June 13th 2026 Red Top Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

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 to the number of vehicles being too much for the backside road parking. Loren took half the group up to the main parking area and hiked from there to the meadow. I took the other half to the lower dig site first and then Phillip guided them up to the meadow to make a day of it. I’m still not back to hiking strength. Our lower dig site is still producing some nice colorful jasper/agate. It was a gorgeous weather day with clear skies, temps no higher than 67 degrees, and a nice cool breeze keeping us comfortable.
We had 24 people and 1 dog among 15 vehicles. Joining me on this trip were Loren M., Robert M. with kids Evalyn & Jonathan, Phillip T., Jeanie & Curtis L., Aubrey S., David B. & Alexis W., Venessa L. and her dog Lily, Gregg H., Kelly & Tim B., Amy F., Sammie & Scott, Kelly G., Scott A. +1, Rob M. +1, and guest Dietra.

Special thanks to Loren for clearing some limbs and trees a few weeks before and making a trip over the day before to ensure no new blowdowns were obstructing the backside road.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 21, 2026 — 7:47 pm

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!

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