June 7th, 2025 Little Naches Field Trip Report

Field trip reports, News

On Sat. June 7th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, Lily Pad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. Temperatures were in the low 80’s with beautiful blue skies and a nice breeze up on the ridge. Gorgeous scenery going over Chinook Pass. We had 26 people and 16 vehicles on this trip. Very pleasant conditions for digging. We spent 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-half thundereggs. After hiking back to the cars we drove on to the Lily Pad site. Easy pickings there. 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. A few nice specimens were found. Certainly a fun day.

List of attendees: Jason S. with his son and 2 friends, Jeff C. & partner, Julie & Gina M. & Erik, Kerri-Lynn D. & John, Jarrod D., Scott H., Colin O. and girlfriend, Chris V., Josh D. & Eli, Andrea M., Kelly G., Justin K. & Matthew, John N., Breanna P. & Julie, and of course me.

For July I have 2 outings scheduled – July 12th to Greenwater for the black agate and common opal, and July 19th to Crystal Mtn north of Ellensburg for agate, jasper, and geodes.  No trips scheduled for August, but we have our club picnic on August 16th at Lake Wilderness.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: July 7, 2025 — 5:16 pm

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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