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We are in NH for Seek the Peak the day before so why not pan for gold in the area and take in lovely riverside sights!

I prospected a bit last year after Seek the Peak with some success. With my first pan of material here I found some specks of gold! The next two pans were the same! You may or may not find gold on your first outing but in any case we will have fun in the outdoors trying! This will be by the wet panning method.

We will start out by meeting at the designated meeting location and we will be prospecting a few spots on the Ammonoosuc River. I have limited the number of participants as the number of panning kits and equipment I have to lend is very limited. If some of you obtain your own equipment (sources given below) I expand the numbers of participants allowed.

We will spend about 6 hrs. learning, panning, processing material and trying out up to 3 sites I have in mind on the river. I recommend having a picnic lunch available so we can eat on-site to save time.

Please note: We will be in and around the water and getting wet will likely happen. Being wet, you may also get cold especially if there is any wind that day so plan accordingly. We are also working with gravel, sand, and dirt so getting dirty is likely. Given these two realities, it is a good idea to have a change of clothes and footwear and a plastic bag to put your wet/dirty things in.

Those who wish to go need to have:

  • A daypack - To carry equipment and lunch
  • 2 quarts of water
  • Trail lunch and any snacks
  • Crocs/water shoes - to more easily walk in stream/on rocks
  • Bug spray

Basic recommended panning equipment (if you do not bring your own, you will have to team up to share. Very limited equipment will be brought by the event host):

  • 14" gold pan with riffles (about $10 - see link below) - Best having own
  • Classifier - (2 mesh size) to separate medium to larger rocks from sand
  • Glass vial - (1 dram size) to save fine gold (specks) in (or a small nugget if you are lucky)
  • Metal scoop (or garden hand trowel) - to scoop material for processing
  • Snuffer bottle - to suck up fine gold from pan
  • Empty and clean 2 Liter soda bottle with cap - to carry water for use panning away from stream/river

Optional panning equipment for more aggressive panning (if you do not bring your own, you will have to team up to share. Very limited equipment will be brought by the event host):

  • Gold Panning Kit (about $30 - see link below) - Best having your own (includes the 14" pan, snuffer bottle, and classifier)
  • Round Tip Shovel - More aggressive collection of material, this can be shared more easily
  • 5-gal. pail with handle (clean, like a large 5-gal. paint bucket) - To keep/carry partially processed material in

Other optional items/equipment:

  • Boat cushion - (or similar waterproof cushion) to sit on on the rocks of the stream
    (e.g. Sports Cushion - Dicks - $6.99 - http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12453844&ppp=150)
  • Swimsuit - If you want to get into the river to get material or just cool off
  • Change of dry Clothes & footwear
  • Plastic bag to put dirty/wet clothes/footwear in
  • Camera (waterproof is better)
  • Waders - long boots for being in the water

What Host is bringing for equipment to share (can equip up to 8 people, please consider a cash donation to host towards purchase of more equipment - this is not a rental - suggested amount of donation $5):

  • 4 Gold Prospecting Gift Sets from Cabela's - Item# IK-620866, each kit includes:
  • 14" gold pan
  • 10" gold pan
  • 1 Classifier
  • 1 Snuffer bottle
  • 1 plastic vial (1 dram size)
  • 1 tweezers
  • 4 5-gallon buckets w/handle
  • 4 2-gallon plastic jugs
  • 4 1-quart plastic bottles
  • 3 Round tip shovels
  • 2 Metal scoops
  • 4 Plastic scoops
  • 1 Plastic garden trowel
  • 1 Wire mesh fine classifier

Dogs and children are NOT allowed on this event.

LOCATIONS

Approximate location/directions - Parking area where we meet to start out to the first site (parking area on south side Rte. 302 in Twin Mountain, NH):
http://mapq.st/YIeQLn
[Lat. 44.269844, Lon. -71.522838]

Panning location(s) - Riverside in various spots on the Ammonoosuc River.

INSTRUCTIONAL

What gold you can find in VT & NH:

Vermont Gold Prospecting - Guided Trip - Video - (Examples of finds, 4 min.)
http://youtu.be/rsAT733f4-w

Panning:

How to Pan for Gold - Video - (Very good on wet panning, 7 min.)
http://youtu.be/4-7EQgaUFkQ

Yankee Gold Prospecting on the Wild Ammonoosuc River. Locations for good gold. Panning - Video - (Very good on wet panning and location, 12 min.)
http://youtu.be/O0TD8zMN2VM

Site Selection:

'Gold in a storm' - Videos - (Very good and short segments):

Chp 1 of 8 - Where to find gold after a storm? - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/0IKTGxsK_hQ

Chp 2 of 8 - Gold & floods - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/nq8EbFc51oQ

Chp 3 of 8 - Placer gold paystreaks and helical water flow - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/voG9N0ss2jY

Chp 4 of 8 - Where to find gold along stream & river bends - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/IWFFj2zVavA

Chp 5 of 8- Gold Density (weight/vol) - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/T6PQq699baM

Chp 6 of 8 - "Point bars & gold" - (3 min.)
http://youtu.be/87wbnbC8NrY

Chp 7 of 8 - Where to hunt for gold - (3 min.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn8f5ylRYlg

What Next:

What to do with Your Gold - text
http://www.goldgold.com/what-to-do-with-your-gold.html

Recommended Books:

Dave McCracken (2010), Gold Mining In The 21st Century, Happy Camp, CA: New Era Productions, ISBN 0-9636015-0-4, $19.95 (list)

EQUIPMENT SOURCES

Basics:

Gold Pan Only (a few options):

Garrett 14" Gravity Trap Gold Pan - Black Cat Mining.com - $8.95 -(strongly recommend this pan as basic equipment even if you don't get anything else)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/gravity-trap.cfm

Proline 14" Gold Professional Gold Pan, Green - Black Cat Mining.com - $13.95 - (a more expensive alternative)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/gold-pan-green.cfm

Garrett 10" Backpacker Gold Pan - Walmart - $8.99 - (generally too small to use well, OK for kids)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Garret-10-Inch-BackPacker-Gold-Pan/17444030?findingMethod=rr

Snuffer Bottle (aka snifter bottle, to pick up fine gold from pan):

Snuffer Bottle - Black Cat Mining.com - $3.00 - (2nd most needed item after a pan)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/snuffer-bottle.cfm

Glass Vials (to save gold flakes in):

Small Glass Vials w/Black Cap - Black Cat Mining.com - $.45 - (3rd most needed item after snuffer bottle - choose 1 dram vial)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/glass-vials.cfm

Classifier (to sift out larger unwanted rocks):

Garrett Classifier - Black Cat Mining.com - $7.95 - (1/2" square mesh, should use to make processing material easier)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/garrett-classifier.cfm

Panning Kit (all the basics together - seems will be cheaper to buy the 3 parts above not as a kit):

Basic Gold Panning Kit - Black Cat Mining.com - $21.95 - (Strongly recommended basic kit for this event - 14" pan, snuffer, 1 dram vial - choose green or blue pan)
http://www.blackcatmining.com/mining-equipment/gold-panning-kit.cfm

Full Panning Kits (basics plus extra 10" pan and classifier/sieve):

Gold Prospecting Gift Set - Cabela's - $29.99 - Item# IK-620866 (recommended full panning kit)http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=747621&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleBaseUSA&WT.z_mc_id1=747621&rid=40&mr:trackingCode=89909052-F5D2-DF11-82EF-001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA#tabsCollection

Garrett Gold Pan Kit -Walmart - $29.95 - (Same as Cabela's)
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Garrett-Gold-Pan-Kit/17443997?findingMethod=rr

5-Gallon Bucket w/Handle (for collecting lots of material to move away from stream/river):

5-Gallon Orange Homer Bucket - Home Depot - $2.78
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100087613/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=5+gallon+bucket&storeId=10051

Metal Scoop (an example):

Aluminum feed scoop - Walmart - $7.86
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Norpro-Inc.-9002-2-Lb-4-1-2X8-Aluminum-Scoop-Aluminum-Each/21782194

Round Point Shovel (an example, longer handle better for deeper holes):

44 in. Long Handle Round Point Shovel - Home Depot - $9.97
http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202055658?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=shovel&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202055658#.UT6zG9Z_DTo

=== Legal Stuff ===

By clicking on "Yes" for this event you agree, warrant, and covenant as follows:

In consideration for accepting this entry, I, the registrant, intending to be legally bound, hereby, for myself, my heirs, my executors and administrators, do waive and release any and all rights for damages I may have against any parties or persons connected with the Hartford Area Hiking meetup group for and related to the above listed event. I attest and verify that I am physically fit to participate in any portion of this above listed event. I grant Hartford Area Hiking permission to use any photographs, film or videotapes of this event for any purpose.

GLOSSARY (* - Denotes not directly applicable or important to wet panning for gold)

Aggregate - Mixture of different mineral substances (e.g. sand or gravel)

Acid Test* - Use of a strong acid to tell if a material is gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid_test_(gold)

Amalgam* (chemistry) - Mixture of gold and mercury, old dangerous process of using mercury to extract fine gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalgam_(chemistry)

Bedrock - (aka Country Rock) Solid rock surface which underlies loose sediments (such as in a streambed), gold could be found at the surface or in its creaks or pockets

False Bedrock - Hard-packed layer of sediment in a streambed that could act like bedrock with gold concentrated just above

Classifier - A screening device to allow smaller material to pass through, used to eliminate larger rocks

Mesh - Number of openings contained in a lineal inch of screening (10-mesh has 10 openings per lineal inch and 100 per square inch). 10+ mesh means something larger than can pass through 10 mesh, 40- mesh means something smaller than the 40 mesh openings and easily passes through, 10-20 mesh means something that gets through 10 mesh but doesn't get through 20 mesh openings. [10 mesh is about 1/16" openings, 20 mesh is about 1/32", 40 mesh is about 1/64"]

Crevicing - Removing gold from the cracks and crannies of bedrock in a watercourse by prying it out (e.g. with a knife, screwdriver, needlenose pliers, etc.)

Sniping - Sampling for gold in exposed bedrock traps

Fineness - Newer measure of purity of gold used mainly in mainland Europe. System of denoting the purity of platinum, gold and silver alloys by parts per thousand of pure metal by mass in the alloy. For example, an alloy containing 75% gold is denoted as "750". 999 (24 Karat, also occasionally known as three nines fine). 917 (22 Karat) Historically the most widely used fineness for gold bullion coins; currently used for American Gold Eagles. 750 (18 Karat). 585 (14 Karat).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fineness

Karat (K or kt; Carat in U.K.) - Older measure of purity of gold. 24-Carat gold is fine (actually 99.9% Au w/w rather than 100%), 18-Carat gold is 18 parts gold 6 parts another metal (forming an alloy with 75% gold), 12-Carat gold is 12 parts gold (12 parts another metal), and so forth.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carat_(purity)

Metallurgical Assay* - Compositional analysis of ore, metal, or alloy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallurgical_assay

Millesimal Fineness* - Measure of purity of gold in an alloy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millesimal_fineness

Float - Loose pieces of quartz rock or other potential gold-bearing rock which has traveled down and away from its original source

Fool's Gold (Pyrite) - Looks like gold but is an iron mineral that can fool miners
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrite

Gangue* - Worthless material mixed in with desired ore in a load deposit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangue

Gold - Precious metal we are looking for!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold

Coarse Gold - (aka a kind of Gold Nugget) Gold which as not traveled far from its source load and is still rough and crystalline in nature as it hasn't been pounded smooth by natural forces

Fine Gold - Small particles of gold [20-40 mesh, 1/32"-1/64"]

Flake-Gold - Flat chips of gold, probably pounded flat and smooth during travel down active waterways [10-20 mesh, 1/16"-1/32"]

Flour Gold - (aka Gold Dust) Extremely fine particles of gold (smaller than 40 mesh screen) [40- mesh, <1/64"]

Gold Nugget - Chunks of gold (larger than can pass through 10 mesh screen) [10+ mesh, >1/16"]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_nugget

Native Metal - When the metal is found in wild without need to chemically process
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_metal

Noble Metal* - Metals resistant to corrosion (e.g. gold)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_metal

Picker - A small gold nugget you can get ahold of and pick out of a gold pan

Precious Metal - Rare naturally occurring metals of high value
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precious_metal

Gold Mining
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold-mining

Gold Extraction - Extraction and refining
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_extraction

Gold Rush* - Nice brief history of the larger events where people rushed to mine rich ore deposits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_rush

Mining Claim - Area of land for which mineral rights have legally claimed for some period of time so that gold may be mined without interference

Recreational Gold Mining
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_gold_mining

Gold Panning - Hand process with a pan to separate gold from sand/gravel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_panning

Color - As in "the pan has color" which refers to the presence of the bright yellow gold amongst the black sands in the pan

Dry Panning* - Panning dry material by shaking to get hevier material to settle to bottom, typically done in arid areas where water is hard to come by

Gravity Separation - Separating heavier components of a mixture from lighter components by using density of the materials
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity_separation

Riffles - Strips or ridges used with water to assist with gravity separation of gold from sands
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riffle

Wet Panning - Using water to help move material around and get heavier material to settle to bot

Goldsmith* - The craft of making things from gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldsmith

Colored Gold* - Gold takes on colors depending on the impurities added
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_gold

Gravel Bar - Sand and gravel deposits in a river or stream where the flow slows down
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravel_bar

Gumbo - Sticky wet clay (the bane of a miner's existence as hard to tease gold out of)

High-Grade - Richer ore samples of a load mine or the richer portion of any gold deposit

High-Grading* - Practice of stealing or selective taking of only the high-grade ore from a mining operation

Metal Detectors* - Can assist in locating gold nuggets down to 3' (history and technology)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_detectors

Mining* - In general, extraction of ore, minerals, and metals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining

Hard Rock Mining* - aka underground mining
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock_mining

Hushing* - Using flood or torrent to expose minerals such as gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hushing

Hydraulic Mining* - Type of mining using water jets, form of Hushing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_mining

Placer Mining - Mining of sedimentary deposits (what we will do)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placer_mining

Mossing - Moss and soil just beneath it along stream banks can trap gold, breaking it up in a tub of water and panning the sand and silt can yield the gold. Drying and burning the moss pieces and panning the ashes can yield more gold

Ore - Rock containing important minerals including metals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore

Black Sand - Denser black material, typically heavy iron minerals, indicates possible Placer Deposits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_sand

Hematite - Iron ore, reddish brown in color, one of the main non-magnetic minerals in black sand concentrates

Magnetite - Iron ore, black in color, main magnetic mineral in black sand concentrates

Concentrate - Processed gravel and sand which has mostly just the dense material left (See Black Sand as example)

Eluvial Deposit - Deposit of gold and other load materials which have been swept away from the original load, but which have not reached an active waterway

Ore Genesis - Processes by which ore is formed
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ore_genesis

Overburden - Lower grade streambed or other material which lies on top of a placer pay-streak or load deposit

Placer Deposit - (Pronounce like 'plasser') Where gold was concentrated and deposited at some point by an active waterway (a form of Alluvial Deposit)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placer_deposit

Benches - (aka Terrace Placers) Sections of old streambeds which have been left high and dry away from an active waterway

Recent Benches - High and dry streambed gravels (placer deposits) which were formed since the passing of the Pleistocene epoch (past 11,000 years)

Dry Placer - Placer deposit in a dry area

Flood Layer - Layers in deposits of streambeds laid down by different flooding episodes which can have distinct gold concentrations associated

Flood gold - Gold concentrated in a flood layer above earlier layers but not on bedrock layer

Heavy mineral sands ore deposits - aka Placer Deposits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_mineral_sands_ore_deposits

Wet Placer - Placer deposit located below water surface

Residual Deposit - Deposit of gold and float that has weathered from its original load, but has not yet been swept away by various forces of nature

Values - Minerals of value contained within an ore-body, concentrates, or in streambed materials

Locked-In Values - Values tightly locked into an ore and requiring more involved processing to release

Pay - Amount of gold a load or streambed deposit is yielding

Pay-Dirt - Streambed materials with acceptable paying quantities of gold

Played-Out - When a gold deposit runs out

Poke* - A miner's container of gold, a small leather bag in the old days

Pothole - Holes or cavities along bedrock which act as gold traps

Prospecting - The general art of finding mineral deposits
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prospecting

Gold Prospecting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_prospecting

Quartz - Consists mainly of silica, which had a tendency to trap gold and other heavy minerals as they were pushed upward through cracks and fissures by superheated steam from the earth's interior

Refining* - Act of purifying ore or metal

Gold Parting* - Gold refining process separating silver impurities from gold
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_parting

Salting - Seeding an area or a sample with real or simulated gold for testing of mining/panning methods or to decieve people into thinking there is gold in the area
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salting_(confidence_trick (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salting_(confidence_trick))) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salting_(confidence_trick))

Sluice Box* - A trough-like device with baffles or riffles on the bottom through which placer deposits are washed to separate and trap gold.
http://www.blackcatmining.com/reference/sluiceboxuse.cfm
http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/sluiceriffles.html

High Banking* or Highbanking* - aka Power Sluicing* - Moving water from the stream channel via mechanical means to a location outside of the steam channel floor to process placer deposits via a sluice box for its gold content.
http://www.therockerbox.com/high_banking.htm

Suction Dredge* - Sucks up placer deposits underwater and washes then through a floating sluice box to separate and trap gold.
http://www.goldfeverprospecting.com/howdosugodrw.html
http://www.goldgold.com/gold-prospectingsuction-dredging.html

Streak - Any narrow streak of concentrated ore in less valuable material

Pay-Streak - Larger sized placer gold streaks

Strike - Miner's term for when a good deposit of gold is found

Tailings - Unwanted mining material dumped

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailings

Troy Weight* - System of measure of weight of precious metals. There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound and 1 oz t is about 1.09714 oz but 1 lb t is about .8229 lb (i.e. Troy ounce is heavier than our usual ounce but the troy pound is lighter than our usual pound).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_weight

Troy Ounce (oz t)* - A typical unit of measure of weight of precious metals. There are 12 troy ounces per troy pound (vs. 16 ounces per pound in our usual avoirdupois system of the U.S.A.) and 1 oz t is about 1.09714 oz.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troy_ounce

Vein* (geology) - Much gold is concentrated in this type of geologic structure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vein_(geology)

Lode* (geology) - The ore located in a crack or vein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lode

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