In photos: Mining for gold the old-fashioned way
Panning in the hills of Lillooet, B.C., with George Vanderwolf
Gold miner George Vanderwolf looks out over the Fraser River and a suitable spot to mine for gold in Lillooet, B.C, on Nov. 13, 2012.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Vanderwolf, 78, learned to mine gold by hand from his father-in-law and his wife’s uncle. “If you didn’t do it right, you heard about it from those guys,” he says.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
It’s off with the cowboy boots and on with the hip waders when you’re ready to go panning.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Now officially retired after selling off the last of his claims, Vanderwolf still gets the urge to go prospecting “every day.”John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Miners today use GPS technology and computers; Vanderwolf represents the old way of prospecting, with a pick, a shovel and a pan.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Vanderwolf says he won’t sell the half-ounce nugget from the day of his luckiest strike: “So you get a few thousand dollars for it. But once the money is gone you’ve got nothing.”John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
Vanderwolf sees more than the picturesque mountain valleys near his Lillooet home. Instead, he thinks about the geological record and where to find gold.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
“A gold nugget is a miracle of nature. A diamond is worth more. But you get 10 diamonds and they all look the same. Every nugget is unique.”John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail