Sept 6th, 2025 Frost Mtn Field Trip Report

Field trip reports

On Sat. Sept 6th we went to Frost Mtn south of Cle Elum for jasper/agate/chert and crystal. The material from here has some unique patterns and colors not found at any of our other sites. This is a long drive to get into, but still one of my favorite areas and I wanted to get this trip in before the hunting season began. We had a small group of 7 of us in 6 vehicles (more rocks for me). The morning started with a light rain at our meeting spot but it really turned out to be a decent day with temps in the low 70’s. The air was a little smoky from the Wildcat fire burning south of us by Bumping Lake. We hiked in with carts and wagons 3/4 mile to a rocky outcrop ridge and surface collected eroded material and chiseled out material from the relatively soft basalt. The rock pics show some of the material I collected with the last pic showing rocks I’ve collected and polished from last year’s trip. 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: Chris V., Ben & Alyssa K., Kayci E., Jarrod D., guest Courtney Z., and me.

Submitted by Roger Danneman CMS Field Trip Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated: November 8, 2025 — 6:24 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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