July 13th, 2024 Greenwater Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

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. We dug there for about 3 hours. Afterwards we went to the rock slide up FR 72 for green jasper. Last year there was a locked gate preventing driveable access to that slide, but this year it was open. I don’t normally like taking a big group there because it’s very steep. Only Gina and Julie ventured up slope while the rest of us stayed near the road. I’d say this site has more potential in the late spring after the road is opened from snow.and it hasn’t been picked over yet. Larger pieces of the green jasper that might have eroded out of the cliff over the winter will polish up nicely and look beautiful.

Attendees: Nik B., Julie & Gina M., Lorie, Michele M., Gina & Michael L., Josh & Eli D., Eileen & Rich & Katie (guests), Hannah & friend (guests), Alicia & Dave & Kaleb & Ethan S., Doug F., Claudia & Rachel V., Jack G. (guest), Michael C., and of course me.

Sun. August 18th is the CMS summer picnic at the Lake Wilderness Arboretum. 11:00 set up and 12:00 eating time. It’s pot luck plus an auction of club material. Good deals on nice rocks. That takes the place of our August field trip. Would love to see all of our members there.

Next trip into the mountains will be Sat. Sept. 14 to Frost Mtn. south of Cle Elum. Details will be announced 1 week before the trip.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 18, 2024 — 8:26 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  I hope you’ve all had a chance to get out and look for rocks during the lovely weather we enjoyed in July – it’s been mostly perfect rockhounding weather. And for those of you who were able to come on the field trips led by our fearless wagon master Roger Danneman, I hope you found some good material. Big thanks to Roger for getting us all out there and helping us find beautiful rocks! August is a bit of a break from the usual club meeting cadence – instead of having our club meeting on the second Thursday …

Meeting Announcements

  • Our August meeting will not be happening at the American Legion – instead, this month’s meeting is our annual club potluck and picnic on Saturday, August 15. Join us from 12-4 at Gene Coulon Park, South Shelter 2 – setup begins at 10:30am. Bring something you want to share and/or donate to the club auction, also happening during the picnic. 

  • September’s program is coming soon. We will update this page as soon as we know more.

  • 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!

Current News