Rookie Panner Headed For SW New Mexico in April
Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 3:04 pm
Hello everybody,
I'm Steve from New Orleans,LA. In April i'm headed for the Gila Nat'l Forest, 8 miles south of Cliff near Bill Evans Road to do some recreational panning in the Gila River. I'm 54 and retired from the Fire Department and i plan to be in the area for 4 or 5 months camping and panning. Although i'm an experienced outdoorsman, i'm a greenhorn when it comes to panning. My first and only adventure panning for gold was eight years ago north of Dahlonega, Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Appalachian Trail. I expected to pick gold nuggets right out of my pan with no effort at all. Eight weeks later and $800 dollars poorer, I staggered out onto a paved road with nothing to show for my adventure except four dandruff sized flakes of gold in a glass bottle. The trip is still the subject of much joking and laughter at family gatherings.
This time around, i'm way better prepared and educated on the subject, and understand the difficulties of separating magnetite from regular sand and gold particles, ect. Studying topo map and satellite pics of the area, but still waiting on gold map. Any suggestions for panning in the area would be greatly appreciated. In fact, i'm completely open to ANY suggestions about exactly where to go in SW New Mexico for a productive adventure. But i do have to finalize a travel plan by March 3rd.
Thanks,
I'm Steve from New Orleans,LA. In April i'm headed for the Gila Nat'l Forest, 8 miles south of Cliff near Bill Evans Road to do some recreational panning in the Gila River. I'm 54 and retired from the Fire Department and i plan to be in the area for 4 or 5 months camping and panning. Although i'm an experienced outdoorsman, i'm a greenhorn when it comes to panning. My first and only adventure panning for gold was eight years ago north of Dahlonega, Georgia in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Appalachian Trail. I expected to pick gold nuggets right out of my pan with no effort at all. Eight weeks later and $800 dollars poorer, I staggered out onto a paved road with nothing to show for my adventure except four dandruff sized flakes of gold in a glass bottle. The trip is still the subject of much joking and laughter at family gatherings.
This time around, i'm way better prepared and educated on the subject, and understand the difficulties of separating magnetite from regular sand and gold particles, ect. Studying topo map and satellite pics of the area, but still waiting on gold map. Any suggestions for panning in the area would be greatly appreciated. In fact, i'm completely open to ANY suggestions about exactly where to go in SW New Mexico for a productive adventure. But i do have to finalize a travel plan by March 3rd.
Thanks,