Aug 4

Written by:
8/4/2002 12:00 AM 

BLUEBERRIES ARE RIPE, MANY MINERS CAUGHT BLUE HANDED

Cripple River Gold Camp is happily singing the ‘blues’. Many people are taking a short break from gold mining and heading to the hills to pick blueberries. This year the crop of berries is good. Perry Massie again took a group on a day trip to the trommel to run high-bankers. On the trail he stopped to let everyone take a short break and pick blueberries. Perry found a spot along the trail where the ground was carpeted blue. As the people were busily picking, a musk ox decided to make an appearance. The berries were temporarily forgotten as cameras came out and pictures were snapped. Later the group continued on past the dredge camp at Lower Artic Creek, to the trommel at Upper Artic Creek. Several other groups were seen on the slopes and Gene Trebolis filled his gold pan and himself with the blue fruit (he denied this, but his blue face and fingers gave him away). Salmon berries are getting ripe, but they have a much different flavor than blueberries (more tangy and musky than sweet) and are not as plentiful.

We often mention other interesting rocks and minerals that are found on the claim, in addition to gold and the occasional platinum nugget. This week Robert Clarys found a fist sized quartz crystal. This large crystal is almost completely clear with just a teeny hint of citrine yellow. Several of the crystal faces are slightly worn where the quartz tumbled down the river, but it is an exceptional piece of quartz. While quartz is found here a lot, and many tumbler-sized pieces can be picked up, quartz in the crystal form is not often seen.

The weather has been absolutely beautiful, lots of sun, and just enough breeze to keep the mosquitoes at bay. The ocean (Bearing Sea) has been the place to sight whales, seals, walrus, and this year even dolphins! The air is so pure that Sledge Island looks close enough to touch. Last week, the moon was large and full and it was in the sky at the same time as the sun was going behind the horizon. It was about 2 a.m. and I stood just outside my hootch and soaked up the silvery beauty. You can sleep anytime. The silence was so thick you could taste it.

After ten p.m. is quiet time in camp. You can mine on the beach, work the cleanup boxes, beach comb, or ride your ATV’s, but in the camp there is no loud talking, ATV riding, or radios, etc. Mining is hard work and miners need their beauty rest. (Some of us more than others). The loudest thing in the main camp should be the birds flying overhead, or the snoring, and sometimes the snoring gets pretty loud. Beauty is everywhere.

Last week I misspelled a name. It should have been Linda Nott, not Linda Knott. I must not have proof read well enough. Sorry Linda! From time to time you may catch typos, misspelled words, etc. in this Chronicle. Would you believe that as I try to keep everyone happy, some mistakes are included deliberately so those people who love to find typo’s can enjoy themselves too?

Mr. Jake Yorde, who had never prospected before in his life went to the trommel and spent about an hour shoveling material into the high-banker. When he cleaned up the concentrates, he had several small nuggets and some coarse gold. Jake then went back to camp and picked up a vial of garnets, and some samples of cubic hematite. To add to his day, he decided to take a swim in the cold Bering Sea, and invited his father Dennis to join him.

The local children swim in the cold Bering Sea, as one of our truck drivers Gene Malkiewicz discovered. He saw a group of four little Eskimo children splashing and swimming in the ocean Saturday. Gene honked the truck horn and waved, and the children laughed and waved back. As they were little children, swimsuits were optional. Three wore them, and one didn’t! Future member of the Polar Bear Club.

Saturday night we had a wiener roast. Bill Cash, manager of the Nome AC Store came to camp and cooked hot dogs on the barbecue for everyone. This was done this year as a thanks to the G.P.A.A. for their patronage. This year the hot dogs seemed especially tasty and the cake was great.

Flowers are in full bloom with some purple fire weed standing three and a half feet tall. The Alaska Cotton is almost finished for this year, but many flowers are still brightly making their presence known. This week the dredge camp has four red foxes visiting, and there is a musk ox living across from Howard Casner’s cabin. A large herd of musk ox, twelve in number, have been seen off the Teller Highway, and of course moose and reindeer are plentiful.

In the lost and found department, several pairs if glasses, five to be exact, have been turned in to the trading post. And in our weird lost and found department last week Michael Holt was sitting on his hootch steps panning out his concentrates and he dropped a small nugget in the dirt. That night there was a tiny rainstorm, and in the morning Adele, his wife, found a small nugget. Michael tried to claim it; he identified it as roundish, heavy golden colored metal, heavier than hematite and immensely desirable. Adele said his I.D. was not close enough and so she gets to keep the nugget. Good try Mike! Way to go Adele! Finders keepers.

G.P.A.A / L.D.M.A. member Mel Terry announced this week that he had given out 32 Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association’s applications, which included the special discount that 2002 Alaska Expedition attendees receive when they join the L.D.M.A.

Artic Creek is calling, and I’m anxious to go get that gold! So may your life and the bottom of your pan turn golden.