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

  • 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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