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!  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!

Current News