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
