My Dry Diggins!!

[Stumpdust]

Next trip up i will work this shallow area it goes up around 50 feet till you come to a boulder that is HUGE but not to thick, its the size of a 2 car garage door, it sits on bedrock and has been tunneled under by others, i figure i can put a couple bottle jacks and try to lift and support it and get some stuff to sample!. Ill work the easy stuff first.

[Joe S (AK)]

Once, North of Fairbanks I came across an abandoned drift mine shaft.

So there I was, looking down the shaft with the wooden ladder-like steps and the retaining side planks that went down until they finally just disappeared into a pinpoint in the dark. The mine hadn't been worked in a long time and while I wasn't interested in going down I decided to ask around about it.

Finally I learned that in the past a well known old timer had started the shaft and had finally found good color on bedrock. After a year, uncharacteristically, the miner suddenly stopped going into the local store for his regular supplies and a friend went to check on him. The ending to that story is that the miner never will climb back out of that drift.

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Stumpdust - Long, long handled digging tools, partner!.

"NEVER getting underneath anything I can't survive getting crushed by" is a mining truism I developed and adopted long ago --- while shaking my head at that drift mine grave near Manley Hot Springs.

- Joe -

[Stumpdust]

Ill post pictures on the next trip of the big flat rock, it is on bedrock already, going under it the way it sits now it cant move. Many people have already done so over the years. Anyways i wont have time to work it for a few months and i wont do anything crazy for a few grams of gold. dont need any stories of some guy named stumpdust

[russau]

That sounds interesting !

[Stumpdust]

Went up and cleaned the weeds on my land for fire clearance last week With my 3 boys, well young men, They helped me as i was worthless . Just got over 10 days with covid, 1 Day was really bad for me, now i am felling much better and can get back to work, but for the last 2 weeks after a little work i would get real tired, gonna head back up next week if i can and move dirt! Pretty sure im 98 percent back to normal, but i wont push it if i fell tired.

[russau]

Welcome back from the ........Glad your feeling better !

[Stumpdust]

Well im back to 100 percent, was able to work for 4 hours in the sun, digging and moving rock, felt good , found a few pickers and a little nugget, also i did jack up that big rock and dug out a bucket with a 6 foot shovel, didnt go under it, got some color so a project in the future.

[russau]

Welcome back and in fine shape !

[Stumpdust]

Thanks, picked up.9 grams last trip, Total in this area is 18 grams, have about 3to4 days area left, before i work on the big rock. hopefully will be able to go back in a few weeks, the biggest piece is .5 grams , have 2 of those in the picture

[Stumpdust]

Heading out tonight for a 4 day trip, at least 2 days in the diggins. I brought a panning station to me!