Hello All,
I just got home after spending 10 days in the bush of northern Alaska. I was at Livengood Camp conducting training for Diamond Drillers and Helpers for safe work on the big surface drills.
This camp was shut down back in 1976 after the pipeline work was completed. This camp housed 300 people during the pipeline days. The mining company who now has it leased has been refurbishing it for the drill crews and the support staff.
The camp was comfortable and pleasant except that there is no cell reception and very very slow Internet, if you can get connected at all.
Did I mention the mosquitoes? The millions of big blood thirsty mosquitoes? They are every where, there is no escaping them no matter where you try to hide. Mosquito dope is used by the gallon by everyone that even drives through the bush. I was attacked every morning while trying to shower. There is no reading the paper on the john, they will swarm you as you set trying to do your job.
One of the guys was using Deet to ward them off and it seemed to work well until his safety glasses fell off of his face. The deet had eaten clean through the ear pieces of his safety glasses. When we read the label on the bottle it said not for prolonged use - Ha Ha.
old camp not in use
Looking toward old camp
Looking toward the new section
Training room on the right
Class time
New core being put together
Safety briefing on site
small core rig
larger core rig
rig set up -, crew on site.
My room mate and I would breakout flashlights each evening (hard to tell evening when there is 24 hours of daylight) and hunt them down on our walls and snap them with tee shirts. This worked well until we went to sleep and they came back with reinforcements. We found out why there are only big people in the bush, the little ones get packed off never to be seen again. I am a big guy and I barely escaped with my life.
These pictures were taken along the Chilkoot River Northwest of Haines Alaska.
A sow and her two cubs.
These are well feed cubs.
Fishing is a skill taught by mother.
She aware of intruders into her families space.
Note the hump on her back between her shoulders. This is the sign of a Grizzly Bear. 
Lots of fish. Eyes fixed on dinner.
Looking for her playful cubs.
I was here doing some safety training for the small crew. This is one of the mines on the TV show Alaska Gold Rush.
The crew and I. From left Gary, myself, Parker and Terry.
Just one small scoop of concentrates produced this.
The Discovery Channel flim crew.
This is a picture of the orginal Porcupine Creek gold camp from the 1890's. Lady's entertainment tent of the left and saloon on the right.
Looking toward the orginal site in which the old timers first mined the yellow stuff dreams are made of.
Fish Ladder
Holding pen
Hatchery in Juneau
Ashley checking them out
Cindy and I at the fish ladder
DeAnna fishing for Salmon
DeAnna's first Silver Salmon she caught 2 that day
King Crab
Whales not far from our boat
Heading back to the harbor after fishing
Salmon in the ladder
Safety meeting at a drill site
Helo slinging equipment to a drill
Drilling for core. Note the new safety guard between driller and rotating drill rod.
The core barrel
Cleaning the core tube
Five foot section of core
old camp not in use
Looking toward old camp
Looking toward the new section
Training room on the right
Class time
New core being put together
Safety briefing on site
small core rig
larger core rig
rig set up -, crew on site.
