In Gold Country #10 - Wind Up

#69 - I woke in a daze, a fog. “It was just a dream,” I thought! Maybe a hangover, thinking I was home in bed. My focus returned as I felt the light of morning shining on my tent and hearing activity

Oct 20, 2023

Welcome! I’m glad you are here.

In Gold Country - James is checking out a gold claim he has the option of getting having won it in a poker game. He meets other miners and prospectors and spends the weekend with them at their outing.

Everyone has turned in but Alex and James. They talk about the claim and their upcoming plans as the fire burns itself down to coals. Alex turns in and James basks in the beauty of the night before calling it a day.

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Chaps – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

#10 - Wind Up

I woke in a daze, a fog. “It was just a dream,” I thought! Maybe a hangover, thinking I was home in bed. My focus returned as I felt the light of morning shining on my tent and hearing activity outside. A few cars started up and I heard them moving past. I shook myself awake, opened my tent front and looked outside. A string of vehicles moved down the access. I remembered, a few were going back to the other claim, the Deep Hollow. I stretched, put on my jeans, and stepped outside.

Some were cooking, and a few had already headed down to the creek. I could see Gino was still asleep.

A Sheriff’s car and a Forest Service vehicle came up the road. They pulled up at the head of the clearing and double tapped the horn.

Alex, sleepy-eyed, looked out of his tent, and Gino and Jessica sat up in bed. Otis got up and moved forward a few steps looking at the new arrivals.

“Hey, Gino, you around? You awake yet?” called out an officer stepping from the Sheriff’s car. Two Forest Service officers got out of their truck.

“I am, now!” said Gino. “What’s up, John?”

“Last night, after midnight, at the camp downriver, a bear tried to get into the bear box. Scared folks pretty good. We got the call a couple hours ago. The guy drove up the hill to get a cell signal. He also said that before they went to bed last night, they heard three shots. Sounded like from this direction. Did you hear anything?”

By this time Alex and I had come up, listening to the conversation.

Still waking up, Gino made his way over. Shaking hands with the officers he said, “The Bear came in right over there,” pointing to the cut in the trees. “We were all at the fire pit. Came right in. I thought it was odd behavior. Didn’t give him time to think about it, I thought it best to move him on. I fired and he took off. Three shots.”

The sheriff thought a moment. “Well, I think we are going to have to trap him. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about him. He’s getting too comfortable around people. You think he’s a male?”

“Looked like it to me. I wouldn’t think he would be coming near here for a while, but, if you want to stage it here, you know how to get in. Let me know so I can pass it on and keep the area clear, okay?”

“Will do. Thanks.” They got back in their vehicles and left.

“Mornin’, guys. Well, that was short and sweet. James, the Sheriff there is John, a good man to know. Just met the other two, seemed nice enough.

“We are going up to Deep Hollow this morning to see how the guys are doing. Want to go,” he asked us?

Alex said, “I’ll go.”

“I had better stick to my plan up on the creek. Thanks, though.”

“Ok, see you later.”

Alex said, “I’ll get some coffee on.”

We went back to our tents. I put on some water for coffee and oatmeal and started breaking down my tent. Activity grew around the camp, readying for the day. The Red Light Gang headed down to the river where they had done so well yesterday. Charles and family, and Fred, thought they would dig up on a higher bench where a block of quartz showed itself on a wall. Jim, Rick, and Robert were already in the water, as were Johnny and Mike. Mother Lode Janet picked at rocks along the bank. There were many early risers in this group.

I packed up my gear and put it against the wood stack at the fire pit. Waving at Gino, Jessica, and Alex, as they pulled out with Otis in the back, I grabbed my sluice, pan, buckets, and digging tools and headed up to my claim. Slow Mo, and Denny, sat in lawn chairs at the water’s edge, talking to Lynn and Kate. They waved. I angled down to the creek.

Crossing the Gold Luk fencing I climbed up along the creek, passing a ridge of exposed bedrock I wanted to come back to later. First, I wanted to sample the pool area below the waterfall at the upper end of Red Bar. After a couple of hours, I had found good color just sampling around. Chunky stuff.

I knew an area above, on a bench, where there was cobblestone and gravel. I wanted to grab some dirt for running at home.

After banging at hard dirt and rock for a while, I decided a half bucket would do, as I knew I would have to lug it back a good ways. At least it wasn’t wet. I took a break and ate a Granola Bar.

From this vantage point, I could see most of the length of my claim, the upper falls down to the turn in the creek before the Gold Luk. The Red Bar was difficult to get into, and hard to work. I thought that was a good thing, thinking it had perhaps deterred some prospecting earlier on.

I moved down to the creek again, to the bedrock I had seen earlier. I shoveled down better than two feet through the material on the downstream side above the water line sampling along the way. Each pan showed promise. Probably dug up close to a yard of material. Setting up my sluice to run it, I guessed close to a gram saw the light of day. I was happy.

Upon getting back down to the boulder clogged waterfall at the fence, I saw Gino and Alex below, back from Deep Hollow, running the dredge Gino had just bought. Gino, suited up and wearing a snorkel, was face down in the water working the area I had seen them at yesterday. Alex was tending the sluice. Otis barked.

Alex looked up and waved. I thought I wouldn’t interrupt their work. I held up my snuffer bottle with my gold in one hand and gave a thumbs up with the other. Alex returned my thumbs up.

I motioned that I would write them, Alex nodded, and I waved goodbye. Alex waved, and then played some air guitar, hitting some licks. I laughed, waving again. I picked up my stuff and moved on toward camp, with Otis accompanying me.

I met Jessica as I entered camp. She was heading up the trail to Gino and Alex. She had a couple of sandwiches in hand. We exchanged “Nice meeting you,” and “What a fine weekend,” and “Hope to see you again.” With a parting handshake and a wave, we continued on our ways, Otis staying with Jessica.

The camp was bustling. Tents had come down, and gear was being stowed. Most had a good bit of driving ahead and were looking for an early getaway. Few would be staying late or into Monday.

I made my way through, stopping for a few words with other campers. It also served to give my arms a rest. Lugging my bucket of dirt and tools was exercise. I always found myself wondering, why I made the effort to bring home some dirt to run. But, at home, I was always glad I did. To look for gold. To tide me over until my next outing. My fix.

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