Rockhounding ABCs – “Rockhounds, How do you Carry All Your Stuff?”

American Geode

“Rockhounds, How do you Carry All Your Stuff?”

This section deals with the bags, knapsacks, totes, backpacks and other equipment that make transportation of your gear, and then your loot, as convenient and efficient as possible.

  1.  A backpack remains the classic, historically best way to carry gear when walking through the woods, uphill or downhill. A basic fabric backpack should suffice for any rockhound. One does not need the multi-pocketed style of backpack used for hiking, but of course if that is the backpack you have, it will more than suffice.
  2. We would venture that you have plenty of tote bags, or totes in your closet or pantry. Seems that every corporate, school, civic, or special event offers a free tote. These are ideal for rockhounding. They can be folded up into very small area and stored in your backpack, and then unfurled and opened up to transport your gems, minerals, fossils, or crystals. Canvas or vinyl tote bags are all terrific and can enable you to transport a lot of material back to your transportation. These kinds of bags, canvas and/or vinyl can also be washed in the washing machine once free of rocks and rock debris.
  3.  A wagon is an investment to consider. Not the Radio Flyer Red Wagon style, but the folding wagon, also known as a collapsible utility wagon or outdoor utility wagon. They have a canvas interior and fold up for transportation. This can be a very valuable complement to your rockhound ensemble if you are transporting a lot of tools, or carrying tools and supplies for youngsters, or just want a convenient way to transport minerals, fossils, and stones back to your transportation. A wagon is something additional to carry to the site, so consider in advance if you will be rockhounding at the frequency, and intensity in which a wagon would be helpful.
    1. “Diamond Tip” – We learned the hard way while hunting for geodes in Southern Indiana that the type of outdoor utility wagon described here is better than the Radio Flyer Red Wagons. While on private property outside a farm, we had discovered some very large geodes, and all our tote bags and knap sacks were full. The property owner suggested a wagon that he had in his barn. So he runs back to the barn, and when he returns he is pulling his kids’ Red Flyer wagon. We filled it up with geodes and started to pull it up the hill, when the two back wheels buckled and went flat, and one of the front wheels fell off altogether. The property owner planned to buy a replacement wagon before they notice it’s missing, and we all decided to buy a collapsible utility wagon before trying that again.
  4. When transporting crystals, or brittle fossils, protect them with newspaper which can be easily folded and carried with your other gear. Newspaper is also good for wrapping safely any delicate or small crystals you discover during the adventure.

Rockhounding ABCs – “Clothes Make the Rockhound”

American Geode

“Clothes Make the Rockhound”

                What you wear when out rockhounding is just as important as what you bring. Rockhounding is like hiking, star gazing, bird watching, or geo caching as one must be protected against the elements. Unlike those delightful past times and hobbies, rockhounding means you may be in a single spot for hours at a time, cracking rock, chipping rock, and dusting off specimens.

                One time we were rockhounding for garnets from an outcrop in Connecticut that was on the private property of a Boy Scout Camp. We called the Boy Scout camp weeks in advance to ask permission to rockhound there, and to find out what was the protocol. This was on private property, so without permission, we would have been illegally rockhounding, and at risk for a tangle with law enforcement. The Boy Scout camp director was happy to oblige, and shared with us that no power tools were allowed, and he asked for responsible rockhounding. We scheduled the date in advance, found out whom we needed to call if questions came up, and we began our preparations. We did not know where exactly the outcrop was, as the directions were vague, the Boy Scout camp was not actively promoting rockhounding or inviting rockhounds after all, but we knew it was at the camp’s exterior, and near a railroad track. So while driving around the outer borders of the camp we saw a break in the woods that lined the camp and saw railroad tracks. We parked on the side of road, on the camp’s side, and got out our packs and started to march to search for this outcrop. The directions led us to believe the outcrop would be visible if we followed the railroad tracks. We were ready for this walk, prepared in advance for the changing weather of the spring, the emergence of bugs, and the hand tools required. We came to a clearing in the brush and woods, thinking we were close, when before us we see a number of discarded Listerine Mouthwash bottles lining the path, and then some Popov Vodka bottles, and then some rubbing alcohol bottles, and then we arrive at our destination,,,,,an old abandoned meth lab!  There was the propane tank connected to various drums and barrels, out in the middle of the woods! We looked around, realized “yeah, this is a meth lab,” then we cursed, and then proceeded to walk back to the car. Rockhounding is not easy. We drove a little farther about another mile, and decided to search again. This time we saw the outcrop from the car. Since it was spring, the trees were still somewhat bare. We parked again on the side of the road, camp side, and with our packs marched toward the outcrop. This outcrop was very, very hard, but we saw the orange garnets on one of the exposed faces, so we were happy to have multiple chisels, both styles of hammer, and some crow bars with us. The matrix surrounding rock was so tough that we decided the best strategy was to chip away blocks of stone, concentrated as highly as possible with garnets, and then we would work on this stone back home.

                While we were hammering the chisels with our hammers, the noise emitted by both of us was quite loud. Then, in addition to the noise we were creating, we heard the popping of gunfire! We had read that this was a camp ground and firing range, and while we were not targets, and we were not hanging out in the range, we were in the vicinity of the noise. Prepared for this scenario, we had ear plugs in our packs, and were able to rockhound despite the noise we were generating, and that the gun fire was generating.

We did not recover garnets or crystals in this scenario, but removed stone for later work. We hauled back as many slabs as we could responsibly load into the back seat and trunk of the car without destroying the car’s shocks.

                Here is a list of considerations when putting together your rockhounding ensemble:

  1. Prepare for rain with a parka. They are easy to fold up and easy once folded up to store in your backpack. When cold outside, a parka also offers a layer that can warm you up quickly.
  2. Boots! Expect a rocky, rough terrain. Boots made for hiking, not just for walking, will be helpful as you find yourself balanced at different possibly awkward angles chipping away at a stone. The boots are protection against mud, snakes and other critters, and best bet for any terrain. We have bought our boots at thrift stores and over eBay to save a few bucks. Expect your boots to get quite dirty, and possibly needing to be replaced each season, so feel free to purchase second hand, used boots, expecting to wear them down quickly.
  3. There is a reason that jeans were standard uniform for miners in California. They are hardy, big resistant, easy to wash and dust off, and ideal for rockhounds. Jeans are the way to go, no matter the temperature. You will find yourself sitting in a hole, or in a pile of dirt or on the side of an outcrop. Stay comfortable and free from scratch or injury by wearing jeans.
  4. We prefer long sleeved as additional protection against mosquitoes and other bugs, and protection against the sun. Long sleeve t-shirt, with a short sleeve t-shirt over it is fashionable, and smart rockhounding.
    1. “Diamond Tip” – The t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, jeans, etc. that we recommend for rockhounding are going to get very dirty, very quickly. The lifespan of a rockhound’s wardrobe is lessened with each adventure. We prefer to shop for all these articles at the local thrift or second hand store as a result. Clothes, especially shirts and jeans are plentiful in nearly any size. If you need to discard a shirt or jeans afterwards, better for your expenses, and more environmentally responsible for it to have been a second hand article.
  5. Goggles, glasses, eyewear for everyone! When hammering rocks, shards will fly. Goggles, protective glasses, Blu-blockers or sunglasses are absolute requirements. Just like in shop class, please do not begin cracking away at stone without wearing protective eyewear.
    1. “Diamond Tip” – Protective glasses are a good option to buy in bulk. If you go on an adventure with a group, there will likely be someone who does not have them. These are necessary for the safety and responsibility of the entire rockhounding party. Please always wear protective glasses or goggles and insist your rockhound buddies do as well.
  6. Hat, chapeau, or cap. Whatever you call your headwear, it is a valuable asset your rockhounding uniform to help protect you from the elements, the sun, keep your hair out of your eyes during this activity that requires all your hand to eye coordination.
  7. Gloves are critical, whether they be industrial gloves, or fabric or cloth gloves that are available from any hardware store, or convenience and gas station store. Your hands will thank you, and your manicurist will thank you.
    1. “Diamond Tip” – A cost effective glove are the fabric and cloth gloves that are often found in the car supplies at a corner store, or any drug store or convenience store. They are a low price point, and you may want to have more than one pair to share with fellow rockhound.
  8. Ear plugs. This is a personal preference depending on your sensitivity to noise. Banging on rocks throughout the day, or using a jackhammer (extreme rockhounding), can be taxing to your hearing. Some rockhounds are not impacted by the loud noise and do not need them, but other rockhounds require ear plugs for comfort and precaution. Perhaps pack ear plugs as they are small enough to take up next to no space in your pack.
  9. SPF! Shield yourself from the sun any day you rockhound! You could be in the shade, you could also be in full sun, the entire day. Protect your skin beforehand with SPF (this is good advice for every day), and bring a small travel sunscreen for other rockhounds not as prepared as you are.
  10. A notebook and pen to help you record the provenance of your finds and discoveries. Another chapter describes in detail the importance of documenting your finds, and the additional value, sentimental as well as financial and monetary of documentation. Your cell phone is a great tool for this, but a small notepad and pen or pencil may be easier to use.
  11. Sometime a gem and mineral club can be granted access to rockhound around a working mine. If you are a member of a club, and your club has not explored this option, we suggest your leadership look into the potential for a field trip to a rockhound among a working mine, which requires their permission, guidance, and supervision. In those special instance, special gear is often required and that includes a hard hat, and boots with steel tips.
  12. A first aid kit is helpful for Band-Aids and bandages since you are using tools, cracking rock and stone, and are out in the elements, and susceptible to cuts and scratches. The first aid kit can incorporate the sunscreen we recommend, and hopefully is not needed if you are prepared, but a basic first aid kit is a good resource to have for any outdoors activity.
  13. When you are rockhounding along an outcrop on the side of a state or county road where rockhounding is permitted, consider a fluorescent orange or yellow mesh vest for safety. Pennsylvania for instance is a state where rockhounding is allowed (no rockhounding along federal or US highways or freeways), and while we are as far as possible away from the road itself, we wear orange and yellow mesh vests as a courtesy to cars driving by, with drivers interested in what you are doing (a common occurrence). Some public areas where rockhounding is allowed, are also areas where hunting is allowed. For instance, where we hunt for geodes in Southern Indiana, private property, acres off a private farm, backs up to a state forest in Indiana where seasonal hunting is allowed. We also rockhound in Texas and in Georgia, on private acres that also allow hunting. Wear a vest if you are rockhounding in an area that you believe is also used for hunting.

Rockhounding ABCs – “Supplies to Battle the Mosquitoes and the Flies”

Rockhounding in Maine Mine

“Supplies to Battle the Mosquitoes and the Flies”

When you are out in the wild, down in a mine, out on a hike, exploring an outcrop, and run out of a supply, or realize you forgot something, depending on where in the country you are, there will not be a 7-11, Piggly Wiggly, or Buc-ee’s nearby to make a quick run. With preparation however, you can rockhound uninterrupted, and be prepared in advance for the most likely scenarios, as well as the less common scenarios or challenges you may encounter.

Imagine finding an outcrop with a concave structure, like a cave but only about 10 feet deep of an interior. We found this structure one time in upstate New York rockhounding in an area known for quartz and pyrite. We flashed our cell-phone flashlight in the crevice and saw walls of quartz crystals. We had hit a jackpot. Then, like something out of a Harry Potter movie, a thick black opaque form started to rise. A giant swarm of mosquitoes! Fortunately, we had packed a plethora of mosquito coils, and were able to light a triangle of coils inside the entrance that dissipated the mosquito swarm, enabling us to take a crack at the quartz crystals in peace.

  1. Plenty of mosquito coils are necessary no matter the locale, season, or weather. Once can form a protective triangle around the area where you are mining to clear the air of mosquitoes and other pests. Even if you are rockhounding during the day time, the brush and underbrush and foliage is likely full of mosquitoes.
  2. Matches! The mosquito coils require matches, and lighting them may take more than one attempt if the day is windy, so pack many packs of matches (no pun intended).
  3. Mosquito repellant is still needed to protect you from what could be very harsh and aggressive mosquitoes, not your suburban or city style mosquitoes.
  4. Sunscreen is another requirement as chances are very good you will be out in the open air, in the sun, or overcast, rockhounding is an outdoors activity, and like most outdoors activities, sunscreen is recommended.

The Golden Rules of Rockhounding

American Geode

The Golden Rules of Rockhounding: “Responsible Readiness Reaps Rockhounding Rewards”

One of our most successful rockhounding trips took place in the mountains of Colorado around Devil’s Head, which is near Pikes Peak. The drive from Colorado Springs was over 2 hours, and there were no conveniences, of any kind, up in the mountains. Being fully prepared in advance, planning ahead, and double checking before departing made this one of the most successful rockhound trips yet, and actually was just the start to the day. Rockhounding trips have little margin for error. An overlooked tool, forgotten supply, or missing gear can cut short a rockhound adventure. Through trial and error, improvement and correction, preparation and planning, the Colorado trip was wildly successful.

Colorado is for rockhounds, as rockhounding is allowed on public lands. We were invited to rockhound in Colorado by a friend who is a mineral dealer in Colorado Springs. The hiking trails in the mountains are great markers for rockhounding. We were going to follow the trails listed on the hiking maps readily available from on-line and from visitors’ centers. After driving for more than 2 hours up into the mountains, passing no other car or person the last half hour, we arrived at one of the Devil’s Head trail markers. I wanted to use my walking stick, we all were grateful for wearing hiking boots, and with the dry air at that altitude, we were grateful to have packed a gallon jug of water per person.

We parked along the side of the dirt road at the marker for the trail, and we were able to hop out, throw on backpacks, and start marching to find outcrops and stone exposure because we had planned and packed in advance. For this trip we did start following the trails, this was near the top of the mountain, lots of low overgrowth, and then we spotted some exposed rock and veered off-trail. We were expecting to find smoke quartz in pegmatite. This was a hand tool adventure as we did not know exactly where we were headed, and the igneous style pegmatite rocks where crystals are found is generally able to be broken up by hand. We set our sights on an exposure, set up our cell phones to start recording and taking pictures for provenance and posterity, sat down on the ground, thankful for wearing jeans, and using a hammer and chisel we started breaking apart pegmatites along the seams, crevices, and cracks, and started exposing arrays of smoky topaz.

We felt that some of the specimens looked best remaining in the matrix stone, for display. We used the smallest chisel to remove many topaz points with minimal matrix around the base, as we would clean up them at a later date. We moved from exposure to exposure, filling the cloth totes that we brought, that had been folded up in our backpacks. We took turns walking back to the car with our finds to make it easier to find the way back, and that way one of us was always digging and mining for more. We also kept taking pictures that we would review later as well to record this discovery, the location, the environment, the group, and the discoveries. When we all returned to the car, we decided to venture to another location on the mountain. We were prepared, and the adventure continued.

Provenance and its Importance to your Gem, Mineral, or Fossil Collection

American Geode

Provenance!

When is a box of rocks not a box of rocks?

                As the term goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  It takes an openminded person with a keen set of eyes to see the beauty of a rock prior to cleaning and polishing it. But what if we were to tell you the true story behind that rock?  Where it was found?  The mine it came from?  The adventure, story, and challenges that lead up to finding it? The true value of a rock goes much deeper than may first be obvious and it is critical to the hobby of rockhounding.

The origin and history of ownership including background story adds to value and collectability. Provenance is a term most often used in the Fine Art and Antiques markets as one of the determinants of value. The term and logic can be applied as well to stones, minerals, and crystals to help value a Rockhound’s collection.

                Let’s take a common example: Quartz. Lustrous purple quartz that most people refer to as Amethyst is found in many parts of the world and people love to browse the glossy cathedral pieces often found in gem shows. These are mostly commercially mined in bulk predominantly in China and Brazil, and are often augmented by various heating, coloring, and gluing techniques. Their retail price point fluctuates greatly but ultimately the piece you are looking at is a version of quartz and one of the most common minerals in the world. Now what if we also told you that in Arkansas, USA you can mine a magnificent piece of clear quartz by hand with perfect scepter points to place as a centerpiece that would simply make your dinner friends jealous. Even better yet, we could all go grab a great bottle of pinot red together and drink a few glasses while reminiscing about the day you found it. Then browse through the photos of triumphantly lifting the mineral with a huge smile while you were absolutely covered in dirt due to obsessively digging with a custom pick axe carefully for hours. How much would that be worth in comparison to the generic Amethyst piece from unknown locale you were considering purchasing over eBay?

               When rockhounding, how do you ensure your collection retains its provenance? Luckily, modern technology and tools make labeling and documenting your collection much easier than in the past, much more organized, and easier to share. First off, take real-time pictures of your findings to record your rockhound discoveries (old cell phones work great). It is amazing how pieces and stories can get lost so quickly when going from a dirty field bucket to a cleaned-up treasure.

  • Geolocate! Geolocate! Geolocate!  Modern day cell phones allow you to accurately identify the coordinates of your findings. Even if you consider the location to be a secret for all eternity, one day you may forget your path and landmarks change.
  • Videoing a discovery is skill that sets apart modern-day rockhounds. It’s a good idea to buy a 1080p low price video camera with hard outdoor plastic case to film discoveries.  Cell phones work in a pinch but just remember that rock fragments and dirty hands scratch surfaces very easily. As you film while you dig, clear dirt, or brush off a specimen and narrate what is going on around you.  You may just get lucky and capture the delight and joy of your first Herkimer Diamond pocket discovery, or the agony and defeat of just “another rock” or worse yet, cracked and broken treasures.

  • Rockhounding often involves going to multiple mines, trekking though woods, or galivanting over hills and through creeks, and if you are finding the same mineral or crystal throughout, then documenting each find is even more important to complete with your phone. Take photos of the area in which you are rockhounding, the mine, the walk up to the area, and narrate it or write notes to make sure you document the date of this rockhounding adventure, and perhaps who is rockhounding with you, in order to record the “story” behind your discoveries.

  • Another benefit to documenting the whereabouts of your discoveries, beyond a story, is the help the information may offer when you are identifying your minerals. If you find an unusual stone you were not anticipating, or stumble upon a fossil for instance, we suggest saving these and identifying it later at home. Many minerals and stones are can be identified by their locale. A green stone found unexpectedly in Washington state is likely a variety of serpentine because it is common in Washington state. A green stone found in Indiana can not be jade because Indiana does not produce or generate jade. For the post-rockhounding ID analysis from home, your search will be whittled down when you can begin with geographic location of the stone.

  • What to do when you bring your collection and finds back home? We suggest, after cleaning, treating, and preparing them (covered in another chapter), to keep your stones in plastic bags that can be labeled in marker with the information you have scrupulously been recording: location, locale, date, who was with you (was this a group field trip for instance, and ID (if you know it).

  • Other easy options for storing and keeping records about your rockhound finds in the field include egg cartons and small bubble envelopes upon which you can write down all the details about your find with a Sharpie marker.

Now imagine a scenario in which your grandson or granddaughter inquires about your mineral collection, and you are able to share stories about trips to Maine, Colorado, or Texas, and how you uncovered these specimens during a family trip. Imagine the conversation with a jeweler or auction professional, about setting values on your crystals and semi-precious minerals when you can share that they came from a mine that is now closed. Provenance requires additional work during and after your rockhound adventure, but your cell phone can make it very easy, and provenance pays off in sentimental dividends in the future, as well helps generate a potential financial return for your collection.

For sentimental value, a large quartz crystal is worth more to the family and descendants if Granddad and Grandmother acquired it during their honeymoon to the Grand Canyon, than it would be were it unmarked, unlabeled, without story, without provenance.  Remember, Provenance!