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October 2011
This page was last updated: March 5, 2012
Winter has now come to many of the northern gold fields, and Holloway Bar is no exception. October in many parts of the country means that the green leaves of summer are starting to turn to shades of red and gold before they fall from the branches and carpet the forest floors. But fall comes much earlier in the North, and the first signs of autumn colours can be seen in the trees in mid-August, and by early October the grounds are often blanketed by a layer of fresh snow. Sometimes the snow comes and goes several times in the fall, but eventually things will start to freeze solid and the snows will stay until the next mining season starts. Although it's often tempting to stay as late as possible to extract the last nugget from the ground, it's important to keep things in perspective and start thinking about packing things up for the winter and preparing for the new mining season. Those that return to the gold fields year after year know the signs - and know the problems that frozen waterlines can bring.
The now-abandoned Cassiar Airstrip is located in a perfect location for a McDame Creek gold miner with the flying bug. The old asbestos tailings pile might look a little ominous rising up well above the trees at the end of the airstrip, but the runway and surrounding area makes a perfect airport for Scott and his powered paraglider. Pilots of such small aircraft need to be very careful picking just the right time for a flight from this mountain airstrip, but early mornings or late evenings on clear days like this one often bring the calm conditions essential for a safe flight. Although making a year's wages in the short four-month summer placer gold mining season means you have to work very hard, the mining lifestyle also requires a bit of balance of work and play. The half-hour drive from Holloway Bar to the old Cassiar townsite provides a good wind-down after a hard day's mining and the flight into the clear skies provides just the right balance of thrills and freedom to make the hard work worthwhile.
November 2011
Being a successful gold miner often means being able to keep things in perspective. This photo is a good example: is this a plate full of huge gold nuggets, or is it just a close up picture of some fine gold? There's nothing in the frame to give it perspective - and to give us the answer. Mining's a lot like that - is the motherlode just under that next rock or is it under the one after that? Getting perspective in mining means doing your homework to come up with a good plan - often by testing and sampling by digging test holes or sometimes drilling through the overburdon to see what's underneath, or maybe even following a proven pay streak. Those who lose their perspective and only follow their hunches and gut feelings often end up chasing ghosts and eventually just run out of time, money and motivation. So, keep your perspective, do your homework, and use your resources wisely - and maybe you'll have something like this under your Christmas tree next year. Oh, and about these nuggets - we'll probably never know if the largest is 8 grams or 8 ounces - because there's just nothing here to give it perspective...
December 2011
As the morning sun rises and spreads its light in front of the Lakelse Lake webcam, a new day is beginning, just as we're beginning another new year. Gold miners from all parts are all busy this time of the year - not mining (at least not in this part of the world) - but making plans for the new mining season that will unfold in a few short months. New miners are more than likely feeling overwhelmed with all of excitement and preparation about their exciting journey down a new path, but experienced miners also share in the excitement a new season brings. Mining is often like a big treasure hunt - one never really knows what the year will bring until it's arrived. Even those with rich gold deposits on their proven ground face a huge unknown - the gold isn't just laying on the surface, but requires a huge effort to extract it from the ground. One bad year with many equipment breakdowns can discourage even those optimists who see rainbows in every rain cloud - but miners must forge on and fix any broken pieces if they have any hope of getting the plan back on track during the short summer season. After all, this is a treasure hunt...
January 2012
There are many ways to go placer gold mining. The Holloway Bar plan the last couple of years has included Del's portable shaker plant and its two-man crew, and the gold plant is dragged around a portion of the gold property in search of the rich channels left by the geological processes of the last ice age. Some miners go big - and sometimes have crews of 10 people or more and millions of dollars of equipment - and bring the raw materials to a gold plant to process the materials and extract the gold. Others take a different approach and run a one-person show, sometimes even working with hand tools or a mini-excavator to feed a small sluicebox. But, the goal is all the same - to get enough gold to cover expenses and make a small (or big!) profit - and all miners, regardless of the size of their operation, have to work within the mining regulations to protect the land and the animals that make it their home and preserve things for the future generations of miners and other land users.
February 2012
Miners aren't the only ones getting ready for a new season. The aviation industry, particularly in the north, also faces a short flying season that will make or break the year. Often flyers try to re-invent themselves and find work in new places or industries. Steve Harrison, owner of Hunter Helicopters in Langley, is no stranger to the north or the flying game, but has found a non-traditional job covering Fraser Valley greenhouses with a coat of paint to give a little shade to the plants within. The process is somewhat similar to crop spraying except that a coat of special paint is spread over the green houses with a spray-boom equipped helicopter. The coating is applied in the spring to block some of the hot summer sun, and is removed again in the fall. In an environmentally friendly process, at the end of the summer a special soap is sprayed over the greenhouses, and after drying for an hour or so, the next rain will remove both the soap and paint. The work is challenging for the pilots as the chopper crawls along spraying just 3 meters above the greenhouses.
