A man raised in Agassiz has found his calling among the rocks and clear blue waters of Cayoosh Creek.

Along his journey of sobriety after a long battle with drug and alcohol addiction, Renegade Prospectors co-founder Rick Curiston 害羞草研究所� now loving life in Lillooet 害羞草研究所� hopes to turn his prospecting passion into a new career.

Curiston害羞草研究所檚 skills in video editing and creating content he developed as a DJ spurred him on to create a YouTube channel, documenting his new-found love of small-scale mining and prospecting.

害羞草研究所淓veryone in Agassiz would most remember me as the crazy DJ that partied all night, and I was in the festival scene for many years before COVID,害羞草研究所� he said.

The name Renegade Prospectors is a reference to his former annual festival 害羞草研究所淲eekend Renegade.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚 smoked crack for 11 years,害羞草研究所� Curiston said. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e been clean for eight. I found prospecting 11 months ago, and I害羞草研究所檝e been sober for a year.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檒l always be an addict, but now it害羞草研究所檚 for gold,害羞草研究所� he added.

Curiston and his fiancee Tina Francis made a pact to get sober together and stuck to it. The Renegade Prospectors logo contains a nod to the couple害羞草研究所檚 past; the web in the dream catcher resembles the dopamine molecule. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter linked to the brain害羞草研究所檚 pleasure centre and plays a key role in the forming of habits, both good (socializing, eating properly) and bad (gambling, addiction).

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He vividly remembers the first time he found his first piece of gold while panning along Cayoosh Creek.

害羞草研究所淧rospecting takes us to a whole new level,害羞草研究所� Curiston said. 害羞草研究所淭he high I got from seeing that [first piece of gold] 害羞草研究所� shake [the pan] back, and bang! There it was. I jumped right up and yelped.害羞草研究所�

Curiston hopes to incorporate parts of his First Nations ancestry in his YouTube channel 害羞草研究所� also named Renegade Prospectors 害羞草研究所� speaking on local legends in addition to showcasing his prospecting finds. He hopes to turn his channel and his hobby prospecting into a career.

Prospecting, hobby mining and panning for gold is the trendy new hobby in the Cayoosh Creek area, according to Curiston.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 booming right now because of COVID; we害羞草研究所檝e bumped into a lot of people, all newbies,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 nothing else to do!害羞草研究所�

After seeing Curiston and Francis害羞草研究所檚 success, the couple害羞草研究所檚 received private messages across social media looking for their expertise in the hobby.

Agate seems to be their most common find.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 huge on agate,害羞草研究所� Curiston said of the Cayoosh Creek area. Agate is a volcanic rock that melds chalcedony and quartz.

Prior to venturing out, Curiston looks for irregularities and coloration in the land using Google Earth to help him determine where to look next.

害羞草研究所淲e haven害羞草研究所檛 found 害羞草研究所榥othing害羞草研究所� yet. Every time, it works,害羞草研究所� Curiston said.

Then, off he goes treasure hunting with Francis, 4-year-old daughter Paisley and loyal canine friend Biscuit.

害羞草研究所淸Paisley] even has her own hat, vest, gear and tools for digging agates and amethyst,害羞草研究所� Curiston said. 害羞草研究所淪he害羞草研究所檚 still the holder of the best purple piece of amethyst to date! Due to her being so close to the ground, she finds the really nice stuff.害羞草研究所�

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Among their biggest hauls is a 35-pound piece of agate and amethyst chunks the size of Curiston害羞草研究所檚 fist. He described the first amethyst find as a 害羞草研究所減ocket glowing with purple inside.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淭hat was it, all high fives,害羞草研究所� he recalled. 害羞草研究所淲e started chiseling; it害羞草研究所檚 took two and a half hours to get it out of super hard, hard rock. It was super, super dense rock, but it was very worth it.害羞草研究所�

Francis is enrolled in online schooling for business skills and has been working on building blogs. She crafts pendants 害羞草研究所� doing everything from polishing to cutting gems to assembling the pendants themselves 害羞草研究所� from the agate they find while prospecting and has sold a few already to friends and family.

When they害羞草研究所檙e not treasure hunting, the family likes to fish for trout and hike, exploring familiar trails, relics and old mining sites possibly hearkening back to the days of the Cayoosh Creek Gold Rush in the late 1800s.

Curiston and Francis have been posting videos since late August on YouTube, garnering just under 40 subscribers so far. Their Facebook page is more active with more than 100 followers as of publication; the page features photos of their finds, video briefs out in the field and articles about mining and prospecting. They have also set up a Patreon page for those who want to support their work and content.

害羞草研究所淭hanks to those who have helped me, guided me into the world of prospecting and who have supported me along the way,害羞草研究所� Curiston wrote on Facebook at the one year sober mark. 害羞草研究所淚 appreciate every one of you. Life has changed a lot in the past few years and I害羞草研究所檓 so happy I can live every day now, clean and sober.害羞草研究所�

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