And the weekend, finally, Saturday and Sunday off and I've access to a vehicle.
First things first. A few adventures on unexplored FSR's, to places thus far unseen. "Prospecting". Some great views, but - as far as the FSR Roadside prospecting goes no great discoveries.
The best, this, the waterfall:
I hadn't consulted the claims maps so this, tempting as it is, I'll have to let it go.
Then on to another spot, where I had a fine pegmatite underway, some smoky quartz, black tourmaline, mica of good crystal shape and habit.
This road, I'd been up, what? 3 years ago? Before the car troubles. Bloody hell. Anyways, this road, halfway up it's been deactivated. I mean - seriously.
And deactivation takes no time up here at all.
I make it to the destination, but I'm going to have to stop this, before I become a "Marty Supreme", before I ruin a friendship with another lost vehicle in the bush....
The pegmatite, I explore, break rocks, a few more tiny aquamarine crystals, some gemmy garnets, a few I don't recognize. Like the glistening red crystals, which could be garnet but the shape and lustre seem off...
I get my USB microscope out and examine at the library (because my MacBook Air does not recognize it). Still uncertain, and annoyed that the USB microscope doesn't allow levels of Zoom.
Images below:
It only strikes me that it has an unusual lustre and doesn't by crystal habit appear to be garnet or anything else I'm familiar with.
The aquamarines, max 1 cm, they aren't worth the photographing.
***
Sunday, to pan for gold, on the creeks feeding Sheep Creek behind Salmo.
First, visit the mine:
It has, of course, seen better days. From here off to dip a pan in a few of the tributaries, attempt a few more FSR, most of which have been deactivated. The exposures of rock, basalts, heavily metamorphosed granites, quartzites, quartz, all bedded together, turned black, yellow, orange & red with minerals, bedded at 90 degree angles, this is the stuff they were mining, this is where the gold is...
All roads up this mountain are overgrown again, there is no way to the top save abandoning the vehicle and going on a 12 KM bushwack.
Find a few other FSR heading south, explore them, more of the same rock, this rock, intriguing, holds promise but I would need to check the claims, the hard-rock ones, the ore needs be dug and crushed but you can see the glistening pyrites, the dark veins of galena, silver...
Ore carts, still suspended...
An unknown grave high up the mountainside. A child? Recent? and if so, what with the pick-axe?
And so it concludes the day...great ground, but need a means to access. And the gold, well, the creeks being largely claimed means it's inaccessible, so review the MTO and see if any of the hard-rock options are open (I doubt); there is still treasure to be found but whether it will reward the work...