We’re going to Nome!
In June 2012 three of us are going to Nome, Alaska for the GPAA Alaska Gold Expedition at Cripple River Camp.
We already booked a reservation and also reserved three 4 wheelers.
I was watching a DVD movie series called “Alaskan” which shows everything that goes on there during the mining season. You can purchase the movie set here.
They have the sluice boxes for getting that fine beach gold, highbankers for shoveling fresh paydirt, various size dredges for the creeks, a vibration table for separating the gold from the black sand and a bunch of friendly people that operate everything. When we go up there, we will have a chance to experience all that stuff.
Some people like to go metal detecting in the pushes while others like to go out on their own in search of that hidden gold patch. There are countless streams to pan and miles to drive around.
One person got 4 ounces of flour gold in 1 week from the beach. That’s a lot of work if you think about it.
Our main gold is to experience a little at a time. Each year we want to experience more Alaska gold mining. That is the plan anyway.
I will be running a 4 inch dredge which means I need to get myself a 7mm wetsuit before I go. That water will be ice cold.
I can’t wait to go fishing for a fresh salmon and be able to cook it right there. I haven’t done that in years.
Do I sound excited?
Hey Gold Prospector
Just read your posts from last year about the GPAA Expedition. I’m going in 2013. Already booked the trip. I, too, plan on it being a learning experience first. Just curious, how was the trip? Did it meet your expectations? Which part of the prospecting did you all enjoy the most? I’m going for two weeks this time, so hope to “zone in” in a good area, maybe Ketchmark. If you go back this year, I hope to see you all there.
RogerB
Going up there in 2013 myself for 4 weeks – Jul 26 thru Aug 25
Nice! We found a sweet spot the first week of July 2012. It is about 10-12 miles north of base camp on the beach shore. Look for large patches of red sand as you go and skim the surface with a hand trowel, pan it then put the cons in a bucket. Work the hell out of those areas. Before we left, we wished we spent the entire week in those spots! Could have got at least a few ounces in a week up there just panning it. No joke! We got more gold in a four hours than 6 days of hard working at various areas of the camps and other activities combined. Unfortunately sluicing or dredging was not allowed at that time and probably never will be. I also used hip waders and a shovel to get material under water in the trench of the shore line but found nothing. The gold seems to be embedded in layers down in the shore and especially on the surface of the shore.
The widely known jade boulders are about 8 miles north of base camp on the shore line and we kept driving about a few miles north past that into an area that just opened up last year. Its Eskimo territory that has been closed I think since the gold rush.
You will need some quads to drive, a friend or two to help, pistol for bears, buckets, hand trowel, shovel, a gold pan and plenty of elastic tie down cords. Dress for cold, rain and especially wind all at once because the weather changes quickly out there. Also wear goggles to keep the wind off your eyes when traveling. I secretly told one other person about this area. Good luck and start practicing your panning skills now!
When does offshore beach dredging season start in Nome? Would the beginning of May be too soon? My Brother and I are thinking of planing a trip in 2012. Any stores up there that rent out dredges?
I’ve been a regular “beach miner” for a few years and met the people at GPAA and they are a great group of people. They are the best way to get introduced to the area. Most beach miners don’t know what they’re getting in to and it can be a costly experience on your own, in fact, it costs most newbies more than they can make as the pay has been getting scarcer over the years. It can be a fun experience especially if it’s not a wet summer but don’t expect to strike it rich as it’s been mined by thousands before you.
Thanks. We are going up to have fun and learn how things are done. None of us expect to find much gold, but I’m sure we will like experiencing new things. Thankfully we are all from up North, so we know what to expect in terms of weather. I’m an Alaska Native (Gwich’in Athabascan) so I will feel right at home.
🙂