So, how do you manage all the days between the prospecting trips?

[PaulyT]

So, while new to prospecting...... One trip to Maryborough a couple of weeks ago and a quick trip to Blackwood last Sunday arvo I am finding it hard to get thru the working week!

This week I feel like I have achieved nothing as we are implementing a new website (although getting it to this stage has taken way too long) with lots of backwards and forwards with my tech guy, who lives in Broken Hill of all places. So I have been doing a lot of reading, using way too many brain cells and wondering how we (or I) will get all the data in place, checked and fixed once the last few issues are dealt with.

My only saviour this week is pulling up stumps tomorrow at lunchtime and having a clean up and packing the car so we can have a weekend away staying in Bendigo and will most likely check out Whipstick as I have done some riding around there and apparently some yellow stuff

So, with my stress levels peaking I am curious to know how you get thru the week so you can go digging or prospecting or even just out into the scrub?

 

[Ditherer and Son]

Mate, it's a problem we all face.

I am going again on the June Long Weekend and I am counting the days.

What I do between trips is pore over maps, google earth, youtube and these forums. I think A LOT about exactly what I am going to be doing and how. I plan the work (read play) so as to maximise the time we get to spend digging during daylight. I also modify equipment and build new equipment. My old dad and I build our own stuff, and that's the best fun I can have without actually prospecting. We argue a lot and he dithers endlessly. Like now for instance, we're only two weeks away from going and we're just about to make two more sluices and some more mods to the highbanker. Of course we plan to do all this on this weekend, but I can tell you now, we won't actually get much done until the night before when it all becomes urgent.

This is not entirely true, indeed you can see the Ditherer's handiwork in my youtube video, where he built a Miller Table a few weeks back. (See the YouTube & Facebook topic near the bottom of the main forum page or go here http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEvEaNFqTUBoiN45zFB47qw )

The other thing I do is edit my video footage and think about what I want to film next trip.

 

[AU Fever]

In between outings I'm always researching, researching, researching. I spend a lot of time commuting on trains and on the iPad. Searching through forums, watching YouTube vids, googling for tips and locations.

Then it's either reflecting on the last outing or planning the next one.

AU

 

[TenOunce Tone]

Research, Research Research and then read up on some research... Get in the garage and tinker... Look at "how to build" sites and see if there is anything that would come in handy for making the few hours in the field more productive

 

[axeman]

G'day. Between trips for me is similar too having withdrawal symptoms from smoking. Doing research online, reading gold forums or watching gold related videos only makes it worse. I work on cattle properties which doesn't help, I'm working along and I come across a quartz run, interesting rock formation, black sand in a gully or creek, find a bit of glass from a hand forged bottle, I've just got to check them out. I've had property owner who have been amazed by my little discoveries. Summer is the best time for me as the days are longer, I can start at 4:30-5:00, do my 8 hrs work and the spend a few hours digging, detecting, fishing, 4wdriving or whatever. It all depends what's in the area where I'm working. Trips are a reasonably straight forward affair, 90% of my gear is already in the 4x4 so it's just a case of topping up the tucker and fuel supply. My trips are only 1 to 4 day trips, the biggest trip I done was to Ruby vale digging sapphires for 3 weeks.
Mick

 

[aushunter]

It all sounds familiar,
My wife gets outa bed and heads on down to the base, hubby, i.e me, get the kids up,get there brekky while I get ready for work, take them to school,work all day,pick up the kids, help with the homework, cook tea, wife gets home 6:30ish, do the dishes, tottally knackered by now, try to watch a bit of the idiot box but family is watching pre recorded tv shows like "Glee" or biggest looser or something like that, put kids into bed, have a quick squiz on the puter, shower then bed.
5 days a week, but on Friday wife picks up the boys, weekends used to be digging now concentrating on getting this shed up and then the reno.
Days are short and by 6pm it feels like 10pm.
I will try a get a one dayer in someway.
Cheers
Brad.....

 

[AussieTreasureDigger]

As some others have mentioned Research is the key.

I spend many many hours researching Trove, old maps etc

I work weird hours on Melbournes Wharfs, but i always have a plan for my time to spend detecting

 

[WalnLiz]

Certainly agree with you there ATD, Good finds, be it gold or treasure, is not a lottery game. History as well as well as being able to read "between" the lines of research, is the only guarantee to consistent results. Good luck on the hunt tomorrow.

Cheers, Wal.