June 17th, 2023, Little Naches Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

Our June 17th Field Trip was to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, LilyPad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. There was rain and heavy morning fog leading up to and going over Chinook Pass, but once over the pass we had beautiful blue skies. Temps were in the 60s and by afternoon in the low 70s. Our meeting spot was on NF-19 by the Little Naches Campground. We had 18 people, 3 dogs, and 11 vehicles on this trip. Very pleasant conditions for digging. We spent 2 1/2 hours at the Thunder Egg site. I have to admit to some trouble finding the Lily Pad site. I took the first main right which went up into the Jungle Creek burn area. I did find a couple pieces of jasper up there and Randy found a nice chunk (6-8 pounder?) of petrified wood. We didn’t take much time to search up there, but because of the disturbed soil from machinery and fire, it could be worth prospecting. There is some logging going on, trying to reclaim the burned timber. After another miscue that took us down a dead end road, the 3rd time was a charm and we loaded up on Lily Pad material. After that we stopped at the mud stone formation for leaf fossils. WA State geology maps peg this as a 35 million year old mudstone. So the carbon imprints and leaf outlines we find embedded in that stone, are that old. I even found a tiny fossilized leaf that had crumbled out of a layer. A few nice specimens were found. Certainly a fun day.

List of attendees: Julie & Gina M., Becky P., Phillip T., Chris V. and new members Dave & Jessica N., Annie S., Gina & Michael L., new member Randy P., new member Marion R., Chris W. and son, guests Martha & Sandy & Avis, and of course me.

Next field trip is on July 15th to Greenwater area for black agate, jasper, and opal.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide (roger.danneman@gmail.com)
425-757-3506 cell and texts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 11, 2023 — 10:07 am

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our annual club picnic went off great. The grass and Arboretum area was not wet or muddy, plus it didn’t rain while we were there. We had the usual club members attend, plus a few new faces. I forgot to count how many people attended, but I estimate around 40. Thank you, Angie and Brian, for shopping for the food and setting everything up. Thumbler’s Tumblers donated a tumbler for our picnic auction and another one for our holiday auction in December. The new double-barreled 15# tumbler sold for $120, approximately one-third the …

Meeting Announcements

  • We are going to show a video of the most unusual and amazing things found in Amber. It isn’t just insects. We are also going to have a recap of how our Gem Show did last month. Show ‘n Tell: An item that has something trapped inside or a picture rock, thunder egg, or geode that looks like it has an insect, animal, or face inside.

  • This meeting will cover the “Geologic History of Washington State.” The meeting will be an interactive program designed to tell the story of the complex geologic history of our state. It works for kids as well as adults, with families working together to assemble the state.   Show ‘n Tell: Favorite rock or mineral from Washington.

  • Glen Ripper is a leading authority on Obsidian. He is a walking encyclopedia which should make this an interesting and educational meeting. Show ‘n Tell: Obsidian – let’s see your colors.

  •   We start the day off with a potluck holiday meal. The club provides roasted turkey and ham. Members fill in with their favorite holiday potluck dish. We follow our meal with the election of officers for the coming year. Our final activity is our club auction. It is a great time to pick up great bargains on rough rocks, polished rocks, slabs, fossils, opal, etc. Our Young Tumblers can use their Rock Bucks to purchase auction items. This meeting is also our semi-annual food drive for the Kent Food Bank. Please remember to bring something. The Food Bank has informed us that they need feminine hygiene products and grape or strawberry jelly. People donate loads of peanut butter but never jelly. They also receive very few donations of feminine hygiene products.

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