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Offline guncollector7Topic starter
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« on: March 02, 2010, 12:30:54 pm »
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The following story is about a hunting trip in Estes Park, CO in the fall of 1988. I had travelled to Estes Park, Co with a friend from Northern MI in search of Elk and Mule Deer. We hunted for days with no luck and I decided to take a rather long hike on foot one morning. It was more of a boredom thing with me as the deer and elk were not cooperating with our hunting plans and since we were on a limited schedule I wanted to make the best of sightseeing. I had mentioned to my friend after studying a map of the area that I thought I could descend the mountain via a ravine so to speak over a three or four hour period and he could pick me up around noonish at the bottom on his way back down the hill.

I started the trek and noted some cool things right from the get go. I had found an abandoned rock wall foundation on the east side of a meadow. It stood about 24 - 30 inches tall and was probably 30' x 30' square. Walking due north from this location about 100 yards the meadow disappears into woodlands. When you enter this woods kind of stay to the NE and the terrain will start to descend. At this point there was the debris from an old camping sight from many years ago. If you find this you are hot on the trail. Looking north from the campsight through the trees you will start to make out the rock walls that line both sides of the ravine. I would later through research find that this ravine is the headwaters to the East Fork of Fish Creek.

As I proceeded down the ravine the walking was anything but pleasant. I had already dropped quite a ways and decided that I was in it for the long haul. All the while walking I was taking short breaks and glassing the rock walls and forest above me for signs of Bull Elk and Monster Mulies. I continued down the ravine where I discovered a small stream entering from the ground at the very center of the ravine. Heavy gravel bottom of which I didnt pay much attention as I was hunting for brown not gold. A quarter of a mile or so further and I discovered a large cave opening on the East wall about 45 feet up from the bottom. The incline was too steep for me to adventure alone without gear and help. I wanted to check it out in the worst way but decided it was just too risky. I continued down the ravine jumping back and forth across the little stream to find the easiest route to walk. At it's headwaters the stream is merely 20 inches wide and two feet deep. As it heads down bound it gets as wide as 10 to twelve feet at the bottom and nearly 3 feet deep in spots.

I was fast approaching the bottom lands and was nearly three and a half hours into my walk. The stream had widened and I approached an area that was thick with growth of brush and the walking was difficult. Looking ahead I could see a large tree had fallen and crossed the stream. As I walked closer it was obvious that animals had been using this for awhile as the bark was showing signs of wear. At this point I could no longer manage the brush on my side of the stream and decided to cross the log. I looked for a long stick to use for a support as I was not the steadiest of persons. I started to cross the log when I noted a small trail on the other side as if many an animal had walked up to the log then decided to turn about and go the other way. The sun was shining high and I looked down into the stream and it appeared as if the whole bottom of the stream were made of gold. Now being from MI I hurried to the other side to rid myself of gun, accessories and hunting jacket. I had never in my life been around gold or have known anything about it. Gold was the last thing on a young mans mind who is looking for a trophy to take back home and hang on the wall.

I crawled back out on to the log on my belly and lay there staring down at the water in disbelief. The whole bottom of the stream at this point being 10 feet wide and two feet deep was completely covered in gold looking particles. Later I would learn that this was most likely a placer deposit and that it is quite possible that there is good nugget capabilities further up stream. I reached down into the icy water after rolling my sleeves up to try and reach some of this mysterious gold stuff. I managed to grasp several pieces in my hand and retreated to shore to watch it glisten in my hand from the sunlight shining on it. The three pieces were quite small, the largest being about the size of three pencil leads put together. I put them into a sleeve of my wallet and prepared to continue my hunt.

Walking about a few hundred yards downstream from the log crossing I discovered a livestock fence and gate. It looked like a huge pasture for horses and cattle. I unlatched the fence and proceeded through the gate as walking back up the mountain was not an option at this point. I decided since I was on another mans land without permission that I would unload my rifle and pull the bolt out so anyone could see it was empty. I continued down the hill through the pasture and came upon a homestead about a quarter to half mile further. I walked right down between the barns and house with so much as not stirring anyone or anything. I continued down the driveway to the road and immediately recognized that this was indeed the road that we travelled to get up the mountain.

I was quite tired and decided to sit on a very large boulder on the west side of the road and wait for my buddy to come down the mountain with the truck for lunch. I sat there probably a half hour when a jeep pulled up with a beautiful woman driving and she asked if I needed a ride. I told her my buddy would be driving down in a few and she said she lived in the last house on the right and we could drive up until we met him in the road, to which I agreed it would be better than sitting on this hard rock. I told her my name and where I was from etc. and she the same. We drove up the mountain and she decided she would continue on until we met my buddy. Not much further when we had crossed into the Roosevelt National Forest Land than three Mule Deer Bucks ran across the hill and jumped over the trail in front of us. She slammed on the brakes and insisted that I get out and shoot one. So I obliged and took the largest buck at 200 yards with one shot from my rifle. She jumped out and high fived me an said she couldnt wait to tell her husband when he arrived home from work how exciting her day had become. I tagged the deer and she gave me a ride to the truck and my buddy was just getting back in time to meet her and say goodbye all in the same sentence.

We went back and gutted the deer and loaded it into the truck and went back to Estes Park. We hung it in the tree at the resort where we were staying. We decided to get cleaned up and skip hunting the rest of the day as we were having dinner at Nikki's that night.

After getting a shower I looked in the phone book for a jeweler so I coulld find out if the stuff I had found was the real McCoy or not. The first one I called answered my question of if he could identify raw gold? We took a ride down to his shop and I introduced myself. I handed him the larger piece and he put it near his eyepiece. He studied it for a minute and looked me dead in the eye and asked me "Where exactly did you find this?" to which I replied with a laugh as he handed it back and I walked out of his shop. As the door was closing I heard him say that there was no gold on the eastern slope of the rockies. lol

We returned to MI and I couldn't wait to show my Uncle Henry of my find in Colorado. He looked at it and then went and got a gift that his daughter had purchased for him from Alaska. The pieces looked one and the same.

I have never returned to this area. I recently discovered google maps and could walk you right to it.

I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have reliving the moment. When I find time I will write another story about an area I discovered in AZ that may have gold in a quartz outcropping.  later, G7

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Offline Sue
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« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2010, 09:57:47 am »
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Enjoyed reading your story - head west, young man.

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