Old Slope Field Trip Report June 2017

Field trip reports
Over 30 turned out for our March field trip to Old Slope in the Greenwater area. I met people that traveled all the way from Graham and Seattle. The weather was beautiful for a drive to Greenwater.  
Mount Rainier greeted us when we arrived at the Enumclaw Ranger Station. We met and Tony and he filled us in on the plan for the day. 
Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier

Tony Johnson briefing

Tony Johnson briefing the pack

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove from Enumclaw to the parking area to begin our hike to the Old Slope collection area.
Parking area for collection site is here: Parking Area The collection site is about 1/2 mile hike from the parking area. The hike in was generally easy with a slight gain in elevation and a couple of small streams to cross.

Hiking

Starting the hike in

Hiking

On the hike in

 

Our first look at the Old Slope

 

Old Slope

Old Slope first look

Old Slope

Old Slope our Destination

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Slope was steep and muddy. It didn’t slow the crew down much. There was a lot of material at the base of the slope that was easier to pick. Mostly Jasper and Agate. The mud made it difficult to actually see what you had.  I am pretty sure I was not the only one to bring some leaverite home today.

Rock Collecting

Collecting at Old Slope

I believe everyone left with material from old slope. By the time we got back to the parking area I know I was wishing I had a pack mule to carry me and the rocks.

Since it was such a nice day it was decided that we would continue up the road to check out some other collection sites Tony was aware of. I took advantage of the collection of CMS Members and got this photo.

CMS members

Part of the CMS Crew

We continued up the road to a site that was a good spot to eat some lunch and look for seam agate.
With a view like this it was hard not to enjoy the day.

landscape view

View from the collection site

Landsacpe view

View from collection site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The site is a road cut and the road was wide enough to allow parking on the shoulder. This site was a lot dryer since it was on the sunny side of the mountain. Good collecting from the bottom of the slope and in the ditch.

Road cut

Collection Site for seam agate

road cut

Seam Agate collection site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was also some Jasper discovered. We tried to go even farther up the road but ran into snow and snowmobilers that had the road blocked. We turned around and called it a day. Some of us stopped and scoured the creek at the bottom of the hill since it was such a nice day.

It was a great day and thanks again to Tony Johnson for putting this trip together. Thanks for the folks from the Puyallup Valley Gem and Mineral Club for partnering with us today to make this trip a success.

Mark Hohn
CMS Board Member

Updated: January 7, 2018 — 9:00 pm

Presidents Message

  • Digging It!  Our big rock, gem and jewelry show is at the end of this month. We have so many opportunities for you to come and be a part of it – from helping our wonderful vendors load in their gear, to setting up tables, greeting guests, helping with kid’s activities, and so much more. All of our volunteers always go home with free rocks – and free shop hours! I’ll be spending those three days (Friday, June 26 – our set up day – through Sunday, June 28) at the Silent Auction table, working on raising money for our …

Meeting Announcements

  • Club president Noelle Barnes will present “Rockhounding on the Road – How to Find Rocks Wherever You Are” – tools you can use to find a rockhounding location when you’re on the road, and in places you haven’t been before. Show and Tell: bring a rock or fossil you found outside of Washington (if available) or something that’s just too good not to share.

  • 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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