I just love watching your videos because they let me (chronically ill so I have mobility issues) experience things I'll never be able to do for myself. I love that you share all the ups and downs of it all with us.
just the energy u give off dan makes me so happy. It brighten up me days when i watch your vids and learn so much on prospecting and how it works. KEEP IT UP DAN!
You know I've been watching your channel for almost eight years now I think. Started watching your videos when you were still doing tutorials and lessons i think for your school kiddos. I'm never disappointed by your videos, they are always fun and relaxing. I only wish I could do what you do my friend! Keep it up and i look forward to all your future videos!
Hey Dan, any chance you'd be interested in making a video about the process of finding / making / buying / renting a claim works in BC / Canada? Even if the material is relatively dry, I think many would still find it interesting. It'd make for some good audio over a background of panning.
I like that you seem to have so much fun doing this, the fact that you're so upbeat makes my day. I wish I could do this, but I've managed to find my own ways to hunt treasure that bring me joy, just wanted to say thanks for the videos.
I have said this before, maybe not hear, I have had many gold panning trips where I have pulled out more mercury than gold ( Sierra Nevada California) I always feel that it is our duty as prospectors to be good stewards of the land, and I don’t mind cleaning up after the old timers who didn’t know better.
I realize I'm a bit late on this comment (10 months, as of posting...), but I could illuminate the mercury thing. Gold very happily amalgamates with mercury, which basically means it dissolves into it. this means you can use liquid mercury to capture really fine gold from inside a pan, and then use chemical processes to remove the gold from the mercury later. This was, and sadly still is (such as in the country, Ghana) used by many Chinese gold miners who do not have adequate protection against the mercury, handling it on a daily basis with their bare hands. This is how little bits of mercury get lost into the waters. The mercury doesn't really do anything in nature, so it just sits there, waiting for someone or an animal to unwittingly touch it.
I love gold. I love agates. You are blessed! Most people looking for agates find fractured bits. You are finding entire agates still embedded in the host rock! Amazing!
Dan, do so enjoy your videos! I'm frustrated that I didn't find you some 10yrs ago when I had access to a claim in northern calif. I really didn't know much about what I was doing and got the same,very little, in return.☹ would have loved to have had your advice and guidance. I let the lease expire and haven't tried it again, but I compensate by watching the fun you have!! Only recently discovered your site and have been binge watching your vids. Love the ones especially with your family!! Nothing better then the beautiful outdoors and family to share ! Carry on and good luck with finding all the gold you can!!
@DanHurd if you can find where that mercury table was set up, I’d be working there. Those old timers lost a lot of dirty gold out the back of those copper mercury tables. Mercury doesn’t stick to dirty gold. I love finding big balls of amalgam, 1 pan and you could get over a 1 gram ball of amalgamated gold
Hi my partner and I have recently got ourselves a motorbike each, and we are just itching to do some rock hounding! I've been interested in rocks and making jewelry for years. We love your videos. Thanks.
I'm glad you take mercury seriously. I've seen too many people on here and elsewhere who basically think they simply know too much for mercury to be a toxic element. Coming from a place where even remote rivers had been bathed in mercury by industry it annoys me when people think they're too good to treat it with respect.
Hey Dan I hope all is well. So I recently have take an interest at 32 years old in geology and prospecting, idk much but i enjoy it a lot and think i have found some rare things but i have teach myself all of this and that is where you come in. I watch your videos often and you teach me a lot i enjoy the care you put into them and the love for the earth and nature you have. I as well love nature its my home 🥰 anywho please don't stop making the videos I feel like I know you very well and we have never even met before. Thank you for the knowledge you teach me and the adventures you take us all on. Someday I hope to also do the same i am a contractor so I already have the tools. Take care be safe good luck and have fun. Btw I never write comments you may be my first in 15 years 💛⛏💎
Beautiful mossy agates. I love how complimentary you were to the old time chinese miners...I find their tidy pile of tailings nice to look at. I love the frog playing possum haha
Some of the bedrock appears to have striations. Is that rock that was scratched with glacial ice or scratched in otber ways. In Wisconsin rocks that have striations were most often scratched during one of the ice ages.
That's my kind of river - one you can walk around in. So pretty. Can't wait 'til you find the sweet spots on this claim. I can feel it in my bones. 😁 Thanks Dan.
Nice outing, nice creek, nice finds...except for the murcury...glad you removed that stuff...looked like a fun place for an outdoor adventure indeed. 👍.
Wow what a great day out! All in the same place nice. Oh missing the find. Glad your paydirt is keeping me sane between shifts. Keep up the great work!
Little darker colored gold then we are used to seeing and it looks like a tree was broken off by high flow in the river nice finds all around thx for sharing see you on the next one👍🏻👊🏻
Hi Dan.Down here in Washington State we find good amounts of mercury in the Sultan River.I guess they used mercury in the sluices to catch the fines.One fellow dredging just in front of the power house in a deep pool seen a huge puddle of mercury.He didn't suck it up with the sluice but went up and got a turkey baster.He was reported to have gotten over 2 oz of gold from that puddle and got almost a # of mercury from his retort. I found mercury coated gold in the few times I went panning there.I also found out the the chinese put iron bars to hold up boulders on the cliffs in the area known as the horseshoe bend.Those bars are now almost all rotted and will let loose to tumble down.Its not a good idea to be there when that happens.It is closed to panning because of this.I know a few guys who ignore that closure but I climbed up the cliffs and inspected under some of those boulders to confirm that the iron bars are there and indeed corroded.The Sultan empties into the Skykomish River which had active placer mines,too.There is a suspected gold bearing vein that was the source of the gold in the Sultan but was never located.I'm not surprised considering the ruggedness of the area.I got over 3 grams in a 2 day panning trip back 20 years ago.Considering the amount of effort to just get a place to stand on 30 deg slope the Chinese must have been half billy goat and very hungry to have done all the work to dig out under all those boulders.
I don't know much about panning or mercury. What do you do with the mercury you put in the snuffer bottle? And what do you do if you have contamination in your gold snuffer bottle to decontaminate it? Frogs and toads are a good sign that all is well in the environment, and their cute too.
so what sort of opals are you getting I have started releasing some from bedrock from samples that were given to me and it is prepping me for carving river jade that I bought at a ren faire.
The gold looks great! In my opinion, agates are cool and all but I'm more interested in gold, as gemstones have no set value and I like seeing the gold prospecting and refining process more.
...love the vids! I noticed, tiny, colored transparent granules in your black sand. Are those gem stone? And why don't you use the rich sand to mix in to make potting soil? You could make a fortune I bet. I need some of the moss. I want to build a natural terrarium. That black sand along with that moss and natural rocks could make a fantastic one! Carry on!
Hey Im not a rock or panning person but I had no idea mercury was in streams is this normal and where dose it come from I always thaught it was man made ?
Andy Thornhill pretty much anywhere there are old 19th/early 20th century mine workings, you'll find at least some Mercury. The old timers used Mercury to separate gold from concentrate materials because it amalgamates with the gold, and could then be collected more easily and then they burned off the mercury with a torch.
I just love watching your videos because they let me (chronically ill so I have mobility issues) experience things I'll never be able to do for myself. I love that you share all the ups and downs of it all with us.
I love his attitude and kindness, keep up the good work!!!
just the energy u give off dan makes me so happy. It brighten up me days when i watch your vids and learn so much on prospecting and how it works.
KEEP IT UP DAN!
Thank you so much
You know I've been watching your channel for almost eight years now I think. Started watching your videos when you were still doing tutorials and lessons i think for your school kiddos. I'm never disappointed by your videos, they are always fun and relaxing. I only wish I could do what you do my friend! Keep it up and i look forward to all your future videos!
Dan Cleaning up the Environment and finding Gold and Quartz and agate too!!!;👍👍👍👍👍👍💯
You got that right!
Hey Dan, any chance you'd be interested in making a video about the process of finding / making / buying / renting a claim works in BC / Canada? Even if the material is relatively dry, I think many would still find it interesting. It'd make for some good audio over a background of panning.
...or use funny gifs...along with the boring stuff!
I like that you seem to have so much fun doing this, the fact that you're so upbeat makes my day. I wish I could do this, but I've managed to find my own ways to hunt treasure that bring me joy, just wanted to say thanks for the videos.
I have said this before, maybe not hear, I have had many gold panning trips where I have pulled out more mercury than gold ( Sierra Nevada California) I always feel that it is our duty as prospectors to be good stewards of the land, and I don’t mind cleaning up after the old timers who didn’t know better.
Exactly
Mister Hurd, thank you for sharing your immense knowledge and awesome life with us.
My pleasure!
Agates, Quartz, Gold and cleaning the environment also, WOW what trip!!!!!😁😎😊😉
Hey Dan, I absolutely love your videos. Could you do a video talking about the mercury and explain where it comes from.
I realize I'm a bit late on this comment (10 months, as of posting...), but I could illuminate the mercury thing. Gold very happily amalgamates with mercury, which basically means it dissolves into it. this means you can use liquid mercury to capture really fine gold from inside a pan, and then use chemical processes to remove the gold from the mercury later. This was, and sadly still is (such as in the country, Ghana) used by many Chinese gold miners who do not have adequate protection against the mercury, handling it on a daily basis with their bare hands. This is how little bits of mercury get lost into the waters. The mercury doesn't really do anything in nature, so it just sits there, waiting for someone or an animal to unwittingly touch it.
See answer below. I can run water samples on ICP-MS and analyse for mercury.
When you watch one of his vids and now your obsessed with him
I gave him a nickname Grandpa gold digger 😁
Glad you enjoy the videos!
I think it's because he makes learning fun
Tom Rehmann yah
That's how it started for me....lol
I love gold. I love agates. You are blessed! Most people looking for agates find fractured bits. You are finding entire agates still embedded in the host rock! Amazing!
Another great video, Dan . What a beautiful slice of heaven you have there . Please , post more , and thank you .
Thank you
nice work there you really cleaned up that day.Thank you for sharing.
When you buy a bag of dirt and become addicted so much you have to catch up on Dan's videos. Lol love ya Dan the man.
One beautiful area,some beautiful gold,and rocks to enjoy.
You got that right!
Can’t beat the scenery and peace and the sound of the river. Heaven on earth.
Dan, do so enjoy your videos! I'm frustrated that I didn't find you some 10yrs ago when I had access to a claim in northern calif. I really didn't know much about what I was doing and got the same,very little, in return.☹ would have loved to have had your advice and guidance. I let the lease expire and haven't tried it again, but I compensate by watching the fun you have!! Only recently discovered your site and have been binge watching your vids. Love the ones especially with your family!! Nothing better then the beautiful outdoors and family to share ! Carry on and good luck with finding all the gold you can!!
Thanks for the landscapes. Can you show more scenery? Beautiful country. Thanks
My daughter loves watching you! Thank you for what you do!
Awesome! Thank you!
Great video. Love the size of those large aggregates!
You’re such a pleasant guy to learn from and watch. Thank you.
Than was a great video with amazing scenery . Thank you for sharing your adventures with us viewers ..
Man! This dude is just enjoying himself thats why his so relaxed to watch nice su!
Thanks!
@DanHurd if you can find where that mercury table was set up, I’d be working there.
Those old timers lost a lot of dirty gold out the back of those copper mercury tables. Mercury doesn’t stick to dirty gold.
I love finding big balls of amalgam, 1 pan and you could get over a 1 gram ball of amalgamated gold
As a fellow rockhound, I love that you can get excited about some cool agates, even though gold is your main reason for being there
Thank you for sharing this beautiful scenery and river, so relaxing. Well done on the agates and good luck with the new claim 🙏🙏🙏🥰🥰🥰👏👏👏👍👍👍❤️❤️❤️🇦🇺🇦🇺
Many thanks!
We enjoyed the Agate finds....great to tumble...checking out Agate Beach later this week here on Vancouver Island...thanks for the vids
wow what a day. GOLD SQUAD OUT!!!
WOW! Great Spot, and Great Video Dan! That Agate is just phenomenal as is the Quartz nodule!
Thanks!
Great toad, and the shot of the agate in the water--just beautiful!😍
Thank you!
Hi my partner and I have recently got ourselves a motorbike each, and we are just itching to do some rock hounding! I've been interested in rocks and making jewelry for years. We love your videos. Thanks.
Beautiful place Dan, just take it easy and take care of your heart and keep these great vids coming. Thanks and big Hello from Croatia
I am really trying to take it easy
Its always a pleasure to watch you . My dad and at one time planned a panning trip but he passed in 09 and I lost part of my left leg shortly after.
Good to see you getting minerals as well as gold. I was a bit worried for you in the spring, now I see the fine weather has increased your finds.
I'm glad you take mercury seriously. I've seen too many people on here and elsewhere who basically think they simply know too much for mercury to be a toxic element. Coming from a place where even remote rivers had been bathed in mercury by industry it annoys me when people think they're too good to treat it with respect.
I don't want to mess with mercury
You do a great job cutting your videos together. Very enjoyable to watch.
Thanks!
Your enthusiasm and excitement is fun to watch! I'd be interested in seeing a video on how you extract the gold from the mercury safely.
Some day I need to get a retort first
A Dan Hurd video when it's not sunday? Definitely a pleasant surprise!
Happy Tuesday!
Yup, you right....the second time always give big surprise, beautiful Agate, don't worry for gold better than nothing 👍
So true!
Nice little white striped toad.. we actually have those here too. Oddly we have a lot of the same amphibians as people all up the west coast.
Hey Dan I hope all is well. So I recently have take an interest at 32 years old in geology and prospecting, idk much but i enjoy it a lot and think i have found some rare things but i have teach myself all of this and that is where you come in. I watch your videos often and you teach me a lot i enjoy the care you put into them and the love for the earth and nature you have. I as well love nature its my home 🥰 anywho please don't stop making the videos I feel like I know you very well and we have never even met before. Thank you for the knowledge you teach me and the adventures you take us all on. Someday I hope to also do the same i am a contractor so I already have the tools. Take care be safe good luck and have fun. Btw I never write comments you may be my first in 15 years 💛⛏💎
Beautiful mossy agates. I love how complimentary you were to the old time chinese miners...I find their tidy pile of tailings nice to look at. I love the frog playing possum haha
Beautiful area for sure. Thanks for finding that mercury and getting it out of that beautiful creek.
You bet
You must be in the NO PARKING zone.
You almost got toad.
(thanks I'll be here all week)
That was punny! 🤣👍
Groan.
@Mickey Mouse So much gold, you must be as rich now as you are smart! Good luck with life there you clever boy..
Tip your waitress....
@Mickey Mouse Fake human, get off .
Hello from Brazil tanks my friend vídeos,nature beautful.
Thank you!
Dan Like! And on 6-37 there was a small piece of gold on the right side near the stone that you took.
Some of the bedrock appears to have striations. Is that rock that was scratched with glacial ice or scratched in otber ways. In Wisconsin rocks that have striations were most often scratched during one of the ice ages.
That's my kind of river - one you can walk around in. So pretty. Can't wait 'til you find the sweet spots on this claim. I can feel it in my bones. 😁 Thanks Dan.
Fingers crossed!
Nice vid Dan. Thank you for sharing your adventure😀 love your enthusiasm and knowledge of the land!!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Sounds and looks like a great place to get into prospecting for a lot more than just gold!
Thats a killer day outside! Tks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
Nice outing, nice creek, nice finds...except for the murcury...glad you removed that stuff...looked like a fun place for an outdoor adventure indeed. 👍.
Always great to find a new spot
@@Danhurd I agree with you there.
@ 6:43 you scrapped the inget with a pick and there was a little gold nug wedged right against it did you find that?
Hey man I love your videos, mostly your amazing lust for life and wildlife!
Keep it up brother!
Wow what a great day out! All in the same place nice. Oh missing the find. Glad your paydirt is keeping me sane between shifts. Keep up the great work!
It's magical...He is a wizard definitely talks to my subconscious
Dan your the man. Bit of luck is on your side. OMG love ya vids.
Little darker colored gold then we are used to seeing and it looks like a tree was broken off by high flow in the river nice finds all around thx for sharing see you on the next one👍🏻👊🏻
That’s my kind of spot, little bit of everything 👍 🙌
Wow love the look of that gold , chunky bits !!
Love from London! Been watching your videos through lockdown
Nice Agate! My Hobby! Many blessings!
Another great video Dan. That river looks amazing.
Thanks 👍
Thanks for cleaning the creek! JJ
Hi Dan.Down here in Washington State we find good amounts of mercury in the Sultan River.I guess they used mercury in the sluices to catch the fines.One fellow dredging just in front of the power house in a deep pool seen a huge puddle of mercury.He didn't suck it up with the sluice but went up and got a turkey baster.He was reported to have gotten over 2 oz of gold from that puddle and got almost a # of mercury from his retort. I found mercury coated gold in the few times I went panning there.I also found out the the chinese put iron bars to hold up boulders on the cliffs in the area known as the horseshoe bend.Those bars are now almost all rotted and will let loose to tumble down.Its not a good idea to be there when that happens.It is closed to panning because of this.I know a few guys who ignore that closure but I climbed up the cliffs and inspected under some of those boulders to confirm that the iron bars are there and indeed corroded.The Sultan empties into the Skykomish River which had active placer mines,too.There is a suspected gold bearing vein that was the source of the gold in the Sultan but was never located.I'm not surprised considering the ruggedness of the area.I got over 3 grams in a 2 day panning trip back 20 years ago.Considering the amount of effort to just get a place to stand on 30 deg slope the Chinese must have been half billy goat and very hungry to have done all the work to dig out under all those boulders.
Crazy cool video! Cheers Dan, will watch again later with Heidi. :)
Awesome! Thank you!
I love watching your videos Dan!!! I love when you go try new claims, I'm always excited to see what you find!!!
Glad you like them!
Have you ever thought about a holiday in Australia Dan? It'd be great to to you looking for gold over here 🇦🇺
DAN I COULD SPENT ALL DAY OUT THERE WITH YOU PANNING AND JUST ENJOY NATURE ITS SELF LOOKED LIKE A NICE DAY DAN 👍😎🇨🇦👍😎🇨🇦👍😎🇨🇦
What an awesome location! Cool history, agates, gold, and Dan!
What a great way to spend an afternoon!
Really beautiful place, and a great video Dan😀
Glad you enjoyed it
my favorite canadian prospector
I love the enthusiasm you have !!!!
Thank you!
I watched one video trying to find some information about Blakeburn and here I am watching every one of your videos and subscribing.
Thanks for subscribing and welcome to the channel!
Very nice Dan.
Thanks Dan 👍
You're welcome
Cool, adventure! Really sweet spot.
Thanks 👍
fantastic agots dan and as usual great scenery
Many thanks
Visions of lots of trout!!
Wow Dan you sure work in some beautiful places.im jealous.
Thanks 👍
I don't know much about panning or mercury. What do you do with the mercury you put in the snuffer bottle? And what do you do if you have contamination in your gold snuffer bottle to decontaminate it? Frogs and toads are a good sign that all is well in the environment, and their cute too.
Nice little spot you have found yourself there...kinda jealous ..but glad a guy like you has it!!
Thanks 👍
Sweet adventure more agate awesome that’s a lot of mercury that is cool history awesome as always thank u
Glad you enjoyed it
What are those egg things called? I couldn’t quite understand in the video, wanted to look them up and find out more about them.
Hey Dan👋 I hope you and your family are having a wonderful day ❤️💯
You too!!
Great video, you liked like you were having fun.
How do you clean up the mecury covered gold?
so what sort of opals are you getting I have started releasing some from bedrock from samples that were given to me and it is prepping me for carving river jade that I bought at a ren faire.
The gold looks great! In my opinion, agates are cool and all but I'm more interested in gold, as gemstones have no set value and I like seeing the gold prospecting and refining process more.
What do you do with agates? Rock saw and polish them?
Can do!
At 3:31 look on the bank in top right corner you have another friend sat watching you frogs everywhere. 👍🏼
Good catch there, eagle eyes! I didn't notice it until you pointed it out. Even then I had to look really closely to see it!
Yup.
Bottom left at 3:00 was the motionless watcher
I believe I saw another toad next to where he was pointing at 5:10
Darn it, i was about to post this and decided to check comments first before posting just in case there was anyone else as observant as i am lol
...love the vids! I noticed, tiny, colored transparent granules in your black sand. Are those gem stone? And why don't you use the rich sand to mix in to make potting soil? You could make a fortune I bet. I need some of the moss. I want to build a natural terrarium. That black sand along with that moss and natural rocks could make a fantastic one! Carry on!
Awesome area love watching your videos just wish they were longer..................
Glad you like them!
Just wanted to say hi. Your video came up randomly and now I can't stop watching. New subscriber!
Hi! And welcome to the channel!
Hey Im not a rock or panning person but I had no idea mercury was in streams is this normal and where dose it come from I always thaught it was man made ?
Dan Hurd, love your channel.
Thanks!
Thanks for sharing Dan. I didn’t know that there was mercury in BC, do you happen to know if Vancouver Island has mercury in the water ways as well?
Andy Thornhill pretty much anywhere there are old 19th/early 20th century mine workings, you'll find at least some Mercury. The old timers used Mercury to separate gold from concentrate materials because it amalgamates with the gold, and could then be collected more easily and then they burned off the mercury with a torch.
@@tjzambonischwartz knew they used it somehow, thank you!
And this is why I watch UA-cam videos like this, learn something new all the time. Thank you T.J.
Living the dream Dan.