May 14th, 2022, First Creek Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat. May 14th we went to First Creek for agate, jasper, and crystal geodes. It was a wet day but fortunately not very soggy or cold. We had 18 people and 2 dogs in 11 vehicles. The sweet spot seems to be 2 miles in so that’s where we always hike to, but the area is so large and varied that you can choose to dig in the pits, or search in the rockslides, or climb up to the rock outcrops, or go all the way to the top of the ridge and enjoy the views. The rockslides can be pretty sketchy trying to navigate so I was relieved that everyone made it back to the parking lot unscathed. Just a little rubbery legged and muddy from all the effort, but I could tell from the conversations that everyone had a great time. It was a little comical how dirty some of us were. Wished I had my camera out then. Most of what I collected on this trip was large seam agate found in the rockslides, so my pics reflect that. Others had gotten a nice collection of agate nodules pounded out of the rocky outcrops. Wood ticks didn’t seem to be an issue.  This is really one of the premier sites for rock hounding.

List of attendees: Peggy S., Loren M., Ann S. and dog Tess, Kate T. and family, Gina M., Julie M., Jenn and Luke S., David Y. (guest from Widbey), Nik B., Phillip T. and dog Tito, Ariyana B. (new member from Walla Walla) and 2 guests, and of course me.

Next trip scheduled is to Little Naches on June 11th for thundereggs and lily pad. Late season snow could impact this trip, so stay tuned.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: May 23, 2022 — 7:36 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who came out for our February club meeting – it was a fun one, with our own Roger Danneman presenting the highlights of our field trips to come for 2026. Several club members brought their impressive best finds from 2025 for show and tell. Speaking of field trips – our first field trip of the year is in the books, with a mildly snowy day at the Middle Fork of the Nooksack River up by Ol’ One Lane Bridge outside of Acme, Washington. The variety of rocks this year was excellent, thanks in part to …

Meeting Announcements

  • Maureen Carlisle, Former Docent at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, will take us through A Day on a Dig: “Over the years I’ve been asked about what it is like to be on a dino dig, so I’d like to answer some of these questions. I’ll cover some of the practical aspects of both archaeology and paleontology, as I have had the pleasure of being involved in both.” Show and Tell: bring a fossil or artifact that you’ve found or collected.

  • Come one, come all and play ROCK BINGO! With schools out for many local school districts, we invite members, guests, and especially families and kids to come and enjoy one of our most fun nights of the year. Everyone is guaranteed to win at this FREE event! All you have to do is bring three wrapped presents – presents can be rocks, gems, minerals, crystals, fossils, cabochons, slabs, jewelry, tumbled stones – anything you think might be a nice gift for a rock enthusiast. 

  • Our own Mike Blanton will bring his expertise to this club meeting program – he will share the tools, tips and tricks he has developed to drill holes in stones and minerals so you can do more with the rocks you find. Show and Tell: bring a rock you’d like to make into something else.

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