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!  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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