Gold rush: Athens man joins group of gold hunters on new Discovery program airing Friday

Aaron Chandler was in a secluded creek panning for gold in Lumpkin County last year when unexpectedly another gold hunter walked up.

“I thought it was my secret place,” the Athens resident and gold panning enthusiast said.

But that happenstance meeting evolved into Chandler appearing on a special gold hunting television show that premiers at 9 p.m. Friday on the Discovery Channel.

This episode of "America’s Backyard Gold" is called “There’s Gold in Them Thar Georgia Hills.”

The show, Chandler said, is part of a new series starring Dave Turin, who previously was on the Discovery Channel series “Gold Rush” for seven seasons.

Deep dives: UGA professor chronicles search for MIA soldiers in the ocean's depths for Smithsonian magazine

The Georgia episode takes place in Lumpkin County, long known as the gold capitol of the Peach State. The county seat is Dahlonega, a word which Chandler interprets as “yellow money” in the Cherokee language.

“It should be good for the state, maybe bring in some tourism,” Chandler said.

Jeff Burnett, the man he encountered that day on the creek was already scheduled to appear in the show and he was in the process of looking for other gold hobbyists like himself to participate. He found an experienced one in Chandler.

Burnett, who is a gold panning guide in Dahlonega, and Chandler will join several other Georgia gold hunters in the episode.

Chandler, who works in telecommunications in Athens, is a gold hunter with a YouTube channel with about 320 videos that share his exploits in the creeks of Georgia.

“I literally go every single weekend. I love it,” he said.

In one of his most recent videos, he goes to Tanyard Creek on the University of Georgia campus. The waters actually flow under Sanford Stadium. In the video, he pans for the precious metal next to the stadium and actually finds tiny specks of gold – hidden in the sand, stones and pieces of broken beer bottles.

There’s not supposed to be gold in Athens, according to geology reports, Chandler said.

But besides the creek on the UGA campus, he has found tiny bits of gold in a creek that runs near Mitchell Bridge Road.

Solving a mystery: Little known, reclusive author of detective novel in Athens passes away at 75

“I don’t get as much gold as I do in Dahlonega, but it’s still gold,” he said.

Big nuggets are rare and this weekend prospector hasn’t yet found the mother lode.

“I don’t find a lot of big pieces. My biggest piece is 0.2 grams – about $12 or $13 worth of gold,” he said. “I do it mainly on weekends and it’s taken me two years to get half an ounce.”

Chandler said the Discovery Channel show will put a spotlight on Dahlonega and the history of gold in Georgia that goes back to the early 1800s.

Panning for gold with Turin, a professional gold prospector, was a unique opportunity for the Athens man.

“He was fun to hang out with. He’s just like you see on TV. It was a really good time and a cool experience,” he said.

The program was filmed in September, but producers didn’t want Chandler to say anything about the telecast until it was officially scheduled for airing.

The show may inspire others to take up gold hunting, even if it won’t bring riches in terms of money.

“I don’t sell my gold. Obviously, I do it because it’s a labor of love,” he said.

Sometimes Chandler does a livestream on his channel from Yahoola Creek Park in Dahlonega.

“People are welcome to come out and I’ll show them how to pan,” said the man, who looks for a surprise as the water swirls in the pan.

To see a recent YouTube video by Chandler go to "Gold is where you find it" on YouTube at youtube.com/@goldiswhereyoufindit.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Athens man joins cast searching for gold on new Discovery program