May 11th & 19th, 2024 First Creek Field Trip Reports

Field trip reports

On Saturday May 11th we had a field trip to the DNR property known as First Creek. It was a clear day with temperatures in the mid to upper 70s. Kind of getting a bit hot for me, but a nice westerly breeze made it tolerable. We ended up with a small group for one reason or another. Maybe the previous night’s Aurora Borealis contributed to that. A spectacular late-night light show that I missed. Anyway, we hiked to the 2-mile ravine and went up on the east side first. The pit where we’ve taken out so many waterline agate nodules and crystal plates is all caved in now and not yielding much. I moved over to the large rockslide and collected some seam agate. The rockslide is very difficult to walk in due to steepness and loose rock. After a couple of hours I went up on the western side of the ravine to some pits near the top. I did get a few nice chunks but the yellow jackets and bees were getting more aggressive there. It was about 4:00 when I decided to head down. I didn’t see any wood ticks on me throughout the day, but on Sunday morning I found a wood tick on my shorts where I had left them in the garage. He was patiently waiting for the former occupant to reoccupy those shorts. After a ceremonial flush I bade him farewell and good riddance.
Michelle M., Jarrod D., Loren M., Phillip T., and Barbara M. (new member) joined me on this trip. We pretty much stayed spread out so I didn’t see what others collected.
On Sunday May 19th Loren Merriman lead another trip into First Creek. It was a cooler day with temperatures in the upper 50s to low 60s. Seemingly perfect for the hike and digging, but at some point a storm cell moved in and dumped hail and up to 2.5 inches of rain. Just a small localized system. Joining Loren on this trip were Hannah G., Heather M., James R., Michael , Josh D and sons.
In June we have 2 outings scheduled. The first one on June 8th to Little Naches for thundereggs, Lily Pad jasper, and leaf fossils. The second one on June 15th to Redtop for agate, jasper, and crystal.
Pictures seen here are from the May 11th trip.

Submitted by Roger Danneman Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: May 23, 2024 — 9:00 pm

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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