Sept 11th, 2021 Red Top Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

It was a very beautiful day up in the mountains for this trip. The smoky air was scrubbed out thanks to the previous day’s rain and the mountain range was clear and gorgeous. Mt. Rainier could be clearly seen from the Red Top Meadow. We had 22 people in 12 vehicles and ended up in 3 groups. One group of 9 started at the lower dig site up the steep hill from the road. One group of 7 took the 1/2 mile hike up to the meadow and dug up there for about 2 1/2 hours before returning to the lower dig site. And one group of 6 went to the main parking area and worked around the main dig sites near the top, eventually working their way down to the Meadow where I was digging. The clay soil was pretty hard and dusty. But there were some nice payoffs. Tim and Kelly scored some nice sized geodes. I found a few nice agate nodules in the Meadow dig and some very nice agate and jasper in the lower dig site.
Our next field trip is scheduled for Oct. 16.  My plan is to go to Red Top again, but that could change if I get some feedback from field trippers that want to go to a different spot.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: September 19, 2021 — 7:29 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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