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RiverDigger wrote a great piece.  Prospector Safety 101.  With so many new people because of the current prices, its critical that they read an pay attention to his set, as well as this set. I would also like to see hard rock miners speak up and put out a 101 specifically for the folks not digging in gravel bars, and the ones digging in banks and starting shafts.  Here however is a set of specific river rules. My experience is in the coastal rainforest and the western cascades, and that is the focus here, warnings for the Pacific Northwest as well as Canada and Alaska, as they are similar. These are things I know from experience, Logging, Working Cedar, and Fishing and now Prospecting.

Warning to new prospectors. The river doesn't care if you go home. There are numerous ways to get hurt and get killed and they are dangerous because you will never expect them. Here are just a few.

The ways you could die on the river.

1. Water Pressure. This is something you cant even imagine unless its happened to you and if it did you likely had some or lots of help getting out of it. Flowing water will pin you to anything solid with such force you can not get free. This is how most kyakers and rafters drown. Many swimmers drown the same way. Never underestimate water pressure even in shallow water. slipper rocks can drop you in shallow water and push you to much deeper water. The only vids of my river are about bodies recovered. One a couple hundred yards from my bar. No happy panning vids on youtube. I still check but none ever come.

2. Water Level. What is fine when you go down to the water can change in minutes. Rivers can go to flood stage for many reasons and do it faster than you could imagine. Dams can break. All of our infrastructure is aging and falling apart. Both large and small man made dams can fail at any time. BUT, natural dam floods can happen for a number of reasons. Rock choke points giving way.  Beaver dams giving way. Log Jams holding back water failing. Massive landslides can also raise the water level to above flood stage.  Always work with your eyes looking upstream. If you see water coming GET OUT! Leave all of your stuff and GO! that high banker or trommel is replaceable and you will have a story that's worth telling if you have to replace it. Might not if you try to save it.

3. Logs. I have seen an entire log jam break free on the Quinault river. It literally beat the crap out of both banks as it went down. The sound was terrifying and I was well safe by 50 or more yards.  Log jams are only jams while they hold. When they break free they are truly log monsters.  In the same vein I witnessed something I never ever could have imagined on the lower Humptulips river. I had crossed in a shallow spot to the other side away from my car. Because that's where the king salmon where schooled up in a hole.  I saw the log floating down river. just one. Didn't thing much of it. Logs float loose all the time and get hung in holes.  This one hit in the hole upstream with the tip and the trunk and roots were caught by the water and swept rock and brush right off the bar i had crossed a half hour earlier and then the tip snapped and the roots came down in the next hole and the tip spun and swept the rest of the bar. The first sweep wasn't a gawker, but the end over end second sweep wasn't even expected. This time I was well away as well. Probably so I could live to tell.

4 . Boulders. Very recently, I was nearly killed on the Raging river. Calm time, had lots of classified to run. I normally don't take breaks (ok you can see why mining partners are scarce lol) But this day I was feeling pretty satisfied with myself over all the buckets filled and poured a cup of coffee and rolled up a smoke. Yep some people still can do that. And I went to plant my ass an a ton and a half boulder. could have been two tons, just a guess. Sitting right in about a foot of water, for this rare relaxation break. And I made a mistake that I even knew better than to make. I sat down on the downstream side right as my right boot dropped into the hole in front of it and the boulder moved forward to roll me into the hole with only the slightest touch of my hand. I was fortunate enough to feel the boulder move under my hand and jump clear. But I bashed my right knee on other rocks and limped around home with it swollen up for a couple weeks. Happy as hell i wasn't crushed to death.

5. Hill Slides. This one happened while walking my dog very close to my house. I wanted to get a look at a dry summer creek. I had my dog on a retractable leash and inched to the edge of about a 15-20 foot cut bank to take a peek. Because you know you will once you run that pan like a pro. When the bank gave way he was on the solid part. Me still holding the retractable leash and him frantic because i was at the bottom with a broken foot. I thank God every time i think about it. He was kept safe. Little boy was frantic and laid down at the edge crying. Took almost to dark to climb the brush back up and limp home. That wasnt even prospecting. Just peeking over the edge.

6. Bedrock. We all know we are supposed to explore every inch of bedrock. And we know from Riverdigger's prospecting 101 that we should be careful in the arid regions not to stick our hands into strange places due to critters. But you might use your maglight (not on your list? get one) to see down into dark cracks. And you may see shiny and reach in. And you may not even think about you hand swelling. Its just a chunk of worthless metal compared to your life. Think about what your doing.

7. You. The river could kill you because you don't hold up. Your feet and ankles and knees and hips are critical for you to be able to leave. Broken arms are no big deal. But you and I both know your prospecting in a place no one knows..... and no one will come and find you. That's how those 1/4oz vials got filled right? OK this one is not a big deal. You have a signal mirror, matches, a bic and some big orange plastic fold up flags in your pocket right? You can crawl to a clearing and signal for help? Good. If you cant you can send smoke?

8.Predators. I already admitted I leave the extra 2.5 pounds of gun and ammo at home most times. But now your trapped with your foot caught between boulders. And now you realize this prime spot is prime because no other humans come there. Its so remote and private its actually where predators come to drink. Because other humans don't come there. And as it gets dark you see the shadows come down to the waters edge.  But your smart. You have a .357 or .44 magnum, and a can of bear spray and a compressed air horn. You understand the difference between a compressed powder cartridge and the common 9mm or .40 cal. I wont even tell the time i was surrounded by -15 coyotes with my first wife and got in the truck as they hit the doors on both sides. But you get the point.

That's a tiny fragment of the things that can happen. I didn't touch on any of the obvious. Slimy rocks and such.  I cut my feet loose from logs twice when I was cutting cedar. They slip right in, and you better have your saw close. And if you don't come out for lunch or to go home then your co workers will look.

Not so with prospecting.

The wilds have never changed. But people have become complacent. Be observant. Be aware. Be prepared.  There are no second chances out there. I dont need to tell the old timers or the seasoned.

This is for you new folks. If the oldtimers here added their own points, the list would be triple im sure.