CMS March 20th 2021 Field Trip to Baker Lake / Swift Creek (agate, jasper, jade)

Past Field Trips

On March 20th, 2021, we will be going to the Baker Lake area for agate, jasper, and jade.
Meet 9:45 AM at Sedro Woolley Forest Service Office.
Directions: From I-5, go past Mt. Vernon and take exit 232 Cook Rd to Sedro Woolley.  Go through about 3 roundabouts.  Forest Service Office is on left side before the Arco Station (810 WA-20, Sedro Woolley).
The group will leave promptly at 10 am.

From Renton it is approximately a 1.5 hour drive (80 miles) to the meeting place.  Then another 35 miles to the collection site..

Swift Creek flows into the Baker Lake reservoir and you will need waders (or hip boots) to cross the stream and get to the gravel beds. Usually in March there are still snow banks along the roadway and on the river bank.  So access requires climbing over snow berm and walking through some deep snow and down snow covered embankment.  Tools – shovel (optional), bucket, and garden pick. Collecting is in the stream bed as well as the gravel beds further downstream, so a pair of PVC gloves would be handy (the water can be pretty cold). The water is 1-2 feet deep in places.   Roads are good pavement, with some hard pack snow and ice in places this time of year.

Roger Danneman ( roger.danneman@gmail.com ; 425-228-8781 or 425-757-3506 cell).

Updated: April 18, 2021 — 9:35 am

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our Gem Show is on June 29th and 30th, with set-up on June 28th. Roger is looking for volunteers, so be prepared to help when he calls or emails you. We need a volunteer to ensure all the signs we need inside the venue are made and printed. We also need a volunteer to order street signs for our new location, place them before the show, and take them down. Then I am looking for a volunteer to take charge of the club sales table and set up the sales table. We need …

Meeting Announcements

  • Topic: Out-of-state rockhounding sites by Roger Danneman Oregon, Utah, Idaho, Montana, etc. – So many rockhounding places! We have a few members who have combined a road trip vacation and rockhounding that will collaborate on this. It’s interesting to see the variety of material from these areas. After this meeting, you may want to plan a road trip too! Show ‘n Tell: Show us something you have found or bought on a road trip.

  • April 11th – Rock Bingo (Spring Break) and Food Drive This meeting is our annual “Rock Bingo” night. It is held during spring break so our Young Tumblers and their friends can attend without worrying about school the next day. Each member is asked to bring 3 wrapped items for each person who intends to play Bingo. You can play up to 3 games in person, and every person goes home a winner. Please try to donate an item you would like to receive, not junk slabs and rocks. Let’s all plan to have a fun evening together. Guests are welcome, and we encourage our Young Tumblers to bring their friends. Food Drive – We are collecting food for the Kent Food again. Try to donate 1 item or more for every person playing Bingo.

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