Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Towards the end of his shopping spree, he purchased an item that was highly needed and could greatly improve their quality of life: Starlink devices.

Australia is sparsely populated, and local telecommunications companies naturally wouldn't spend money to build base stations in those remote wilderness areas.

Therefore, in those areas, let alone 4G or 5G network signals, sometimes even phone calls cannot be made.

During his last gold rush in Alaska, he lived a secluded life for several months, relying purely on sheer grit.

Now that he has the means, he believes it is still necessary to maintain constant contact with the outside world.

Two days later, Edward and Montgomery finally completed all the formalities.

At this point, all preparations have been completed.

The spacious Raptor pickup truck's cargo bed and rear seats were already fully loaded.

After giving Mungo $500 as payment, the two set off at noon toward Kurgadi.

The two arrived in Kurgadi, a town more than 500 kilometers from Perth, in the evening.

To avoid losing the supplies in the vehicle, they did not stay in a hotel in town, but rested in the vehicle for the night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the two filled up their tank at a local gas station, bought two barrels of diesel and one barrel of gasoline, and set off along the only road into the wilderness.

The number of vehicles on the road and the number of people on both sides of the road gradually decreased, and in the end, the two found that there was no trace of people around.

Having thoroughly researched the area beforehand, Zhou Xin knew that the land on both sides of the road was owned, and to find unclaimed land, he would have to abandon this road.

When the car passed a roadside sign that read "Reidon", the two drove off the road and drove directly into the roadless wilderness.

The land here is flat and the vegetation is sparse, allowing birds of prey to roam freely with almost no constraints.

Edward looked out at the desolate scenery and was filled with excitement.

"This is a really nice place, so quiet."

Zhou Xin recalled how he was when he first arrived in Miami and asked, "Didn't you like crowds?"

"You don't understand. Liking excitement and liking quiet are not contradictory. It's like I like vibrant young girls, but that doesn't mean I don't like charming and mature women."

"..."

Throughout the journey, Edward seemed incredibly excited, sometimes bursting into song and sometimes dancing with joy.

Zhou Xin couldn't help but sigh, recalling how lonely and desolate he felt when he was panning for gold alone last time, and thought that he must quickly form a gold panning team.

But now, he just feels that it's better to be a little lonely and quiet.

Zhou Xin had previously downloaded a map online that detailed the ownership of every piece of land in the area.

By referring to the map, he learned that the place was called Ridon.

It is nearly 100 kilometers away from the nearest town, making it a truly desolate place.

According to the map, there are still several large tracts of land northeast of Ridøn that do not belong to any country.

Whether or not gold can be found there depends entirely on luck.

The car drove through the wilderness, surrounded by sparse bushes and some short desert eucalyptus and Australian cypress trees.

Although it's not yet the hottest time of year in Western Australia, the midday sun is already quite intense.

Dust billowed from the rear of the car, creating a yellow dragon-like trail across the wilderness.

"We should be there soon, this way."

While checking the map, Zhou Xin directed Edward to drive.

"That's amazing! I can almost smell the gold!" Edward exclaimed excitedly.

"The smell of gold must be incredibly sweet," Zhou Xin chuckled and continued:

"If all goes well, we can officially begin our gold-hunting journey tomorrow."

"I'm really looking forward to it! You know, I worked with David for months on Mount Katz before we finally found a little over thirty ounces of gold!"

At that time in Mount Katz, David invested a large sum of money to purchase various mechanical equipment and assemble a large-scale ore washing plant.

A mine of this size typically needs to harvest at least 200 ounces of gold per mining season in order to barely break even.

Opening a gold mining plant in Alaska is indeed a high-stakes gamble, and only a very small number of people can make money from it.

"We've arrived. This should be the center of this no man's land."

The two drove around the area for a while and found a suitable spot to set up camp.

This is a very flat place with only a few low shrubs growing sparsely.

Behind the flat land is a small hill, and on the side facing the flat land is a vertical section five or six meters high.

Having a strong backing provides a great sense of security.

Another more important reason is that this location is mostly in the shade, which is why the vegetation is sparse here.

Summer has arrived in Australia, and it gets very hot outdoors after the sun has been shining brightly during the day.

Moreover, it will get hotter and hotter over time.

This location is in the shade, so the temperature is much lower than in areas where the sun shines.

As soon as the two entered the shady area, they immediately felt much cooler, which proved that their judgment was correct.

As soon as the car stopped, Logan jumped out and excitedly ran around and frolicked.

After a long and tiring journey, this is probably the most uncomfortable thing.

After a short rest, the two immediately began setting up the camp.

First, clear away the shrubs, weeds and other vegetation, then drive back and forth to compact the ground.

Next, the two of them unloaded the items from the car together.

This time, Zhou Xin prepared a relatively large tent with windows on all four sides to ensure ventilation.

In order to keep warm, polar tents used in Alaska need to be well-sealed.

However, in hot Australia, the opposite is true; tents must have good breathability.

After setting up the tent, the two men erected a large waterproof tarpaulin and unloaded and installed the generator, battery, and other equipment.

Next, the two emptied the freezer, unloaded it from the car, arranged it neatly, and then refilled it.

As for the water tower filled with water, placing it on the vehicle, with its slight drop, is just right.

Many hands make light work, and two people working together are very efficient. By sunset, the campsite is basically complete.

Finally, Zhou Xin carefully sprinkled snake-repellent powder around the camp before letting out a sigh of relief.

"We'll be spending the next few months here."

The camp under the canopy was divided into several areas:

In the kitchen dining area, a table holds a microwave oven, an induction cooker, and other tableware, while the freezer is placed closer to the center to prevent it from getting wet in the rain.

The equipment area contains items such as batteries, generators, and lighting fixtures.

The work break area contains a table and two folding moon chairs, as well as two GPX 6000 detectors.

Looking at the well-stocked and fully functional camp, Zhou Xin felt very satisfied.

"Shin, let's drink to celebrate the completion of our camp!"

Edward took two bottles of beer from the freezer as he spoke.

When purchasing supplies this time, Zhou Xin specially prepared several cases of beer, intending to drink them on special occasions.

Edward had taken out two bottles and put them in the freezer beforehand, and they're now perfectly chilled.

"At a time like this, it's definitely worth a drink!" Zhou Xin said with a smile as he accepted the beer.

Ding--

The two slumped in the folding moon chairs, enjoying the evening breeze and watching the crimson sunset in the distance, letting the cool beer slide down their throats and into their stomachs.

Awooo—

Logan stood not far away, looking up and howling, his voice carrying far across the empty wilderness.