Exploring Clear Creek for Garnets

My friend Matt and I headed out to Havilah to look for reported garnets along Clear Creek. There's not alot of access to Clear Creek, but we managed to find a home for sale with access to an old dirt road that winds it's way down the steep hillside to the creek.  A few tims the road was overgrown we couldn't see if it was safe to continue - Matt would go walk ahead and make sure I could continue.  It helps the Suzuki is so skinny.
   As we made out way down we began to see various size tailing piles on the hillside across the creek.  Mountain Goat Matt headed up towards them, as I explored a nearby prospect, the creek, and some sort of landing with a 1940's panel truck left there.  The mine highest on the hill had the largest tailings pile, but we had not planned on going in any mines, so we did not have the equipment to do so.
   Between the two of us we realized the landing was where a tramway up to that largest tailings pile began.  There were huge heavy concrete bases for the tram wire, and an ore seperating building right next to that.  We discovered nice bright white massive quartz, but no garnets.  We brought home some flakes that I will drop off later at the Mine Shaft in Bodfish, and see if the flakes are gold.
  After this little adventure we headed off to the area near the King Solomon Mine, and then to the saddle between Havilah an Walker Basin.  We could see using Google Earth that there was a fairly large mine behind someone's home there.  No one was home, so we left a note requesting access in the mailbox.  Finally, we decided to run by the Joe Walker Mine to see if by chance anyone was there.  We hoped to catch the owners visiting the property so we could ask for access (they have ignored a letter requesting access already).  No one was there, so we explored the quartz veins along that same ridge to the east of the Lene Mine.  A fun day of local exploring, leaving us with more questions than we began the trip with.
   Postscript:  I discovered the large tailings pile near Clear Creek was from Wes Kutchner's dad working tungsten for the war.  We says there's both gold and mercury in the creek.