Day 1:
A recent pocket find where several nice amethyst clusters, one weighing in at 29 lbs, spurred another weekend trip to Reel Mine for me. A group of my friends were already set up and digging in the area of the recently discovered pocket so I decided to dig in the opposite pit where large pockets have also been discovered. The area was previously closed off to digging as the dangerous overhanging cliff rocks and boulders made it too treacherous. Fortunate for me a large portion of the overhanging rocks had been cleared away from previous diggers also interested in that spot. The unfortunate thing was that I had an entire day and a half worth of just cleaning out debris that had fallen down and into the pocket zone underneath. Since I was by myself it was very difficult trying to lift large boulders out of a hole that is about 6 ft deep, so my main method was smashing them with a sledge hammer to reduce them to manageable pieces or rocking them side to side as I shoved them with all my might.
Day two:
Francis checks up on me to make sure I'm still alive. He graciously offers to bring the tractor down and help me remove some of the tailings I had produced since I started. There was a pretty significant boulder pile I had created near the hole I was digging and he helped me clear those away with the tractor. There were a couple very large boulders that I couldn't move at the edge of my hole and he helped drag those away by tying a chain to his tractor and wrapping the other end around those boulders. You really couldn't ask for a better mine owner than that! With the hole cleared of tailings and debris I was able to gain easier access further down in the hole and into the pocket zone.
2nd half of day 2:
There was one particular boulder in the bottom of the hole where I had been finding small clusters of amethyst averaging 1 - 2 inches. But these finds were going underneath that boulder and underneath that boulder was the water table. I was only able to find the crystals by sticking my hand underwater and feeling for them underneath that boulder. The boulder was too heavy and too deep in the hole to lift out with a pry bar so I had to use both of my legs with my back against the wall for leverage to shove it away using the rocking maneuver. Through much effort I somehow managed to position it up and away from where I was finding the crystals. Although, the path was now free, I was still left with searching by touch alone underneath icy cold water. This turned out to be much easier than your imagination might make it. No sooner after I moved that troublesome boulder did I start pulling cluster after cluster from that water hole. All I had to do was stick my hand down there grab hold of whatever I felt, pull it out, and examine it above the water. Most of what came out was crystals. Small ones, medium ones, larger ones, but then there was one cluster of crystals I could feel there under the water that was not budging. I dug as best I could with my fingers, trying to remove all the clay and debris from around it. I didn't want to use any metal tools down there for fear that I would accidentally ding the crystals. So I worked with my fingers and arms in that frigid water for what seemed like an hour. Finally, when I tugged on the plate I noticed it move very slightly. I was elated. Elated that it was not attached to the bedrock, elated that I was indeed going to get this thing out before nightfall, elated that this thing may come out in one piece! A few more minutes of carefully removing debris and with one final tug the cluster was free. This cluster weighing in at 26 lbs. was the biggest and best cluster I have ever found at the Reel Mine. The largest cluster to date is a 165 pound monster currently at the Grandfather Mountain Nature Museum in Linville, North Carolina.
I created a video that shows how the clusters look straight from the pocket, the tedious process of cleaning, and the final result after a bath in acid solution. The amount of work and effort it takes to mine, gather, wrap and transport, clean, acid soak, and then photograph these specimens is ridiculous -- but having a place to permanently and publicly document this makes it worth it.