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

  • Digging It!  September is here, and it looks like a wonderful month so far for getting together and getting out in the field. First, thank you to everyone who helped make our August picnic and club auction such a success. The delicious food, generous donations, volunteer help and spirited bidding made it a great afternoon, and the auction raised $750 for the club. We return to our regular meeting schedule on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Kent. Our program is all about YOU: Show, Tell & Transform, where you get to briefly present …

Meeting Announcements

  • This program is all about YOU. Bring a rock, mineral, fossil, or other field find that you would like to turn into something. It might become a cabochon, carving, display specimen, jewelry piece, slab, polished piece, or something entirely different. Bring your item and share: Where and how you found or acquired it What interests you about the material What you’re considering making from it Any questions or challenges you would like help thinking through Then we’ll open the conversation to our knowledgeable and curious club members. Together, we can discuss the material, possible designs, cutting or finishing approaches, and other ideas that might help you take the piece from field find to finished project. You do not need to have a complete plan or any special expertise. That’s part of the fun. Bring the piece itself if possible, along with any sketches, inspiration photos, or examples that might help explain your idea.

  • 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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