Jul 15

Written by:
7/15/2002 12:00 AM 

Greetings from The Cripple River Gold Camp! The flower season is upon us. The Tundra outside of camp is bursting with color, and many of these flowers are only seen in the Artic. With the sun shining almost 24 hours a day, greenery really shoots up fast in Alaska. Flower watching is a popular sport in camp, and enjoyed by many, and not just the ladies either. Even manly men are touched by their colors and unique beauty. This year, again, Camp Manager John Backstrom planted ten Austrees. This is the third year he has tried to get a tree growing in camp. This year one of the recently planted trees has been reported to have four and ½ leaves. Good luck Austree, and John! How many trees does it take to have a National Forest in camp?

I’m hesitant to mention the weather, as it has been warm and sunny, and I don’t want to jinx it. When asked how this year is shaping up, Wilma Massie stated, “Things at camp are going so well, it’s almost scary. The gold is good, the people are friendly and learning a lot, and this may be one of our best years yet!”

Several people who left this week commented that this had been a very exciting vacation. We here at camp want to remind everyone that this is not really meant to be a normal vacation, it is an expedition, with it’s purpose to experience rustic Alaska, and learn how to get Cripple River gold. To some of us this seems to be a vacation, but this is the real thing, not make believe with smoke and mirrors. What you learn and how much gold you get depends a lot on you. The volunteer crew is here to show you and help you, but you are the prospector and they can’t do it for you.

The gold is here, as well as other treasures. This week Lawrence Sandy and several other people found nice pieces of Alaska Jade on the beach. There are also small garnets, many pieces of tumbler quality quartz, gem quality hematite and magnetite and other collectable rocks and mineral specimens. Beach glass is occasionally picked up, with Gloria Jones finding the largest piece of cobalt blue ocean tumbled glass I’ve ever seen. It is as large as a silver dollar and will make a stunning and unique necklace. Several people stood on the beach and watched a whale play in the Bering Sea, and several times seals have been noticed, hunting for salmon where the Cripple River enters the Bering Sea. A herd of four Musk Ox visited the trommel, and Artic Foxes were seen both near the main camp, as well as at the dredge camp.

Robert and Janet Euber, who left Saturday for the lower 48, wrote a letter thanking the Massies, and posted it on the information board for all to read. It seems they had a wonderful time here and when they come back they will be coming for more weeks, as two weeks just doesn’t seem long enough. An interesting note, we had several people who came to Cripple River who had never held a gold pan before let alone prospect. Total ‘cheechakos’ (greenhorns) when it came to getting that beautiful yellow gold. One of the couples, Lorraine and William Allers, saw information on the internet and decided to give prospecting a try. They had a great time, and one of the things that impressed Lorraine, (besides the beauty of this place and how helpful we all are) was the fact that as individual prospectors we ARE concerned with the environment. Somehow she had the misconception that mining always damaged the environment. NOT SO! Almost all individual miners leave the environment cleaner than it was when they arrived, dredging in the rivers and streams stirs up the food for whatever fish may be there and leaves nice areas for the fish to lay their eggs in and their babies to hatch in. Lorraine is a great kindergarten teacher, but while she was here she had the opportunity to learn many new skills. The gold bug bit her! She and her husband will be back!

A trip to the mouth of the Sinuk River was scheduled for the 10th of July. Seven adventurous people enjoyed a day of fresh sea air and beautiful scenery that culminated in a picnic. When one is at the Sinuk River you are only 12 miles from the craggy Sledge Island, where beautiful rainbows are occasionally seen.

Fishing is good here at the camp, and the good news is that the Alaska Game and Fish counted enough salmon upstream spawning and have opened the Pink Salmon season for us here at Cripple River. The Dolly Varden Trout continue biting very well, and they’re real tasty fried or broiled. Fishing licenses are available in the Camp Trading Post, as well as many other handy items.

The Cripple River Golf Driving Championship was held Friday the 12th with Walter Gozdowski winning $110.00 for first place with a great drive stopping only 6’ 2” from the flag. (He then went on to win the number one nugget in the Friday night gold draw). Second place payoff of $30.00 was golfer C. Ray Poupprit and the third place finisher for $20.00 was George Friga.

In the lost and found department, Curt Emery of Dongola IL found a collapsed weather balloon while riding his ATV back from a three day trip to our Ketchmark Camp. The device was found at mile 1.7 on the southbound trail, with an RS 80 transmitter attached. A packet containing balloon, transmitter, a map showing the coordinates where it was found, and a cover letter giving more details and requesting information on when and where it was launched was sent to the N.O.A.A. (the balloon launchers). We are still waiting for the answer. And the lost beaver advertised last week is still swimming around in the ocean. The beaver seems fat and sassy, just mentally confused as to how to build a dam that will hold back all that water!!! And finally, the camp has lost its weather rock. We have a tripod made up of driftwood with a special rock hanging from it. It predicts weather. If it’s hot and dry - the weather is sunny, if the rock is wet – it’s rainy, if it’s covered with white frozen precipitation – it’s snowing, if it swings from side to side – it’s windy. Add to this list if it’s gone – its been stolen. The weather has been much better since the rock was “lost”, so please don’t return it.

The weather is so beautiful I’m going out gold hunting, so I’m closing for now, and may your life and the bottom of your gold pan be golden.