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)
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