On Sat. July.18th we went to Crystal Mountain north of Ellensburg for geodes, crystal plates, jasper, and agate. A beautiful clear day and clear air with temps in the mid-70’s up at 4500 feet. We went to Geode Hill first It takes a lot out of a person to sit and bust through the soft […]
Category: Field trip reports
report summary for cms lead field trips
July 11th and 12th 2026 Greenwater Field Trips Report
On Sat. July 11th & Sun. July 12th we took two trips into the Greenwater area for black agate, jaspers, and opal. Gorgeous weather both days with temps no higher than the mid-60s. I had a big response for the original 7/12 trip so asked who could go on 7/11, thus splitting the large group […]
June 13th 2026 Red Top Field Trip Report
On Sat. June 13th we went to Red Top Mtn. north of Cle Elum for jasper, agate, agate nodules, and crystal geodes. We didn’t rockhound there last year because of the fire closure, so I made sure we got there early this year. A big response prompted me to split the group in two due […]
June 6th 2026 Little Naches Field Trip Report
On Sat. June 6th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, Lily Pad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. The forecast was for clear skies near Naches and temps in the low 60s, but the wet weather crept over the Cascades and we had a bit of sprinkles, scrapple, and much lower temps. Despite the moist […]
May 2nd 2026 First Creek Field Trip Report
We had a great field trip to First Creek on Sat. May 2nd. Mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the 70’s. There were 21 of us altogether, 2 carts, 4 wagons, and 2 e-bikes. We hiked to the 2 mile ravine and spread out from there. Phillip and I rode on for another mile and […]
April 19th 2026 Swift Creek / Baker Lake Field Trip Report
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 […]
March 21st 2026 Saddle Mountains Field Trip Report
On Sat. March 21st we went to the Saddle Mtns. for petrified wood There was a bit of rain/snow mix going over Snoqualmie Pass but then it was a beautiful sunny day. We met in Mattawa at 9:45 AM and headed up the hill just after 10. The area is still on the cusp of […]
Feb 21st 2026 Ole One Lane Bridge Field Trip Report
On Sat Feb 21st we went to Ole One Lane Bridge near the west side of Mt. Baker on the Middle Fork of the Nooksak River. 12 people joined me on this outing for Dunite, Gneiss, and tumbling material. A bit of a wintry mix of weather but decent enough for an outing. This early […]
Oct 18th 2025 Swift Creek / Baker Lake Field Trip Report
On Sat October 18th we went to Swift Creek / Baker Lake. Due to early season snowfall in the mountains I had to make some decisions regarding our last scheduled field trips. We ended up going to Swift Creek on the east side of Mt. Baker for our Oct. 18th trip and cancelled the trips […]
Sept 26-28th, 2025 Teanaway Campout and Field Trip Report
The weekend of Sept. 26-28th was our annual CMS Campout. This is the 2nd time we’ve camped at the Teanaway Neighborhood Forest Campground and we really like it for group camping. Wide flat areas for pitching multiple dispersed tents, good parking, paved roads to the campground, and vault toilets. I could not camp without my […]