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Digging For Gold With No Pick. We've All Done It, Right?


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Good story Gerry, I was right there with you. I also lost my pick one time, didn't leave it, just lost it. I was not even aware I had lost it until I wanted to use it, much like you did. I'm old too and it is true that walking back over ground you have already walked is never something to be looked forward to. But age takes its effect on brain cells too. Now I sit down and try to think where it could have possibly gone.

My pick holder is a simple belt hammer holder, it is one of the ones that actually can swivel. In thinking of this I remembered that there had been a place where I had to turn sideways to scoot by a fallen tree. It was real close getting by it and I thought that if it were anywhere it would be there. I hiked back and it was exactly where I thought it might be.

Fortunately the walk back was not long, but I hate it anyway. To my old mind going back is something you avoid at all cost. It is sorta like when climbing uphill, you do anything you can to not lose the ground  gained by going down at all. Sometimes I will scramble on hands and knees to keep from losing altitude. It is somewhat of a trade off, but I figure I worked hard for that altitude and I won't give it up easily.

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You earned that gold Gerry.  Stop by Harbor Freight, pick up a cheap pick, mount a magnet on it with a screw and some epoxy,lol.  Maybe get a couple of extras just in case.  Like those yellow rocks you found!

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Great story Gerry,

    I haven't been nugget hunting yet, to loose a pick! But i have left a shovel, and dropped a pinpointer at the beach! And had to trek back a long way, hoping that no one else found them, or the surf hadn't claimed them! And your right about that after 50 thing! It changes you!!👍👍

 

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Gerry I enjoyed your story and it reminded me of something that I had also lost.

Needless to say it isn't nice when one has to go back and find things that one looses. I don't think age has anything to do with loosing an item, but it does have everything with going back to find it.

I know of people that are younger than me that would have just thrown their hands up and say Oh Well Dad will buy me another. That is not the way I was raised or taught, but sadly that is the way the younger generation  is being brought up.

Glad you found the pick and great finds.

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A great story. I was having some of these same thoughts just several weeks ago! “How long I am willing look for this $80 pick?” is really hard not to ask yourself out loud when it’s that versus a long drive. Thankfully, I recovered mine, as well.  What actually kept me searching was the thought of how someone else would soon be coming across my nice, fancy pick and think it was a successful trip even without finding gold.  By the way, your story has just reminded me of my personal commitment to paint my wooden handle a lovely hazard yellow.  It also reminded me of my somewhat related story of having driven 2 hours only to realize I hadn’t brought any shoes.  Prospecting in flip flops can only be justifiable as a decision to refuse driving home in defeat. 

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    How about one of those little GPS locators, glued on your bright yellow handle! And throw a spare set of shoes under a seat! It would be worth not getting stung by a cactus, or some angry critter! 👍👍

    

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Been there, done that but I did recover my pick after a few hours of back tracking.  It was the last time I ever walked away from it.  I to got the boot tack but at least it was shallow 🙂 Hahh.  I was out bush in WA in 2006 and sat down to take a break when I walked away from it.  My saving grace was that I GPS'd all my digs but in that area they were far and few between.  On that same trip I lost my head lamp as well in one area, I had a habit of keeping it in my pocket and it fell out.  Me and my partner returned to the area about a month later and I got a good strong signal by a log.  I hopped the log and there the head lamp was.  I was quite happy to recover it because the one I replaced it with was not so good.

It was quite disconcerting with each lose so I feel your pain.

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Yes I've been in that same situation. Not only losing stuff while prospecting, but forgetting something while gearing up and realizing I don't have and just accept it's going to be a long hike back to the truck or UTV. I guess the upside is all the great exercise you get for doing something dumb!😁 Nice chunky gold you got there!

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Jim -  Not losing the elevation on the side of a hill as we get older, is sometimes more of a challenge than the actual hunt.  I agree, it's a mind over matter. Glad you were able to recover the pick.  Thanks for contributing.

Matt - Good point on a cost savings (Harbor Freight), but on last weeks hunt, I don't think there was one within 150 miles.  Maybe if Elko, NV had one?  Since I have seen so many lower quality picks break, I'll just add another APEX to the back of the truck.  Good to see you on here and thanks for contributing.

Joe - Glad I'm not the only who has done such.  You being a beach hunter, I totally know the feeling of losing a scoop.  I was with a staff member in Cancun a few yrs back and he got into some rocks, so the $300 scoop was no use.  He did not want to lay it on the beach and have someone walk away with it.  He laid it down in the rocks under the water.  Well an hour later he comes over to me and says I need to help him find his scoop.  Now you'd expect a couple guys with $2500 detectors that can find a gold ring 12" deep could find a big metal beach scoop?  After about 30 minutes of us criss-crossing I finally get a whopper of a signal and sure enough it was his scoop.  Thanks for sharing your same 50+ issues.

Valens - You do bring up a point I have seen many timing while training groups of people.  Sometimes the younger ones just feel it's easier to buy another than to try and find the original.  I've learned, those few folks are normally not going to be good at metal detecting, as patients/persistence is half the battle. Thanks for your input.

Skookum - Great points to paint the handles.  I actually have a Staff Member who paints all his wood handle picks bright PINK for a couple reasons.  1st is we are doing quite a few trips with many customers when training and most of us all use APEX picks.  Not once has a guy grabbed my staff members pink pick thinking it was theirs.  Also, the pink pick is easier to spot at distance.  BOOTS - I've done that before and now I keep a 2nd pair of detecting boots in my truck at all times.  Only benefit of flip flops is there's no metal in them...now that is funny just trying to imagine you out there.  Thanks for sharing.

DDancer - You bring up a good point about the GPS on the 7000 and plotting your digs.  When I was in MX earlier this yr I had one of my staff show me to use the GPS on the 7 and it was much easier than I had expected.  It also made things much easier and safer when returning back to the rig after a days hike.  I highly recommend those who have GPZ to learn the GPS for such occasions.  Glad you were also able to find then night-light a month later.  Did it still work?  Thanks for adding input.

Joe D - Or anyone else who may know.  Has the cost of those small GPS Tracking things become relatively inexpensive yet?  Yes I keep a 2nd pair of non metal boots in my truck.

 

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