May 4th 2025 Field Trip to First Creek (agate, crystals, geodes)

Past Field Trips

Note: the date for this trip has changed to Sunday May 4th (from Sat May 3rd).

On Sunday May 4th 2025, we will be going to First Creek which is east of Cle Elum and part of the Teanaway formation.  Meet 9:30 AM in the Cle Elum Safeway parking lot near the gas pumps (exit 84 – 702 W 1st St, Cle Elum), about 1.5 hour drive from Renton.  We’ll leave there at 9:45, head east on Hwy 970, and park at the First Creek parking area (about 10 miles away – just 1/2 mile north of 97/970 junction).

Group will leave from the First Creek parking lot about 10:15 AM!

Agates, Jasper, Geodes, and Crystal – Bring digging and hard rock tools, buckets, and sturdy shoes. Appropriate clothing for weather, lunch, drinking water and snacks.  Bug spray for ticks.  This is a 2-mile hike on a logging road with 5 moderate ups and downs and there could still be snow and/or mud on the trail in May.  A wagon or jogging cart is handy for carrying tools and material.

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

 

Updated: May 20, 2025 — 9:43 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who came to the club camp out at Teanaway campground near Cle Elum last month. After a brief spell of rain the first night, we were blessed with sun, clear skies, and rockhounding the rest of the weekend. And a big thanks to Roger Danneman for doing all of the trip organizing, and keeping us all warm and well fed during the weekend. This month I’ll be giving a talk at our club meeting about how to use Gaia for rockhounding. If you have specific questions, please bring them along or feel free to email …

Meeting Announcements

  • 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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