I am sorry to say that the full melt is now on and the rivers are worse then I last reported, entire islands are gone, huge banks washed out, and giant boulders moved down stream. Even the "Telluride Watch" news letter is warning people to stay out of the river unless you are a extreme expert rafter because the entire river has changed shape and there is a great deal of debris moving in the fast and high water.

One of my fellow claim owners is heading down to a area that is usually very low this time of year and going to see if he can find a safe place in the river to get in, if so I will be reposting after he gives me a report tomorrow afternoon.

The bright side, there is a lot of new gold in the river, the downside is that the flooding is not over yet and we won't see it begin to slow until the snow starts falling on the higher peaks at the end of July and early August. So it looks like late August and early September are going to be our window this year.

The Snake City Claim, 60 acres, has finally been approved but we have a 60 day hold from July 8th because it is in a power district, but there is no way they are going to build a dam so if you want to work it let me know, your just going to have to be patient, but it is a rich claim, that and it is difficult to access but worth the trip.

I will be in Telluride in a couple of weeks and update you on weather and river conditions. I know what it is like to be sucked under the river and dragged down stream, to be bitten by a Rattlesnake, Black Widow, Brown Recluse, and hundreds of mosquitoes, so please take my advice when I give it, it may save your life.