GOT GOLD? In Porcupine Creek We Do!

Rainbow Glacier Adventure's Gold Rush Tour To Porcupine has exploded the summer of 2013.  I am grateful to be taking fans of the TV show "Gold Rush" out to Dakota Fred's Porcupine Creek Mine almost every weekday and some weekends.


Dakota Fred, his son Dustin Hurt, and Melody Tallis are warm, friendly, inviting gold miners at Porcupine Creek Gold Mine.  My guests are surprised
at the time these gold miners will take out of their busy season to say hello, take a few photos, and take the time to teach everyone how to pan for gold.

Gold Panning guests are also surprised to find a funny, cool guy out of Dakota Fred.  The show makes him out to be a shrewd business man without a heart (at times).  But his heart is full of kindness and his laughter is contagious.  Plus...he is letting people leave Porcupine Creek Mine with HIS gold!  Whatever they find, they get to keep.  That is mighty generous considering I have seen some nice size "pickers" of gold in our guests pan.  Which is a different term from the mine across the river, Parker Schnabel's Big Nugget Mine, over there they called them "nuggets"........Porcupine Creek Miners call them, "pickers", either way the gold has substance, and it is round, and it makes a clanging sound when you shake it in the gold vial.  If I ever get my own gold mine I will call them "clangers".

When you come on our Gold Rush to Porcupine tour you get to see the "behind the scenes" of the TV show and learn what the miners are doing before it airs this fall.  I have to be careful what photos I can post so I don't give away all Gold Rush Season 4's secrets.  

The Captain of Norwegian's "Pearl" cruise ship brought all his top Officers and Engineers to Haines for a sneak peek of Dakota Fred's gold operation.  They had to ferry over from Skagway because Norwegian Cruise Line doesn't port in Haines......mainly because their ships are too big for our little dock. They fit over 4,000 people on the Pearl.....we fit only 2,500 people in Haines Borough.

Gold Panning guest's also get to meet Jen.  She is Dakota Fred's assistant at the mine and manages all his public websites, Facebook page, and souvenir orders.  Interestingly, she got involved by being a fan of the Gold Rush TV show and chatting on the chat sites about the gold miners of the show.  She was a big defender of all the gold miners and Dakota Fred liked her enthusiasm and offered her a job to manage his online stuff.  She was so good at that Fred soon offered her a job to come right up to Porcupine Creek Mine base camp and work from the mine.  Her duties became all encompassing once she moved out to the Porcupine Mining District.  On top of all the e-net work she runs errands into Haines picking up parts and groceries, keeps record of the gold tours and bagging dirt for us to pan, plus she cooks for the gold miners at Porcupine Creek. The miners say they are sooo happy not to have to eat spam for every meal like last year when Dakota Fred was cooking.  She is a great addition to the Porcupine Creek gold mine.

Dakota Fred's Website

Dakota Fred, Gold Miner on Facebook

Gold guests enjoy getting to know Melody Tallis better too.  She is an amazingly hard working woman (guess it is not a surprise she is hard-working since she is a woman right?).  She grew up in Fairbanks....maybe that helped toughen her up for this kind of work....or maybe the fact she is a 5 times Barrel Racing Champion on the rodeo circuit.  That is a horse competition sport for those who don't know.  

Dustin Hurt visits our gold guests when he can, but he seems to be extra busy with the gold operation this summer.  He has a big pool of fans.....all ages and genders. But I will say....he seems to be the favorite for many ladies on our tours.  I don't know why?  Maybe it is his sparkling personality shining through on the show.  Yah, that must be it. lol 

The gold panning tour has been a big hit and everyone leaves with a smile, great memories, and GOLD.  The weather has been perfect this summer, the views spectacular, and we get to see wildlife once in a while on the round trip 64 mile drive to Porcupine Creek.  We see the four legged kind and their calling card.....berry filled scat.

And sometimes we see the wild and unpredictable two legged kind of wildlife.  It is a real special treat when we do too.

Happy Panning my friends....we have one more month of gold mining weather at Porcupine Creek.