The Kink

[Fortymile Miner]

I have claims up at the Kink on the North Fork of the Fortymile. Decent gold with a 6" dredge.
The location is incredible. Dredged the claims for the first time last summer but only got to stay for 3 weeks. Flew in to the claims by helicopter from Tok and joined some dredgers who were working my claims for 10%.
When they left they flew me back to Chicken in their hovercraft. There was still a month or more left in the season and I was hooked on that gold. Against sound advice, I then bought an old used jet boat and tried to get back to the Kink with my own 6" dredge and failed. Made it about 22 miles up the river from the Obrian bridge. It took me most of the day to get to the confluence of the North and South forks where I immediately got the boat stuck in shallow water on a gravel bar. Brutal and I was alone, dragging my fully loaded boat with all my might across a huge shallow bar. Finally made it past the confluence and headed up the North Fork determined. But as soon as I entered the Northfork the water level dropped and became way too shallow. I hit many rocks and got stuck a few more times. I finally had to admit to myself that this wasn't going to work. I turned around, headed back down the river and got myself out safely. Time for a hovercraft. I'm bringing one up for next season.
The Fortymile is a serious river at least for my experience level. Even when its low it has a pretty strong current. Especially the main stem. The large rocks lurking just under the surface had my nerves on full alert. They are terrifying let's be honest!
The Falls...just up from the O'brian bridge are no joke. I made it up and down those falls a few times with no issues but coming down them on my way out I chose poorly...and went to the right down the falls. Don't do this. Bam! hit a rock and put a golf ball sized hole in the boat.
I don't think I'll ever run a jet boat on that river again. Every minute of it was scary. But I was also alone and knew if I made a mistake I was on my own.
Long way to the claims. Roughly 40 miles of river travel, one way, from either the Chicken bridge or the bridge at O'brian. I like that it's remote but it does offer quite a challenge logistically. Getting fuel and supplies up there for the season requires multiple trips up and down the river as the hovercraft can only handle a relatively small amount of weight per trip. I'm considering winter travel in the future if the gold pays well enough.
All that said, It's got to be the most enjoyable adventure I've ever had and I've been around this earth for 50 years now.
I have to say that being on the Fortymile dredging for gold is the happiest I've ever been. I kept thinking to myself what could be better than this? I can't wait for next season.
If anyone would like to join me with your own dredge this coming summer you're welcome to come up. There's good gold and tons of gravel bars to work. Highbank or dredge.
You'll need a hovercraft...

[Joe S (AK)]

Well now Eric, that was a real spellbinding first post!

Welcome aboard here on the AK Au 4 M Merry-Go-Round. You can bet that I'll be anxiously waiting to hear more tales from your spot there on the Kink.

So what size dredge, what kinds of river material and, most importantly, what sizes of Gold were you able to recover? Tent camping trip for you most probably - and so sooner or later there will be a brownie or blackie to liven up 'things', I'm sure. Stay sharp and let us know how you're doing.

Other than challenging access what sort of conditions are you finding there? Days and days of hours and hours? Were you hand panning concentrates or using well thought out high tech equipment to speed things up?

Well, I've bent your ear to a proper extent at this point. I'll be waiting to read your second post (with more to follow, I'm sure).

All the best!

Joe

[Fortymile Miner]

Thanks for the response.
I figured why not share my story with folks up there that might know the area etc.
For now I'm running a Keene 6" dredge. I'd like to move up to an 8" eventually. I plan to bring a sluice extension for the dredge since the original is pretty short to capture that fine gold. If anyone knows an easy way to add side boxes to a Keene 6" dredge let me know...
As far as gold size its all pretty fine although we did find a few pickers, one with quartz attached. My partner at the time classified the gold, all I got were the fines. Did find quite a few large garnets which I kept.

Didn't see any bears at the Kink during my 3 week stay but I did have a big brown bear stroll through my camp down on the main stem. That was my first up-close with a grizzly. It was dusk and I opened the door to my tent to head outside for something and the sound of the tent zipper must have scared him, all I saw was the hind end, about 30 yards from my tent. He was big. After I was confident he was gone I started a large fire outside the tent and ran the chainsaw for a few minutes to try and deter him from coming back. All my food was in sealed containers. I was told as long as you keep a fire going they won't come close? He didn't come back again so that was good. I was not keeping a fire outside at that point since I was using a wood stove inside the tent. I think the bear may have been upwind of me and just got curious.
We heard the wolves every couple nights at the Kink, howling in the distance. Saw a young moose there as well.
Conditions were great as I see it. Water wasn't too cold at least in July and although we got plenty of rain showers it never lasted too long and then the sun would come out. Lots of big drift piles for firewood so no real problems there. And best of all...there were almost no skeeters along the gravel bar where we camped. But as soon as you walk into the bush they would swarm you and follow you back to camp.
Mostly just dredged while I was there but I did some high banking with a shovel and a river sluice. Decent color everywhere.
I hiked up the North Fork above the Kink a few miles sampling with a gold pan. Did lots of sampling...everywhere.
I'm looking forward to doing some metal detecting up there next summer. Just for kicks. I doubt I'll find any chunky gold but maybe some relics from the early miners who blasted that kink open.
I'd like to bring a small trommel and a digger up there eventually. I was thinking maybe a Gold Claimer African model.
Cheers