April 19th 2026 Swift Creek / Baker Lake Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sunday April 19th we had a beautiful day for a field trip, the kind of day I hope for when we go to Swift Creek on the east side of Mt. Baker. The Baker Lake reservoir is still low and the gravel beds accessible but quite a hike on river cobble to get across and downstream.. Metamorphic rocks in abundance – the Baker Blue Agates rather sparse. We met on-site at 10 am. I didn’t do very well on the agate hunt, but I was also looking for nice jasper. I started noticing that there are a lot of the rusty skinned rocks here like Listwanite, except these don’t have the hints of green in the skin. I took a couple of them home to cut and check out. After we finished at Swift Creek I went to the Cascade River further east by Marblemount. Here there is the Listwanite with strong green colors. One of my pics shows the comparison of the two colorations of the Listwanite. Curious, I queried Gemini and got some interesting information that I’m submitting for the May Tumbler publication. Anyway, we had a good group, good weather, and there’s no better place to be on a beautiful spring day than by a mountain stream looking for rocks.

Joining me on this trip were John M., Michelle M., Vanessa L., Aubrey S., Diane C., Chris V., Mathew C., Mary F., Jarrod D., and guests Alexis and David.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 20, 2026 — 8:42 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  September is here, and it looks like a wonderful month so far for getting together and getting out in the field. First, thank you to everyone who helped make our August picnic and club auction such a success. The delicious food, generous donations, volunteer help and spirited bidding made it a great afternoon, and the auction raised $750 for the club. We return to our regular meeting schedule on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Kent. Our program is all about YOU: Show, Tell & Transform, where you get to briefly present …

Meeting Announcements

  • This program is all about YOU. Bring a rock, mineral, fossil, or other field find that you would like to turn into something. It might become a cabochon, carving, display specimen, jewelry piece, slab, polished piece, or something entirely different. Bring your item and share: Where and how you found or acquired it What interests you about the material What you’re considering making from it Any questions or challenges you would like help thinking through Then we’ll open the conversation to our knowledgeable and curious club members. Together, we can discuss the material, possible designs, cutting or finishing approaches, and other ideas that might help you take the piece from field find to finished project. You do not need to have a complete plan or any special expertise. That’s part of the fun. Bring the piece itself if possible, along with any sketches, inspiration photos, or examples that might help explain your idea.

  • Noelle Barnes will present Using Gaia for Rockhounding, an overview of the features and tricks associated with the app Gaia and how you can use it for GPS, saving waypoints, navigation, photo tagging, trail recording and more. Show and Tell: Bring the rock(s) that have the best “story” – and tell everyone how you found them and where!

  • Club board member Paul Ahnberg will talk to us about the impact of wildfires on our lives – from protecting your home to staying safe while out rockhounding – and what we can do today to help mitigate our risk. Paul will combine his knowledge gained from learning at both the WSU Green School (Master Gardener) and WSU Climate Steward programs. Show and Tell: Bring something you found, from a place that you know has since been impacted by floods or wildfires – or was impacted shortly before you arrived. Tell your story!

  • December’s date and time is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

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