Paul Larouche has been hunting for treasures since he was young, but now the Sooke man has hit the mother lode.
With more than 215,000 subscribers on YouTube, the 29-year-old spends his time creating content around finding gold, gems and odd treasures from his travels under the name .
You wonB次元官网网址檛 find many videos where he isnB次元官网网址檛 wearing his signature red and white toque with Canada written across the front.
HeB次元官网网址檚 found an old pickaxe, Spanish coins, jewelry and obsidian arrowheads during his travels across the province and into several American states. HeB次元官网网址檚 even visited Australia for gold.
But all the treasures in the world couldnB次元官网网址檛 convince him to get out of bed four years ago.
At the age of 25, he was living a different life. He was working as a security worker after leaving the film and TV production industry. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, he felt like he was hitting a wall.
READ MORE: Gold panning means getting back to the land
B次元官网网址淚 wasnB次元官网网址檛 doing much with my life,B次元官网网址� Larouche said. B次元官网网址淚 was at a point where I just felt so lost and completely stuck. I was staying inside and didnB次元官网网址檛 want to leave the house.B次元官网网址�
That is until his uncle, who lives in Langford, tried to get him outside and unearthed a passion for gold panning.
The 29-year-old remembers that day he first went out with his uncle back in 2017.
B次元官网网址淚t felt so strange just digging in the mud I thought I was wasting my time,B次元官网网址� Larouche said. B次元官网网址淭he first time I washed out my pan, I saw something so bright and shiny. It was surreal when I found my first speck of gold. I was almost speechless. I didnB次元官网网址檛 know that this stuff still existed out here.B次元官网网址�
Since then, heB次元官网网址檚 dedicated his time to be an expert at the hobby-turned-career.
He scoops a mound of dirt into a gold pan at the waterB次元官网网址檚 edge along Sooke River, where he bought a gold claim. He pointed out that because gold is heavy, the metal will drop to the panB次元官网网址檚 bottom. He always looks for low-pressure spots along the river whenever he goes out.
He brought a metal detector to use on land and a diving suit to gold snipe, where he uses a mask and snorkel to find pieces of gold in the water.
WhatB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址榞old snipingB次元官网网址�? The 29-year-old YouTube star took me down to to show me himself. 馃た
B次元官网网址� Aaron Guillen (@iaaronguillen)
ALSO READ: The golden rule of Goldstream: there is no gold
Not too far down the same river is where he found one of the biggest pieces he owns, clocking in at 7.5 grams. In one instance, he found 13 grams tucked into a crevice of bedrock underwater. He assumes a gold miner visited decades ago but couldnB次元官网网址檛 continue looking into that spot, as he also found a broken pickaxe nearby.
Looking to the future, Larouche dreams of one day pitching a documentary-style show to a major broadcasting company or a streaming service, like Netflix.
HeB次元官网网址檚 hosted several celebrities on his channel, including DALLMYD, an adventure YouTuber with more than 11 million subscribers and Michael Einziger, co-founder and lead guitarist for the American rock band INCUBUS.
Ever tried gold panning? One man has made a career out of it with his YouTube personality ! 馃拵
B次元官网网址� Aaron Guillen (@iaaronguillen)
HeB次元官网网址檚 planning to travel to Alaska when the borders reopen, and heB次元官网网址檚 got his eyes set on Africa as well.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 hoping to convince him to go up north into Nunavut and the Arctic Circle soon,B次元官网网址� said Jeremy Woolsey, his second cousin who lives in Ladysmith and grew up gold panning.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 all about timing, though, because we donB次元官网网址檛 want all the ice to freeze over. We can pan in one of the glacier creeks, and it would be a first for both of us. Since theyB次元官网网址檝e got long days and nights up there, IB次元官网网址檇 rather go up when we can get the most sunlight.B次元官网网址�
Until then, Larouche doesnB次元官网网址檛 mind filling his days with dreams of buried treasure, just waiting to be unearthed.
RELATED: Shifting the lens on SookeB次元官网网址檚 gold rush
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