The dredge and our gear, with us clinging on to the sides, bounced along until it got hung up on a large boulder in the middle of the river.

Midway into my first tank of gas I was beginning to see color in my sluicebox. Needless to say, I was excited.

My right rib cage took the brunt of the blow from the fall, which left me feeling partially paralyzed and in immense pain.

We started off excited and enthusiastic as we began hiking up the river, daydreaming about finding big gold.

…I was looking down on what was a frightening 500-foot sheer drop-off. We were precariously close to the edge as the shoulder was practically non-existent.

I noticed an area which I could crawl through to keep going in a straight line. I got about three feet into the pile and Bob yelled for me to stop…

…being sneaky, I filled in the hole, and buried therein some trash items that I had previously found, just to discourage any other detectorist that might come along.