Oct 6-8th, 2023, Crystal Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On the weekend of Oct. 6-8 2023 we combined camping and 2 days of rockhounding at Crystal Mountain north of Ellensburg. This area has a wide variety of agate, jasper, and crystal geode material. We were fortunate to have beautiful fall weather in the mid 70s to punctuate the gorgeous views looking out over First Creek, the Stuart range and the Teanaway valley to the west and the Kittitas valley to the south. Many trees were dressed in their glorious fall colors and our group campsite had a spectacular ledge view. We had 19 campers through the weekend and 10 people came up for the day on Sat. Multiple sites were explored by the campers, but we had one main dig site that was quite productive. I’m still trying to understand the geology of the area, but I think it’s part of the Teanaway formation. I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

Special thanks to Peggy/Paul for our grilled chicken on Friday and Scott/Laurie/Josh for the grilled burgers and hot dogs on Sat. We had excellent food from everyone and it was quite a memorable weekend.

Campers: Annie S and dog Tess, Scott & Laurie M., Peggy S. & Paul A., John C. & Teri G., Christina & Russel & Rose L., Josh & Eli & Levi D., Ananda C., Kari C., Phillip T., Breanna & Julia P., and me.

Coming up for the day on Sat.: Noelle B., Loren M., Robert and Jonathon M., Artem & Andrey & Maxim T., Ray & Mary M. (new members), and Trent B.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: October 19, 2023 — 9:21 am

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Thanks to everyone who joined us in March for Maureen Carlisle’s fascinating look at the world of professional paleontology digs. Our next meeting on April 9 is a great club tradition: Rock Bingo! Whether you’ve been a member for decades or you just joined last month, Bingo is the ultimate fun night for everyone kids included. All you have to do is bring three rock-related gifts (rocks themselves are just fine!), wrapped so that they are hidden, and then show up at 7pm on the 9th. Everyone is a winner – win a new treasure for your shelf and …

Meeting Announcements

  • 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.

  • Club Wagonmaster and rock shop creator Roger Danneman will present an overview of the new club shop – including equipment, scheduling, stewards, and what you can expect from this exciting new resource.  Show and Tell: bring a rock you want to polish or make into a cabochon (or something you’ve already polished or made)

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