We all love to see that first glimmer of gold when it peeks out from under the black sand in our pan, or feel the weight of a nugget in our scoop when we dig a good target. But sometimes things don’t go quite so smoothly.

I looked over and saw Ben on his knees, digging at the edge of the Manzanitas, almost underneath them. I thought back to the previous weekend when we were planning this trip—that day had been a “Ben day.”

As I arrived at my detecting location, I got all my gear and headed up the trail. I had to stop and take in the devastation all around me.

Excited for this first notable evidence, I returned to that riverbed, looking for another paystreak and obviously more jade.

What do you do when you’ve located a promising deposit of gold or gemstones, but it’s trapped in solid rock?