As
spring turns to summer, the work moves into the streambed. The high water begins to drop
and the new gravel bars are slowly exposed. Anticipation builds as more and more gravel
emerges. Visions of the new nuggets brought down by the high water are in all of the
prospectors heads.The water flow is way down and much of the rock is exposed. This means
human bulldozer time and rocks are moved to expose the gravel underneath.
Much more of the banks are now exposed and more serious highbanking can begin. Prospecting can be a fun family sport. For the older prospector, young backs and muscles can be a big help exposing new bedrock as well as a fun joint activity.
As the
edges of the stream are worked, most of the rocks are moved to the opposite side of the
creek. Most of the rock on the north side of the creek was hauled in as roadfill and not
productive. Adding more large rocks on that side reduces the bank erosion during high
water.
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