Hi pit and welcome to our little slice of heaven.Below is a copy of Hokes book.It is the bible on here.I understand your desire to get started right away,but if you dont learn to tie your shoes first you'll only stumble.The first and most important thing you will ever learn on this forum is safety!This is a process that you cannot put a price tag on.It is a simple insurance policy that can help save your life now and later.There is an entire catagory dedicated to just safety,and I ask that you dont skip or skimp on that one.
Here is another very valuable link http://www.goldrecovery.us/ .He is one of our "moderators" and like the rest of the moderators he has a wealth of knowledge and shares it everyday on here.
Like buzz said,everything else needs to be learned,its not something you will instantly be able to do.If you get overwhelmed or depress just cruise over to our gallery section and watch how quickly you become excited again.
If you ever feel like its something you can't do,just remember this........at one point,every single person on this forum knew nothing about gold!What seperates us now from who we were,is knowledge.
Johnny
Welcome to the forum bud.