March 11th, 2023, Mt. Baker Area Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

We had a nice outing into the Mt. Baker area for our March Field Trip. The big mountain stayed under cover, but the surrounding hills and trees above 1200′ were coated with fresh snow and looked beautiful. Just a few raindrops now and then. 12 other club members joined me. We first met 9:30 AM at Ole One Lane Bridge on the west side of Baker to collect dunite, quartz, and gneiss on the middle fork of the Nooksack river. At 11:30 we left that area and went over to the east side where Swift Creek enters Baker Lake and collected agate, quartz, and gneiss. Everyone was prepared with waders and the stream was relatively easy to cross. Just 1-2 feet deep. Some nice Baker Blue agates were found among the group. Members that joined me were Kari C., Dave A., Tammy C., Dominique Z., Scott M., Scott M., Kamera M. (and dog Gracie), Brooke P., Nik B., Evan B., Loren M., and Annie S. (and dog Tess).

Next outing is Sat. April 15th for Biggs Jasper/Agate in Oregon and then Sun. April 16th at Saddle Mtn for petrified wood. I’ll be sending out the announcement by e-mail with the details.

Note: if you’re looking for nice river spots to go for rock when our warm spring weather finally arrives, check out the two places mentioned above plus there’s a place on the south fork of the Nooksack River just north of the town of Acme. Best before the spring runoff gets too high though.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide (roger.danneman@gmail.com)
425-757-3506 cell and texts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: March 13, 2023 — 8:29 am

Presidents Message

  • From the Top of the Rock Pile Our annual club picnic went off great. The grass and Arboretum area was not wet or muddy, plus it didn’t rain while we were there. We had the usual club members attend, plus a few new faces. I forgot to count how many people attended, but I estimate around 40. Thank you, Angie and Brian, for shopping for the food and setting everything up. Thumbler’s Tumblers donated a tumbler for our picnic auction and another one for our holiday auction in December. The new double-barreled 15# tumbler sold for $120, approximately one-third the …

Meeting Announcements

  • We are going to show a video of the most unusual and amazing things found in Amber. It isn’t just insects. We are also going to have a recap of how our Gem Show did last month. Show ‘n Tell: An item that has something trapped inside or a picture rock, thunder egg, or geode that looks like it has an insect, animal, or face inside.

  • Maureen will speak on the geology and the movement of the Washington coastline over millions of years. Show ‘n Tell: Favorite rock or mineral from Washington

  • Glen Ripper is a leading authority on Obsidian. He is a walking encyclopedia which should make this an interesting and educational meeting. Show ‘n Tell: Obsidian – let’s see your colors.

  •   We start the day off with a potluck holiday meal. The club provides roasted turkey and ham. Members fill in with their favorite holiday potluck dish. We follow our meal with the election of officers for the coming year. Our final activity is our club auction. It is a great time to pick up great bargains on rough rocks, polished rocks, slabs, fossils, opal, etc. Our Young Tumblers can use their Rock Bucks to purchase auction items. This meeting is also our semi-annual food drive for the Kent Food Bank. Please remember to bring something. The Food Bank has informed us that they need feminine hygiene products and grape or strawberry jelly. People donate loads of peanut butter but never jelly. They also receive very few donations of feminine hygiene products.

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