Akau Gold Camp

[Swifty]

Akau Gold Alaska 2015

Hunting for gold nuggets in Alaska, something that sooner or later crosses your mind once you get the dreaded Gold Fever Bug. I started planning my adventure about a year before, having never been able to visit Ganes creek or Moore creek while they were in operation. With very few options to choose from for nugget hunting in Alaska; I decided to book my trip with Akau Gold It was my only real option left that I was aware of. My adventure began flying out of Burbank Airport, packing a week’s worth of clothes along with 2 detectors, a GPZ7000 and a Gold Bug Pro. Three plane changes and 12 hours later im in my cabin at Akau gold camp on Anvil creek, 7 miles outside of Nome Alaska.

My cabin was very basic with a wooden bunk bed and small portable heater. All their potable water has to be trucked in so showers are kept to a minum. Food was home cooked meals served @ 8am and 8pm and very good as far as my tast go’s.

They have an activities menu to pick from as far as what you will be doing each day be it panning, slucing, high banking, or Metal detecting.

I was there for one reason only, nugget shooting, and with 24 hours of sunlight and 600 acres to explore I can say I got my fill in the 7 days I was swinging a detector and maybe only covered a small part of it. The ground is mild but there is a ton of old iron trash, you need a detector with discrimination. My gold bug pro did not survive the airplane flight and the coil plate had somehow split open in my luggage. So for the 7days I was swinging my gpz7000. With a lot of ground covered by tundra and all the iron trash I stuck to checking old tailing piles and push areas.

I had a great time and will be going back again next year I hope.

Again accommodations are very basic, the weather changes every few minuets, it can get bone chilling cold even in summer, daylight is 24 hours so sleeping can be tuff. The hosts Augie and Betty are great and will do all they can to make your trip a good one. The food is home cooked and there’s gold still there but it takes work to get some, even in Alaska.

[Swifty]

A few more pics.

[normmcq]

That sounds like a great adventure and even some good gold. I'm sure glad that your ZED wasn't the one that didn't survive the trip. I'm curious about how you dealt with charging ZED's battery with that many hours you could detect. Must have had a mandatory recharge time out for both you and ZED.

                                                                 Norm McQ

       P.S. I still have that dime!

[Swifty]

 

       P.S. I still have that dime!

 Funny Norm, someplace I may still have that bottle of Wine

 

The camp generators would run from 8am to @12-1p then again @8pm tp 12a, I took a ctx3030 battery and would use that while my zed battery was on the charger. Taking a nap after lunch helped a lot with getting rested up.

[fredmason]

Dang, Patrick, nice gold and the musk ox made the trip worthwhile...

 

hunting gold is just a good reason to wander to and fro in all the earth....

 

did you carry the detectors on the plane or in the baggage

 

fred

[Rob]

Patrick,

 

Nice gold and a great photo of the musk ox. Congratulations!

 

Rob

[beatup]

Very nice gold & some great photos too.

[strick]

You cant beat the seafood in Alaska. Commercial fished up there for 9 seasons. Halibut anyone?

 

strick

[1515Art]

You cant beat the seafood in Alaska. Commercial fished up there for 9 seasons. Halibut anyone?

 

strick

 

I'm impressed... not to hiJack the thread, but i'll bet there are some great stories in those 9 seasons out there in the waters of Alaska. Along with the fantastic gold and story on this post!!!

[strick]

Yes lots of stories that have made me appreciate and never take for granted dry land. That tundra in the photos looks alot like the area around Bristol Bay. I would have nevr thought there be gold in tundra but thats what makes Alaska so special I guess. Nice place to visit as they say.

 

strick