Crew for Alaska Adventure at Inland Camp on the Casa de Paga River:
This is a gold mining and Alaskan adventure. Qualified individuals will have the opportunity to be crew members and operate our inland mining operation. Crew members will help pay their own expenses. This is not a trip that Southern Skin Divers Supply sells but the opportunity to be involved in a gold mining operation of Steve and Spencer Phillips. This is a chip in and participate adventure at your own risk. It is a working camp and you will be required to do many chores such as cutting firewood, performing repairs on dredges, ATVs, and the cabin,, and the most dreaded chore the washing of the dishes. Due to the heavy workload we don’t want any routine drinkers. There is always something that needs doing and no one is going to do it for you.
Alaska is a sometimes rough and potentially dangerous place. This is an adventure not a get rich or even break-even trip. This is an opportunity to participate as a crew member in an adventure that Spencer and Steve have been doing for over 20 years. Don't be misled into thinking that you will make money, that would be rare. If you learn the ways we mine gold, you should bring some home depending on how much you work and how quickly you learn. Steve and Spencer are among the most experienced gold dredgers in Nome and we will help get you started, but we will not do any hand-holding. Our time is valuable! People with serious health problems should not go on this trip due to the strenuous nature of the work and the distance from medical facilities. There are bears in the area, If you would like to you can bring a firearm but this is not required. The best firearm is a large revolver (44 magnum or larger. Semi-automatics are not recommended. It is important that we all get along, there is no room for individuals that do not pull their own weight. You can read about previous trips on our website (www.ssdsupply.com) and you should buy Steve’s book (Emily’s Book). Emily’s Book is Steve’s dive journal and is the only book written on dredging in Nome. To purchase the book contact Steve directly or it can be purchased at Southern Skin Diver’s Supply.
This operation is about 60 miles from Nome. We will be hauling ATVs using a truck and trailer to the Solomon River. From the Solomon River bridge you will be traveling another 10-12 miles via ATVs to our claims. We will furnish the claims, camp, dredges, highbankers, basic cooking equipment and a generator to be used a few hours each day. The accepted crew members will pay $ 2,000 a month. If you need to rent an ATV you can rent one for $1,500 a month. A four-wheel drive 400 or 500 cc ATV is what is available for rent. Crew members will go in with one another to purchase their food, gas, and propane. It is crucial that everyone get along because things break in Alaska. You will have to work together to fix them and from time to time you may have to share an ATV, dredge, etc. until the appropriate repairs can be made. We don’t guarantee gold to anyone. There is a lot of gold there you just have to put the work in to find it. All you have to do is wash a lot of dirt off it. A realistic amount of gold that is found in one day of hard work with a six-inch dredge is half an ounce. You are not required to find gold. Whether you find a lot or a little, it’s all yours to keep. The Nome area is beautiful. The tundra and beaches are littered with abandoned mining equipment from the earlier gold rush. There are over eighty abandoned bucket line dredges in the Nome area. There are rivers, streams, wildflowers and lots of animal life. You may happen upon such animals as Ptarmigan, musk ox, foxes, bears, moose, and depending on the time of the year the sand hill cranes and swans. The rivers are filled with fish so you can catch your supper. Our cabin is very close to one of the rivers, which makes fishing even more convenient. There are lots of places to explore if that is what you want to do. We want people to go for one month. People that have never been before have a hard time staying for longer than a month. At this time this trip is for guys only. We may change this in certain situations.
What is Provided and Cost:
o We furnish 5/40 acre claims with excellent gold for both dredging and highbanking.
o Good Cabins
o Two six-inch dredges and one five-inch dredge
o Several highbankers
o Basic Cooking Equipment and a generator to be used a few hours a day
o Accepted crew members will pay $2,000 a month
o If you need to rent an ATV you can rent one for $1,500/mth. A 4-wheel drive 400/500cc ATV is what is available for rent.
o You are responsible for purchasing your own groceries, gas, and propane.
What you will need to bring with you:
o Clothes
o The temperature ranges from freezing to the upper 70 degrees F. Dress in layers.
o You will need heavy duty rain gear such as Helly Hanson rain coat and bibs.
o A couple swimsuits for dredging
o Warm coat
o Good socks (Filson, Patagonia, Smartwool, Etc.)
o Hat (need one for warmth and one for sun protection)
o Long johns
o Muck boot brand boots. 16 inches tall.
o Dive gear- Dredgers will furnish all personal dive gear
o 8 mm semi-dry wetsuit
o Undersuit
o Mask
o Thick booties
o Neoprene socks
o Several pair of Kevlar/neoprene gloves treated for abrasion
o Talk with Spencer at Southern Skin Diver’s Supply and he will help you get all of these things
o Swim-Ear
o One good GPS such as a Garmin but a trail GPS not one that you use in your car
o Good medium weight sleeping bag and bring a separate fleece sleeping bag liner
o Sun Screen
o Bug repellent (Deet)
You can see tons of pictures and read all about some of our previous Alaska adventures right here on our main Alaska webpage =>> ALASKA!
You can see tons of pictures and read all about some of our previous Alaska adventures right here on our main Alaska webpage =>> ALASKA!
Give Steve a call if you are ready to go on any of these adventures.
Thank you,
Steve Phillips
205-672-9310
www.ssdsupply.com
