Discovering the Picnic Patch

Over 1,000 Nuggets and Still Counting!

This time I did get a look and not a very pleasant one. “It’d be a shame if these accidentally fell down the garbage disposal, don’t you think?” she smiled clenching a fistful of nuggets. I loved egging her on, but it was a dangerous game. I decided it would be easier to shut up now then disassemble the kitchen sink later.

I spotted a smile spreading across Bob’s face; it was contagious. I slapped the arms of my chair and let out a loud “Yehaa”! A sense of accomplishment swelled inside me; it felt good. This had turned out to be the largest virgin patch (as far as quantity goes) I had ever found in Arizona. 560 nuggets pulled so far with at least that much still waiting to be dug up.

I’m getting ahead of myself here. I started off too quickly, so let me take you back to the beginning. It all happened just before the summer of 2005. I had finally got my Polaris 500 ATV running again and was keen on taking her out for a trial run. I checked my schedule to see what I had planned for the next day. Of course it was loaded with all sorts of obligations like going to the bank, post office, paying bills, etc. There was so much to do and none of it enjoyable. It seemed as if tomorrow was going to be the perfect day for a quad ride! If I was going to be out in the hills anyway it seemed foolish not to bring the beeper along; after all, there aren’t many places I go that my metal detector doesn’t.

4 o’clock AM came early. The following morning the neighbor’s dog went ballistic as I loaded the quad into the back of my truck. The revving of the engine had obviously woken it up. I had to chuckle as I yanked on the tie-downs. Normally it was me that suffered late into the night with his insistent barking – sweet revenge!

My road trip went quickly. Sipping coffee and singing very badly to the tune of Sweet Home Alabama helped pass the time. Before I knew it the drive was over. I had chosen this spot mainly because I knew there wouldn’t be much traffic on the dirt roads. I’d be able to open the ATV up without the worry of meeting someone’s grille guard head on. There were plenty of wash-outs and a few steep hills, so I’d be able to test out the 4-Wheel drive as well. Plus it was gold country. Not as rich as some of Arizona’s other districts, but there was definitely “nuggety” gold to be had.

In moments I had the quad off the back of the truck and loaded with an ice chest and detector. Zipping along the road I gave the throttle a good push with my thumb. The engine felt strong, no sputtering or bogging; overall it felt as if it were running at peak performance. Just as I rounded a curve something caught my eye up ahead. It looked like a piece of ribbon blowing in the wind, similar to the type that comes out of a video cassette. It wasn’t until I was right on top of it that I realized the fluttering ribbon was actually a snake. I reached for my camera and nearly got off a shot too, but the heat of the engine must have been unnerving for the little reptile because it quickly slipped across the road and into a thicket of dry brush. Before zipping up the camera bag I glanced once more in the direction the escapee had taken. No snake, however something in the distance came into focus. Was it an old mule trail? I strained my eyes even harder. It was a trail! I could see it on the next hill over, but how could I get there?  

I drove back and forth along the main road looking for an opening that might head in the direction of the trail. Finally I spotted it. The entrance had been obscured by the desert fauna. Creosote was growing wildly; this track obviously hadn’t seen traffic in many, many years. The quad was perfect for this sort of work, and I easily negotiated the thorned obstacles. The forgotten trail wound back into the hills for nearly two miles, ending abruptly at an intersection with a small gully. I parked the quad and went for a quick stroll. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary here. Sure the gully looked good enough with a lovely schist bedrock standing on end, and quartz float scattered amongst the gravel, but then again, so did every other gully in the vicinity. I walked a bit further, looking for any signs of previous mining activity. I found absolutely none. “Highly unlikely the old-timers would have missed this gully; it must not carry gold,” I thought to myself. I had almost reached the quad when BANG! A deteriorated ironstone dike on a hillside stopped me dead in my tracks. This was interesting – very interesting. I learned long ago not to ignore these geological clues. It was a rare occasion when I wasn’t able to pull at least a little one from around these dark outcroppings. It ran in a perfect line down off the hillside and into the wash where it had been eroded away through the passage of time.

I figured the gully was loaded with rubbish, but the presence of the ironstone dike, schist and quartz was enough to warrant me breaking out the Minelab GP3500. This particular metal detector carries a handsome price tag, at over $3,000 it is one of the most expensive on the market. Pricey yes, but worth it? You bet. These Pulse Induction detectors are designed for two things: 1) ignoring extreme ground mineralization and hot rocks, and 2) depth penetration. Gold occurs in highly mineralized areas and like many electronic prospectors, I don’t enjoy having to reground balance my machine every few steps. This stability in harsh environments and the ability to “punch” down 24-inches or more is what makes this equipment a must for me.

The overburden in this particular gully wasn’t very deep; in fact, I could see the bedrock exposed in many places along its length. With this in mind, I opted for one of the new Nugget Finder 14” elliptical mono coils. These light weight coils are handcrafted in Australia and designed specifically for use on the Minelab GP/SD Series machines. The fiberglass construction along with the windings being sunk down into a solid resin, not only reduces overall weight, but also helps eliminate false signals when accidentally bumped into obstacles. I knew this model would be easy to maneuver around the brush and offer heightened sensitivity towards tiny nuggets.

My first target came quick enough. A gentle zip-zip eased through the headphones signifying what I thought for sure was going to be trash. Whatever it was, it was buried shallow enough that I had it out of the ground and into the pile within a matter of seconds. Learning to pinpoint and recover a target this quickly was not a technique that came easily; I filled several Folgers coffee cans with bullets before I finally had it mastered. I scooped up a handful of dirt and haphazardly waved it across the coil. Back and fourth I went until finally there was only a small mound of material left in my palm. I flicked dirt aside looking for a rusty piece of wire or birdshot. Instead I saw what appeared to be the edge of a gold nugget. “It can’t be…Is it?...It is!” I shouted to a nearby cactus! It couldn’t have weighed more than 6 grains, but it had me smiling. Gold in a brand new area, this could turn into something big!

I reached the pinnacle of my excitement when something started gnawing at the back of my mind. “Okay…slow down, don’t get yourself all worked up,” an annoying voice said. “This is probably just a fluke. Lord knows it wouldn’t be the first time it has happened to me. There might be a few more, but I doubt very seriously this will turn into a monster patch.” I was climbing higher on a “gold buzz” and the pessimistic side of my brain was doing its best to talk me down off the ledge! The voice had a point. I had found places like this before, picked up a few nuggets, lit mental candles of hope, only to have them snuffed out. The chances of this gully doing the same seemed likely. But maybe, just maybe…

My disappointment never came. I swept the detector in a 3-foot radius around my body and heard at least half a dozen more signals. Things had gotten good; almost too good! Was I dreaming? Was someone playing a practical joke on me? How could there be this much gold left lying around within earshot of a well traveled road? I didn’t have the answers, and truthfully, at that point I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was get home so I could drop the 28 nuggets I had dug that day into my wife’s hand.  

The nuggets worked like a charm! I escaped a week’s worth of chores and this time she packed us a picnic basket everyday filled to the brim with goodies. The cooler morning hours were dedicated to digging gold, while the warmer afternoons were spent enjoying the basket’s delicious contents under the shade of a Palo Verde tree. The nuggets were coming in steady, but after a few days on the patch it became apparent that this was simply too big a job. We had already picked up 250 nuggets and hadn’t even begun to scratch the surface! All the gold was small, but it was everywhere! There were nuggets in the guts of the wash, nuggets in the banks, nuggets in plain view on the bedrock, and even a few nuggets on a sloping hillside near its headwaters! No end seemed in sight. I needed help from someone that was as crazy about nugget hunting as I was, so that evening I paid a visit to my close friend Bob “Montana” Dansie. The expression on his face when I poured out my poke assured me he was interested in going in as partners.   

True, I could have kept it a secret; kept it all to myself, but where was the glory in that? Half the fun in digging gold is being able to share that enthusiasm with your fellow prospector. Besides Bob had always been open and honest, sharing patches with me when he had them. The camaraderie would be nice, but I was in dire need of the extra horsepower. With over ten years experience in three different countries, Bob is a seasoned veteran. I knew with the two of us working together we could put a serious dent in this patch.

By then the summer had sunk its teeth into Arizona and refused to budge. We cleaned up everything on the surface, then begun digging out the gully by hand, using the metal detector to check each progressive layer. It was hard work; plain and simple. In 100+ degree weather the sweat coming off our backs alone might have been enough to run a small dredge! Many nights I went home with bloodied hands, but when a person is averaging 80 nuggets or more per day it is easier to overlook such discomforts.   

To date, the Picnic Patch has yielded in excess of 1,000 nuggets! Nearly all of which was smooth, flat and weighing less than 2-grams. What is even more amazing, only 19 of those targets were trash (call me weird, but I kept track!). For some reason this gully was completely overlooked by the old-timers. My best guess is either they simply missed it, or tested it with a pan and found it didn’t carry enough fine gold to make it worth chasing. Whatever the reason, I’m glad the old boys left it behind.

I have been swinging a detector for a decade now, and I will be the first to say – it is not easy. Discoveries like this are not made all the time, but they are made. A person with good equipment, a strong desire and lots of patience can do well. On the flipside, a person that views metal detecting as a means to gaining instant riches will most certainly be disappointed. The monetary value is definitely a perk, but I firmly believe that unless you need it to survive, the gold is merely a byproduct. The real treasure isn’t in the metal itself, but rather the lasting memories you create and the friendships you build while pursuing this wonderful hobby that is gold prospecting. I wish all of you the very best of luck in finding your own nugget patch!