June 6th 2026 Little Naches Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat. June 6th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, Lily Pad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. The forecast was for clear skies near Naches and temps in the low 60s, but the wet weather crept over the Cascades and we had a bit of sprinkles, scrapple, and much lower temps. Despite the moist weather, it was still a good day for hiking up the ridge and digging thundereggs.

Our meeting spot was on NF-19 by the Little Naches Campground. We had 23 people, 1 dog, and 12 vehicles. We spent about 2 1/2 hours at the Thunder Egg site. Blue chalcedony in various forms, but of course we’re mostly looking for full or broken thundereggs. After hiking back to the cars we drove on to the Lily Pad site. Mostly roadside collecting there as well as the next site for leaf fossils. WA State geology maps peg the leaf fossil site as a 35 million year old mudstone. So the carbon imprints and leaf outlines we find embedded are that old. A few nice specimens were found. Certainly a fun day.

Joining me on this trip were Matthew C., David B. & Alexis W., Venessa L., Chris V., Amy F, Samantha, Shirley, Jeff C. +1 and dog Cooper, Megan & Robert B. and kids Dani & Jessie, Ben J. & Scott, Jarrod D. & son, and 4 guests Claire P, Emily, Daniel R., and Ben.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 21, 2026 — 7:35 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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