Gold Panning on a Thru

[Traveler]

Anyone out there tried panning for gold along the trail? Any luck? So i hear theres gold in them hills. I mean call me crazy but I'm bringing my pan with me on my thru attempt this year. its only another 4 oz. to my pack, so why not. Who knows, i might just find a nice nugget that will cover the cost of my trip!! haha. At the very least it works as a nice plate and gives me something to do when sitting around.

The real gold out there, is ginseng.

Indeed true. I would not want to be found stealing minerals or plants from private property, theres a high likelihood the experience will not be enjoyable and no police would be involved.

[dmax]

When you make it to Erwin, be sure to have your pan. The Nolichucky River has gold, especially up in the gorge. I've carried my backpacking sluice up there more than once.

[Fredt4]

Not being a hater or judged but if you're panning you ain't thru-hiking, just saying.

[joshuasdad]

I bumped into some tourists panning near Standing Indian Campground, though I think they were looking more for emeralds and other stones. Carrying panning equipment NOBO might be fun at first, but I can see that equipment being shipped home pretty quickly after Jacob's Ladder...

[88BlueGT]

Not being a hater or judged but if you're panning you ain't thru-hiking, just saying.

I'm pretty sure you just judged someone in this exact sentence you state that you're not judging.

[Ktaadn]

Just to clarify and confirm, LNT doesn't apply to people panning for minerals and precious metals?

[88BlueGT]

Just to clarify and confirm, LNT doesn't apply to people panning for minerals and precious metals?

I'm not sure that anyone is going to come to a river and noticed that it's been panned (sorry for my lack of technical terminology).

[fredmugs]

When I stayed in Stratton there were two guys staying at the hostel who were panning and they showed me about half a vial of gold.

[Pedaling Fool]

Or you could just go to your local sewage plant...

http://news.yahoo.com/feces-contains...224632128.html

Excerpt:

"Human feces contains gold and other precious metals that could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars, experts say.

Now the trick is how to retrieve them -- a potential windfall that could also help save the planet.

"The gold we found was at the level of a minimal mineral deposit," said Kathleen Smith, of the US Geological Survey, after her team discovered metals such as platinum, silver and gold in treated waste."