We were going to leave Burns Lake area where we have been for the last 2 days but decided to stay one more day to go hiking way into the back country to an opal bed to mine for opals and agates. Anyone who knows me knows that I love jewelry and all gem stones. So, I knew if I passed up the chance to take a hammer to chip away at rock in hopes we would find my own opals and agates, well, this is something I would always regret. We drove several miles on this dirt and gravel road to get to the spot where would start hiking. The mountain in the background is the mountain we will hike.
The 3 mile hike, literally up a mountain, in the back country where there is no one but the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen was steep, long, muddy, and difficult. To make sure no bear or moose would come near, Tommy and I kept making lots of noise clapping, whistling, knocking trees with our hammer and hatchet. This is the only time I don’t want to see a bear. When we arrived at the opal beds, we were pretty wore out from that climb. We rested a few minutes and then the real work began. Tommy and I sat for hours smashing at boulders hacking off chunks of rock to chip away little by little hoping we would find a gem. 
This was tough work, but wow it was exciting when you would see a glimmer of white, blue, or green.
On the way down the mountain I took the time to snap a shot of the view of the valley from a clearing. Beautiful.
I wish you could tell how steep this is, this is a steep hike!East going down, tough, real tough, going up. 
We were pretty successful. Here is a look at what we harvested before they were washed. 
This is what they look like with the dirt washed off. 
Now I need to take them to have them tumbled and polished.
I am so glad we stayed to do this. Soon, we will pan for gold!
No comments:
Post a Comment