Ghost Towns and Gold Panning

When I was a little girl, a lot of my childhood was spent discovering the great outdoors in a very unique way - gold panning and tramping through ghost towns with my family.

Many days and weeks were spent exploring the forests and dipping my toes into creeks and rivers across the United States of America. Basking in the summer sun, listening to the breeze whispering through the treetops, and seeing parts of nature that most people never get to experience, are only a few of the things that made up the moments of my childhood.

In the day and age that we live in, I am incredibly grateful to my parents for giving me these types of experiences. Not many people can say that they have come face to face with a mountainside of solid quartz, or felt the thrill of finding genuine gold nuggets in the bottom of a gold pan. I still have some of those nuggets today.

I have seen endangered owls and eagles, and have literally been mere feet away from a baby bear. (So glad mama bear wasn't anywhere to be seen at that moment!) I have looked through old buildings that have been abandoned for years, and I have found countless "treasures" along the way. I have explored the great outdoors in a genuinely fantastic manner!

If you would like to treat your family to a true summertime adventure, pack up the camping gear and head out to do some ghost town exploring, and maybe even a little gold panning. You don't have to ruin the environment to enjoy these activities, and you will absolutely taste nature in a glorious fashion!

Here are a few of the items that I can remember my parents always having on hand during our camping and gold panning days, so you can use this as a checklist to get you started:

• Tent
• Sleeping Bag
• Clothes for both hot and cold weather
• Matches
• A Coleman cook stove
• Kerosene lamps
• Simple set of cookware and dinnerware
• Extra socks (you always need extra socks!)
• First-Aid kit
• Calamine lotion (for mosquito bites)
• Fishing gear
• Gold Pans
• Small shovel or trowel
• Rubber gloves (in case the rivers are too cold)
• Garbage bags
• Cooler
• Water
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• Toilet paper
• Towels
• Extra Shoes
• Rubber boots (if you are going to be in the rivers and creeks, or in very wet areas)
• Maps of the area

Of course you will want to make sure you take plenty of extra food and water with you, and now that the technology is available, you might want to bring your cell phone with you just in case of an emergency. Remember to keep the phone turned off unless it is really needed; otherwise you will not truly experience the great outdoors in the manner you should!

I have to tell you, there is nothing more exhilarating than waking up to the sunshine, the birds chirping, the smell of coffee, and pancakes & bacon sizzling in a cast iron pan over the campfire! These are truly the memories that last a lifetime.

One very important thing to remember when you are out in the wilderness is to always keep your food items and garbage put away. If you have open food, keep it covered well, and put it in your car to minimize attracting wild animals to your campsite.

It is also important to keep all garbage out of the campsite. If you don't have anywhere to throw it away, keep the garbage bags in your trunk, or if necessary, string it up in a tree until you are ready to leave. Take it with you at that time to dispose of it properly. (Food can also be stored in bags or baskets in the trees if you are camping away from your vehicle.)

For a little more information on how fun gold panning and ghost town exploration can be, check out the following websites and then start planning your next family vacation!

1. 10 Great Places To Haunt A Ghost Town
2. Ghost Towns of the American West
3. Family Treasure Hunting Vacations
4. Gold Panning Instructions
5. Gold Panning Vacations