and I spend most weekend there. We are not getting rich but we have lots of fun.

Kev

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-22-2007, 3:02 PM
KevNC,
Thanks again for the use of your dredge that day! My first bedrock vacuuming experience and blasting cracks clean...using a dredge.

All you got to do is find one sweet spot not dredged before an you'll have lots of color and fun and a big smile too.

Plz let me know how you & Abearzz do from time to time!

C-17A

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

Kev NC 05-22-2007, 5:38 PM
Randy, You are more then welcome.
Are you sure you want me to tell you what we are finding? Pope AFB might need another inspection. LOL

Kev

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-22-2007, 6:53 PM
Kevin,

You bet! Pictures will speak 1,000 words...lets see huge nuggets, tons of pickers, millions of flakes and zillions of specks!!!

Make it BIG and I'll have to schedule a "re-inspection" at Pope AFB just "to be sure" they are 100% mission-ready and your dredge is operating 100% properly :)

Randy

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

twig/al 05-22-2007, 7:45 PM
C-17A, Take it easy on Kev NC, you are gonna have his head swelled so much, there won't be enough lead to keep him under water!!!! lol.....

twig/al

Alabama Prospecting Supply
www.alabamaprospectingsupply.com
Email: tom@alabamaprospectingsupply.com
Southeast Treasure Hunters Forum
www.southeasttreasurehunters.com

Re: Gold Picture Posted on Forum -- Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 05-23-2007, 5:32 AM
Twig/AL,

Yeah, maybe so, but he worked real hard that day tending to two of us...

He must have unclogged my inlet line alone at least 15 times over the course of the day, so I had him 100% employed. He earned the praise that day!

C-17A

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

PrinceVlad 05-26-2007, 9:49 AM
Hey there dan guess what I found today in my pan...<YEP> thats right gold very very very very tiny but gold none the less and yes its from the same dirt I am going to be sending you only did two pans so don't worry there should be gold in th dirt I send you next month and you to Herschel am going to send you some of the same

AL/princevlad

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

ghost 05-26-2007, 10:45 AM
What about the rest of us, Vlad? I've had almost as much practice as Herschel at finding that ultra-fine gold.
Paul

Prospector and small scale miner (so far)

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

rimmshot 06-04-2007, 8:01 PM
Randy

You're a gold magnet!! I love how there is always a plot and protagonists to your novels.

Steve

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 06-16-2007, 7:57 PM
Steve,

Can't wait until you get your new Le Trap sluice into the high mountain waters of the California Sierra Nevada mountains and find yourself some GOLD!

You can move 100 times more gravel/sand than hand panning. Go sluicing young man, go sluicing!! Then come back here and post us all a great trip report...

I'll let you know how my Colorado trip works out after I get back 1 July. Leaving Monday early. Can't wait for the adventure!!

Randy

Re: Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

greendave 07-18-2007, 3:19 PM
Randy,

don't know how I missed this post until just now. Great report though, even having spent 95% of the time underwater, you still got all the details in.
And yes, the water is much nicer by the end of May. Once you're numb you can't feel it right? ha.

Hope to see you on the river again.

-Dave

Dave -- How did you do?? Uwharrie River Gold Prospecting Trip Report -- 6 May 07

C-17A 08-09-2007, 6:31 PM
Dave,

Just checked back in after my move to Rhode Island and saw you replied. Glad I got your name right :) You were "the man" that day w/o a wetsuit. I could not have lasted that long...

How did you do that day working that 2 inch Keene dredge? I was under water a lot, but still let my scalp and ears get sunburned! What a rookie mistake...not again :)

Do any other gold prospecting since that trip??

Randy

registered GoldGrubbin'