Oct 18th 2025 Swift Creek / Baker Lake Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat October 18th we went to Swift Creek / Baker Lake.

Due to early season snowfall in the mountains I had to make some decisions regarding our last scheduled field trips. We ended up going to Swift Creek on the east side of Mt. Baker for our Oct. 18th trip and cancelled the trips to Crystal Mtn. and First Creek. Other things that factored into the decisions were the Labor Mtn fire closure taking away our Red Top site and the efforts to finish the shop and get the equipment moved from Diana’s.

Despite forecasted rain we had 7 of us on this trip for Baker Blue Agates, jaspers, and gneiss. The reservoir was low and the gravel beds were accessible. Beautiful fall colors and Sockeye Salmon were running up the creek apparently assisted by transport around the dam into Baker Lake. It was fun to see them swimming up the low stream levels. The weather stayed nice until after we left around 3:00 at which time the rain moved in.

Joining me on this trip were Noelle B., Scott & Lauri M with sister Dani, Chris V. and new member Venessa L.
These pictures are from what I collected, but there were some nice agates and rocks collected among the group. There is also some small pyrite inclusions to be found here. Baker Blue Agates don’t come easy and when you find one it’s a great feeling. The extra red and green colors attached give them a unique look.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: November 9, 2025 — 7:00 pm

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!

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