Andied
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Inspired by old magazines from Lucky Luke back in the day I got curious about mining for gold old style.
Being a Scandinavian I was surprised to see how many opportunities there were for gold panning in Sweden and Finland.
The last 8 years I have spent a few weeks each summer digging and washing gold.
It is pure meditation in the middle of nature (me with my pan.
I usually take a few buckets back home to show friends and teach them and their kids the washing techniques.
Digging by hand won't make you rich (unless very lucky), but if you work hard you might find enough for the gas back home.
What you see here is the result of two weeks of panning in rather good ground.
Getting to work with the ground and how it reacts is super fun, hard and healthy - especially for a building engineer like me.
Digging is also an excuse for me to get out in nature, far away from the city.
Lately I have started to recognize gemstones and other contents of the earth. I started collecting grenates. They remind me of a combination of amber and rubies.
TheJomsborgViking
Andied
Is that you, Parker Schnabel :O?
henryvk
Good stuff, OP! I can’t tell if that’s a reasonable another for two weeks of panning but it sounds like you had fun doing it. When I was a boy I’d go fossil hunting with my papa (the Eifel region of Germany is rather good for that) and I went rock hunting a few times in Colorado which was immense fun.
Andied
That sounds very cool as well! Have never found a fossil even though we have some good spots here in Scandinavia.
It is probably okay for 2 weeks of work only handpanning, but when you use just slightly more advanced equipment it is kinda laughable :P
ThanosTheGreat
Omg I miss panning for gold.
Andied
Where did you go to do it?
ThanosTheGreat
Oh I live in Aus. Few places where I go. But haven’t been for a while and have never gotten to even close to what you have. Have not invested as much time in it as I would have liked tbh. But I will be doing more.
Andied
If I ever come to Australia I will try getting out with a metal detector to prospect. And probably be eaten by snakes, spiders, alligators and kangaroos while doing so.
ThanosTheGreat
Nah you’ll be right. There’s quite a few places I wanna go to but they are further up north. And a lot of other areas near me I need permission from farm owners. And I also need to renew my prospecting licence.
Andied
Sounds like an adventure, when all the paperwork has gone through :D