Saturday, September 25, 2010

Panning For Gold


Gold is selling at over $1200 per ounce. That's astounding. What's also astounding is that panning for gold is a cheap hobby. All you need is a pan, similar to a pie pan and a creek not on private property. Or else, permission.
I tried it yesterday while on a backpacking trip with my partner. It was warm, and I had a pan, and we camped in the National Forest.
I'd watched a couple YouTube videos showing the technique of swirling and shaking to settle whatever gold flecks might be in the mass of sediment in the stream bed (now in my pan).
It looked like fun, and easily fits any one's budget.
But, as you can see at the top of this page, I found a lot of very cool looking stones instead. I saved them, who knows? This area is also known for its gems as well as being in the gold belt of early 1800's, before gold was discovered in California.
Its not necessary to find anything to sell. Its just good to have an outdoor hobby which doesn't pollute or destroy anything. Its good to learn new skills, and pass on any learning to others.
I also played with acorns as survival food. You can read more about that on
Tonight I sauted some acorns which were prepared by boiling, dehusking, then rinsing. With canola oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder in a frying pan, until crisp, they were fantastic as a roasted garnish on salads for supper.
The earth is good to us.

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