When I was off having my rocks "assayed", or - for better description, confirmed, Geo #1 brought out a beautiful sapphire specimen, probably 5 pounds, perfectly shaped. A gift from the ... "XYZ" of prospectors out here in the West Koots.
My nemesis, after a fashion, we've never met but he's perpetually proving my every theory in my absence.
And, all summer long, he's out doors, at elevation, digging up great shit.
This sapphire, I know the location, it's not a "gem" quality specimen, but perfect in shape and damn, I want one. Or two. I want a few. But the area's claimed up, and - not gonna be that guy. There are more, and better, out there.
Anyways, he's a guy you'd know about only if you were a prospector. He's not one of those celebrity prospectors that populate YouTube. He's the guy too busy finding shit to streamcast it to the world.
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Those celebrity prospectors, in BC a couple come to mind. The first, charming, charismatic, a distinct signature "How-Do-You-Do" to his videos, his videos, more about exploring established claims and locations to find whatever it is that's already proven to be there. And his revenue, it's largely based upon the YouTube and Celebrity factor. He does pretty well I'm sure.
The other, they're "friends" in that YouTube/Influencer sort of way, less charismatic, more a "do the job" type of guy, also has a following, but not nearly as large. I like him better. More "Show" less "Tell".
But this guy, so far as I can tell, no following, I'd searched for him before, found a bit on him, not a lot, we've never met but...
He's my Nemesis.
And tonight, Facebook, my gem digging recommendations, and he's there, and so - fuck, why not, I know him, of him, 1 degree of separation, and I follow.
And, damn, for all my questing he's finding. Rubies, obvious, big, in matrix. Iolite, gem quality, perfect blue, chunks hundreds of carats large. Smoky Quartz. He's in the subalpine, I know where, a few hours from here, know where, not specifically, but general enough, and fuck he's finding it all. He's so ahead of the curve that most of his findings aren't even in the government databases yet.
He's my nemesis. And he's doing it right, the sub-alpine terrains, high altitudes, peaks, helicopter & pack-ins, all this is available at sea (or lake) level, but the rocks aren't exposed, and so it's a different game. But he's got game and he's finding the best shit. This year will have been his best ever, camped at 10, 000 feet, finding, finding, scintillating garnets in schist, foot-long smokey quartz crystals, iolites, rubies...
Damn.
Next year, I'll have the jeep, the budget, the means up the mountain, and I don't have to go far, I recognize all the rocks, they're here as well, I need only dig deeper, smarter, harder, faster...but damn, this guy's my nemesis, not nemesis, the arms to every thought I've ever had and it's time I became my own agent and begun digging in as intelligent a fashion...