Considering all the setup and build-up, it can take a while actually to uncover some gold. That's why Rick Ness thinks it's prudent to take some time to appreciate it when the first gold of the season comes in. That's precisely what he related to Channel Guide when the topic of the best moment of the season came up. He recounted, "It's kind of easy for everybody to lose focus and forget what they're there for and what they're doing. I was seeing that in everybody. It can get monotonous after a while, but as soon as we started sluicing, and as soon as that first gold showed up in the sluice box, I brought my friends in there who had never seen it before and got to see their reactions."
Naturally, the sight of gold helped a great deal to reconfigure everyone's priorities. It's easy to forget why you're doing something in the heat of the moment, but to see all that hard work bear fruit can make it all worthwhile.
