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October 1, 2007
The Tseax River Cone, the most southerly volcano in the Stikine Volcanic Field, lies just minutes north of Terrace by car. Havoc was created a couple of hundred years ago when it erupted and spewed millions of tons of lava into the Nass Valley, with lava and poisonous gases wiping out two villages and thousands of Nisga'a people. This smoke isn't from the volcano erupting again, but from dried moss and lichens that have ignited and are burning freely. Two helicopters and ground crews with rakes worked hard to put out this lava-bed fire in the early 1990's, but the smoke rising from the lava must have been like a flashback to the violent eruption of the mid 1700's.
October 8, 2007
Even though it's only early October, the snows have been threatening for the last few weeks and have reached the ground several times at Holloway Bar, up high in the Cassiar Mountains. Overnight frosts started in mid-August, and snow is possible at any time of the year here. While this snow from a few days ago has melted, more comes almost on a daily basis and soon everything will be white until April or May when the sun's warmth signals the arrival of another spring. This time of year marks the end of the placer mining season as the water that's needed to run the plant and wash the gravel is freezing now, and everything has to be drained and put away for the winter.
October 15, 2007
Snow falls early in this part of Northern BC as well as the Cassiar Mountains, and these spectacular mountains just east of Terrace also catch early season snows. In 1884, 10 years after finding gold in the Cassiar Mountains, Henry McDame travelled past the Seven Sisters mountain range and these peaks on his journey from the riches of the Cassiar Mountains to Lorne Creek, the site of his last gold strike in 1884. Nobody knows what happened to Henry after he prospected in this area and found the most productive placer creek on the Skeena. His spirit might still be in these mountains, watching and guiding us to our own destinies... Photo courtesy of Bob Wall.
October 22, 2007
Placer gold mining on any scale requires lots of water to wash the material away and reveal the gold. Testing new ground also uses water and is often completed by panning out 20 litre pails of dirt packed down from the hills, but pushing late into the season means that you're constantly working in ice-cold water. Scott, perhaps borrowing a few ideas from Robert the Gardener, has tarped in a panning area near his wood-fired bathtubs so that he can pan in relative comfort with hot water. When the snow's falling and the wind is cold, you'd better hope there's gold in the pan. How did we make out in these test holes? Tune in next mining season to find out...
October 29, 2007
Once the temperature starts to drop below freezing every night and the snows come regularly but don't leave in the day's warmth, it's time to drain the water from the pipes that feed the plant and put away the shovels and gold pans for the season. Shutdown is a huge job and includes preparing the camp for winter as well. The water-fed turbine generator is taken off-line as the water threatens to freeze in the pipes, the firewood supply is topped up, and everything else is sealed up tight. Once their camp is tucked in for the winter, most miners head for a warm stove and start some water boiling for a cup of hot tea to contemplate the passing of another mining season.
