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Thoughts on lost gold wedding ring

I just watched the video. That is a mountain runoff stream. It is high gradient, with high velocity and scour. There is a reason that the rocks you see are the size of washing machines. Everything smaller than that gets washed away. These systems typically have a lot of gravel moving through them every winter.

You cant look at the stream in the summer and understand how much material passes down the channel. Streams are a conveyor belt of water AND earth from the tops of the mountains to the ocean. That is their job and this ones looks like it is good at it.

The only way the ring is still anywhere near there is if it got caught in a crack in the bedrock. But even then, there will be gravel deposited on top of it (up to a couple feet) after the runoff season subsides.

I don't blame you for going to try. And honestly, I really hope you get to come back here to update this thread and show everyone how wrong I am. I will be pulling for you.

What you are saying is just what happens to larger placer nuggets and why they move so far from the "mother load" Very good explanation.

Would I go look go look for the ring....yes, but I liked placer dredging in mountain stream and would do it again in a heartbeat.
 
what the heck, go for it! you never know,,,,,,real good possibility it is wedged in a rock,,,you will know when you try,,,,I hope the rocks don't have minerals or you may have trouble with that machine,,,give it a go and let us know,,,GL HH
 
Trout hug the bottom of streams, where the water is running much slower than only inches above the bottom. I'de give it a try. I'de guess between 5 and 30 feet from where it was lost. I lost an anchor once in a fast moving stream, and it didn't go far. I had to get wet, but I got it back. Good luck
 
is it cost effective?

I'm no expert but I agree with you on this one. I would at least detect the area where he lost it first and go from there. A lot can happen in 6 years but I've read of crazier stories.
Best of luck and let us know!! HH

I know scuba gear and a good waterproof md is not cheap. Let alone the time to get scuba certified and the risk of a boulder getting pinned on your leg. I would help my friend if I could but I would really have to weigh the risk factors to a few hundred bucks for a new ring and my life. It sounds like if it is safe, go for it. You might get lucky, in addition, find other stuff too:p
 
In the rocks? It's probably still right there.

But the ring is still "gone" because that sounds like an impossible hunt. The first and biggest problem is the river speed. Even a lazy 5 MPH water flow is impossible to swim against, you can't even hold even. Second is that it's down in rocks. Gold seeks the lowest possible point so it will work it's way to the bottom of the rocks (however deep that is) and rocks are difficult at the best to dig through.
 
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