Connecticut Gems and Minerals

Connecticut gems and minerals from an abandoned mine locale near Trumbull, Connecticut, and garnets from a location that is now closed off for rockhounding and the public, in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Here are Connecticut Gems and Minerals:

Rockhounding ABCs – “Food of the Rockhound Gods”

American Geode

“Food of the Rockhound Gods”

From many different rockhound trips, each one longer than we had originally planned, we developed a strategy for food and water that helps preserve space in your pack, and to reduce and avoid waste. Rockhounds follow the creed to leave an area in the same, or better shape than how you found the area. Remember that after rockhounding, you are leaving with more, and quite a lot heavier material than at the beginning of the day. Rockhounds always carry out their trash, but there are tips and strategies to minimize trash, and to work with the environment, not against it.

  1. Food that requires no packaging, and that discards itself in the woods is ideal. Oranges, bananas, and apples are ideal because they leave behind rind, peel, and core that will degrade in the woods.
  2. If you bring snacks like nuts, raisins, other dried fruit, bars, or event meats and cheeses and place them beforehand in plastic bags, you can use those same plastic bags for the crystals and stones you collect on the trip.
  3. Instead of bringing a number of small water bottles, we bring a gallon jug per rockhound so that afterwards you are recycling one plastic bottle, instead of a dozen plastic bottles.
  4. Wet naps! Rockhounding is dirty business, you no that going into this hobby or obsession, but wet naps can save the day, and we always appreciate a fresh wet nap, so stock up on them, and be sure to carry them out with you.

The strategy is to consume all the food you bring, with minimal plastic waste to return by repurposing any plastic bags. We always make it a tradition after every rockhounding trip to plan in advance where we will celebrate with a steak and a baked potato.

Rockhound, and eat, drink, and be merry!