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)
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