I studied the Gold Rush in high school but never really understood the fever until our trip to Alaska.

Juneau was founded when the gold rush shifted from California to Alaska in 1880. People flocked to the area seeking their fortunes in the rugged terrain. Today, many towns in Alaska feature gold panning excursions for adventurous tourists who would like to experience the thrill of the hunt.

People snicker and joke about the craziness of panning for gold. But after visiting Gold Dredge 8 in Fairbanks and learning the history of the gold rush, harsh conditions and desperate reasons people went there, we took a different perspective.

There’s something about hearing the water of a rushing stream, navigating the rocks and pebbles along the bank, and feeling strained muscles as you bend down to search.

Gold is one of the heavier metals and when mixed with sediment, it will settle to the bottom. After a demonstration of stirring, shaking, sifting and skimming, we were given round metal pans of rocks and sand.

There is a process: stir and pour off the water until it is clear; shake the pan left and right so pebbles and lighter sediment comes to the top; carefully dipping the pan in the stream, skim and drain the remainder of sediment until there is the finest of sand. The trick is to tilt the pan to one side and if you’re lucky, you will see little gold specks within the crease of the opposite side of the pan.

Believe me, it is very hard to skim and drain and not worry you’ll lose that gold. There is also the unforgettable excitement when you tilt the pan and actually find something there.

We went panning at three different sites and managed to find what might be worth $24.00 in value. You need a lot of patience but there really is gold in them thar hills!