June 8th, 2024 Little Naches Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat. June 8th we went to Little Naches for Thunder Eggs, LilyPad Jasper, and Leaf Fossils. We had a beautiful day and the scenery was breathtaking. Going over Chinook Pass (which was just opened for summer on May 31st) you can see a number of waterfalls this time of year and the views of Mt. Rainier were picture perfect. Temps were in the upper 60s and low 70s. Our meeting spot was on NF-19 by the Little Naches Campground. We had 22 people, 1 dog, and 14 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. A nice breeze kept us relatively cool. I expected more mud in the pits because it had rained hard earlier that week, but the site was fairly dry. After hiking back to the cars we drove on to the Lily Pad site. Easy pickings there. After that about half the group 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: Julie & Gina M., Annie & Nicole S. & dog Tess, Chris W & Raquel, Ananda C., Nik B., new member Kerri-Lynn D., Michelle M. & Gerry P., Jarrod D., Robert M. & Evelyn & Jonathon, Loren M., Hannah G. and her Mom, and guests Ben, Daniel, and Jack. And of course me.

Next field trips are on June 15th to Red Top and on July 13th to Greenwater area for black agate, jasper, and opal. Remember our CMS Rock, Gem, and Jewelry Show is June 29-30th at Kent Commons this year.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: June 25, 2024 — 9:09 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It Welcome to February 2026, the month when our Seahawks brought home a long-overdue second Super Bowl win! 🙂 I’m delighted to be starting my two-year term as the club’s new president. Thank you for electing me to this position, and thank you to Kat Koch for leading our club for the last decade. As we move into February and beyond, I hope to see more of YOU – at meetings, on field trips, in our rock shop, at our show, picnic, and holiday party. To me, the best part of this club – aside from the rocks, of …

Meeting Announcements

  • Maureen Carlisle, Former Docent at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, will take us through A Day on a Dig: “Over the years I’ve been asked about what it is like to be on a dino dig, so I’d like to answer some of these questions. I’ll cover some of the practical aspects of both archaeology and paleontology, as I have had the pleasure of being involved in both.” Show and Tell: bring a fossil or artifact that you’ve found or collected.

  • Come one, come all and play ROCK BINGO! With schools out for many local school districts, we invite members, guests, and especially families and kids to come and enjoy one of our most fun nights of the year. Everyone is guaranteed to win at this FREE event! All you have to do is bring three wrapped presents – presents can be rocks, gems, minerals, crystals, fossils, cabochons, slabs, jewelry, tumbled stones – anything you think might be a nice gift for a rock enthusiast. 

  • Our own Mike Blanton will bring his expertise to this club meeting program – he will share the tools, tips and tricks he has developed to drill holes in stones and minerals so you can do more with the rocks you find. Show and Tell: bring a rock you’d like to make into something else.

Current News