Sept 14th, 2024 Frost Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports
On Sat. Sept 14th we went to Frost Mtn south of Cle Elum for jasper/agate/chert and crystal.  It turned out to be a really nice day with partly cloudy skies and temps in the mid-60s.  With close to 20 miles on gravel it takes a good hour to get here from Cle Elum and is one of our more difficult trips with a near mile hike and some elevation gain.  A group of bow hunters were camped out at the parking area so I might make this trip another week later next year.
We had a fairly big group with 12 vehicles and 19 people.  The group surface collected and chiseled out the blue-green jasper/agate/chert and the irregular seamed agate known as Tahoma Agate.  Some people covered a wide area while I stayed mainly around the rocky outcrop.  We collected for about 3 hours, took in the views, chatted, and enjoyed a nice Sept. day in the mountains.  Big thanks to Julie for taking pictures as I forgot my camera and my phone in the car.  Also to Loren for helping everyone find good material.  The rock pics show some of the material I collected after I cleaned them up.  Some of the rocks look a bit junky on the outside, but cut pieces can reveal beautiful patterns inside and is generally nice and solid and takes a great polish.
Attendees: Noelle B., Loren M., Julie M. & Gina M., Josh & Eli D., Chris W. & Raquel, James & Travis, Michelle M., Pete & Kelly A., Jarrod D., new member Dan G., guests Ryan M. and daughter, guest Judy, and of course me.
Our next scheduled field trip outing is to Crystal Mtn north of Ellensburg on Oct. 5th.  This is planned to be a campout, but the Swauk Creek fire has caused a closure of that area.  Communications will be sent out via e-mail regarding updates and changes.
Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: September 19, 2024 — 8:46 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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