On Sat. June 7th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, Lily Pad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. Temperatures were in the low 80’s with beautiful blue skies and a nice breeze up on the ridge. Gorgeous scenery going over Chinook Pass. We had 26 people and 16 vehicles on this trip. Very pleasant conditions […]
Category: Field trip reports
report summary for cms lead field trips
Oct 19th, 2024 Crystal Mtn Field Trip Report
On Sat. Oct. 19th we went rockhounding at Crystal Mountain north of Ellensburg. Loren went up early that morning to check the access road and met us as we were arriving. He deemed the 2 mud holes too risky to attempt to drive through. Even walking it was very sticky and slippery he said. There […]
Oct 4-6th, 2024 Red Top Mtn Camp & Field Trip Report
On the weekend of Oct. 4-6th 2024 we combined camping and rockhounding at Red Top Mountain north of Cle Elum. Our original site at Crystal Mtn was closed along with the First Creek area due to the Swauk Creek Fire, so this was Plan B. The Teanaway Community Forest has a nice campground next to […]
Sept 14th, 2024 Frost Mtn Field Trip Report
On Sat. Sept 14th we went to Frost Mtn south of Cle Elum for jasper/agate/chert and crystal. It turned out to be a really nice day with partly cloudy skies and temps in the mid-60s. With close to 20 miles on gravel it takes a good hour to get here from Cle Elum and is […]
July 13th, 2024 Greenwater Field Trip Report
On Sat. July 13th we went into the Greenwater area for black agate, tan jasper, and opal. It was a beautiful day but got into the 80s, so kind of hot. Fortunately that area has shade. We had 24 people in 13 vehicles. The black agate site is deep in the woods off of FR7222. […]
June 15th, 2024 Red Top Field Trip Report
On Sat. June 15th we went to Red Top Mtn. north of Cle Elum for jasper, agate, and crystal geodes. That area has only been clear of snow for a few weeks. Temperatures were in the mid-40s to low 50s and breezy. A few snow showers even made an appearance. The snow didn’t stick, but […]
June 8th, 2024 Little Naches Field Trip Report
On Sat. June 8th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, LilyPad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. We had a beautiful day and the scenery was breathtaking. Going over Chinook Pass (which was just opened for summer on May 31st) you can see a number of waterfalls this time of year and the views of […]
May 11th & 19th, 2024 First Creek Field Trip Reports
On Saturday May 11th we had a field trip to the DNR property known as First Creek. It was a clear day with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Kind of getting a bit hot for me, but a nice westerly breeze made it tolerable. We ended up with a small group for one […]
April 21st, 2024 Saddle Mtn Field Trip Report
On Sun. April 21st we had a field trip to Saddle Mtn. for petrified wood It’s estimated that the petrified wood there is at least 14-15 million years old. We met at 9:45 in Mattawa and at 10:10 slowly made our way up into the hills on the infamous rough and rocky road. It was […]
April 20th, 2024 Biggs, Oregon Field Trip Report
On Sat. April 20th we had a field trip to a private quarry near Biggs Junction, Oregon for Biggs Jasper and Agate. Jay Carlson of Sherman County Rocks in Rufus, OR, manages the operation and is doing field trips for rock clubs only. We had a beautiful clear day and started out by picking through […]