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  A few years ago my  teenaged friend Zach and I took a week-long prospecting trip to another friend, Martin's placer claim near Lincoln, Montana. I had shipped my sluice and other gear ahead and was really looking forward to getting some sweet gravels run through it. Upon arrival I was full of questions about the operation and Marty explained that since he was on the west side of the Continental Divide that all prospecting activity was by regulations to be out of the waterway since we were in protected western cutthroat trout habitat, we even had to bring our own water. This was a pity because within twenty feet of his recirculating rig there was a beautiful stream that even contained an old mostly-buried wooden sluice sticking from a bank.

  We were to dig a prescribed distance from the stream's edge and ran the gravels through the equipment. The system seemed to work well and we were busily recovering a fair amount of fine gold but no nuggets to speak of. My attention was constantly drawn to that stream but I knew that dipping a single pan could cost him his claim so I  followed Marty's instruction to not prospect it. After a couple of days there I asked about the regulations on the east side of the Divide (to which we were very close). He was unsure but agreed that when we returned to his home that evening he would find out.

  After returning it only took a brief phone call to the BLM agent to learn that east of the Divide in-stream mining like panning and sluicing was allowed. "Oh, yeah" I thought to myself, "I might sluice me up some of that Montana gold afterall" so the next day we made plans to take the trip east.

  The small town of Marysville, Montana is in a historic gold district and driving through we could see the remnants of a large mining operation.  We headed higher up into the mountains and it was not long until I spotted a black bear about 50 yards from the roadway so we stopped to take some pictures. After about a half-hour more driving we found a spot in a tight ravine with a nice stream flowing through it and I was nearly giddy with anticipation. My fervor was interrupted when getting out of the truck and I noticed he had a tire going flat. "Dang, I do not have a spare," he said. "I have to go get this fixed right away."  I told him that I was staying to do some prospecting, Zach wanted to go with him so I told him to go, I would be okay.

  As they drove off the realization hit me that I was alone in bear country without a weapon. I overcame the unease and got down to business finding a spot to set up the sluice and did a little test panning. Finding some material to work I was seated on a bucket in the babbling creek running gravels. Every little sound sent my heart racing but each one turned out to be nothing of concern. That nagging feeling actually started to fade and I was really enjoying my time alone when suddenly something came crashing though the woods behind me! My heart nearly jumped from my chest and I jumped up,  grabbing my shovel expecting that a thousand pound grizzly was about to pounce. I could not believe my eyes when I spun around and was eye-to-eye with a freakin' cow!!!! The cow was apparently startled as I was and it turned tail and ran off before I could even get a shovel-swing at it.

  It took quite a few minutes to calm down enough to resume prospecting. I did manage but I never did get comfortable again. When Marty and Zach returned a short while later I told them the tale of my near attack and we all had a pretty good laugh.