{"id":2582,"date":"2020-04-04T11:56:37","date_gmt":"2020-04-04T15:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/?p=2582"},"modified":"2020-04-04T11:56:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-04T15:56:39","slug":"rockhounding-abcs-clothes-make-the-rockhound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/rockhounding-abcs-clothes-make-the-rockhound\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockhounding ABCs – \u201cClothes Make the Rockhound\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cClothes Make the Rockhound\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                What\nyou wear when out rockhounding is just as important as what you bring.\nRockhounding is like hiking, star gazing, bird watching, or geo caching as one\nmust be protected against the elements. Unlike those delightful past times and\nhobbies, rockhounding means you may be in a single spot for hours at a time,\ncracking rock, chipping rock, and dusting off specimens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                One\ntime we were rockhounding for garnets from an outcrop in Connecticut that was\non the private property of a Boy Scout Camp. We called the Boy Scout camp weeks\nin advance to ask permission to rockhound there, and to find out what was the\nprotocol. This was on private property, so without permission, we would have\nbeen illegally rockhounding, and at risk for a tangle with law enforcement. The\nBoy Scout camp director was happy to oblige, and shared with us that no power\ntools were allowed, and he asked for responsible rockhounding. We scheduled the\ndate in advance, found out whom we needed to call if questions came up, and we\nbegan our preparations. We did not know where exactly the outcrop was, as the\ndirections were vague, the Boy Scout camp was not actively promoting\nrockhounding or inviting rockhounds after all, but we knew it was at the camp\u2019s\nexterior, and near a railroad track. So while driving around the outer borders\nof the camp we saw a break in the woods that lined the camp and saw railroad\ntracks. We parked on the side of road, on the camp\u2019s side, and got out our\npacks and started to march to search for this outcrop. The directions led us to\nbelieve the outcrop would be visible if we followed the railroad tracks. We\nwere ready for this walk, prepared in advance for the changing weather of the\nspring, the emergence of bugs, and the hand tools required. We came to a\nclearing in the brush and woods, thinking we were close, when before us we see a\nnumber of discarded Listerine Mouthwash bottles lining the path, and then some\nPopov Vodka bottles, and then some rubbing alcohol bottles, and then we arrive\nat our destination,,,,,an old abandoned meth lab!  There was the propane\ntank connected to various drums and barrels, out in the middle of the woods! We\nlooked around, realized \u201cyeah, this is a meth lab,\u201d then we cursed, and then\nproceeded to walk back to the car. Rockhounding is not easy. We drove a little\nfarther about another mile, and decided to search again. This time we saw the\noutcrop from the car. Since it was spring, the trees were still somewhat bare.\nWe parked again on the side of the road, camp side, and with our packs marched\ntoward the outcrop. This outcrop was very, very hard, but we saw the orange\ngarnets on one of the exposed faces, so we were happy to have multiple chisels,\nboth styles of hammer, and some crow bars with us. The matrix surrounding rock\nwas so tough that we decided the best strategy was to chip away blocks of\nstone, concentrated as highly as possible with garnets, and then we would work\non this stone back home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

We did not recover garnets or\ncrystals in this scenario, but removed stone for later work. We hauled back as\nmany slabs as we could responsibly load into the back seat and trunk of the car\nwithout destroying the car\u2019s shocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                Here is\na list of considerations when putting together your rockhounding ensemble:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Prepare for rain with a parka. They are easy to\nfold up and easy once folded up to store in your backpack. When cold outside, a\nparka also offers a layer that can warm you up quickly.<\/li>
  2. Boots! Expect a rocky, rough terrain. Boots made\nfor hiking, not just for walking, will be helpful as you find yourself balanced\nat different possibly awkward angles chipping away at a stone. The boots are\nprotection against mud, snakes and other critters, and best bet for any\nterrain. We have bought our boots at thrift stores and over eBay to save a few\nbucks. Expect your boots to get quite dirty, and possibly needing to be\nreplaced each season, so feel free to purchase second hand, used boots,\nexpecting to wear them down quickly.<\/li>
  3. There is a reason that jeans were standard\nuniform for miners in California. They are hardy, big resistant, easy to wash\nand dust off, and ideal for rockhounds. Jeans are the way to go, no matter the\ntemperature. You will find yourself sitting in a hole, or in a pile of dirt or\non the side of an outcrop. Stay comfortable and free from scratch or injury by\nwearing jeans.<\/li>
  4. We prefer long sleeved as additional protection\nagainst mosquitoes and other bugs, and protection against the sun. Long sleeve\nt-shirt, with a short sleeve t-shirt over it is fashionable, and smart\nrockhounding.
    1. \u201cDiamond Tip\u201d \u2013 The t-shirts, long sleeve shirts,\njeans, etc. that we recommend for rockhounding are going to get very dirty,\nvery quickly. The lifespan of a rockhound\u2019s wardrobe is lessened with each\nadventure. We prefer to shop for all these articles at the local thrift or\nsecond hand store as a result. Clothes, especially shirts and jeans are\nplentiful in nearly any size. If you need to discard a shirt or jeans\nafterwards, better for your expenses, and more environmentally responsible for\nit to have been a second hand article.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
    2. Goggles, glasses, eyewear for everyone! When\nhammering rocks, shards will fly. Goggles, protective glasses, Blu-blockers or\nsunglasses are absolute requirements. Just like in shop class, please do not\nbegin cracking away at stone without wearing protective eyewear.
      1. \u201cDiamond Tip\u201d – Protective glasses are a good\noption to buy in bulk. If you go on an adventure with a group, there will\nlikely be someone who does not have them. These are necessary for the safety\nand responsibility of the entire rockhounding party. Please always wear\nprotective glasses or goggles and insist your rockhound buddies do as well.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
      2. Hat, chapeau, or cap. Whatever you call your\nheadwear, it is a valuable asset your rockhounding uniform to help protect you\nfrom the elements, the sun, keep your hair out of your eyes during this\nactivity that requires all your hand to eye coordination.<\/li>
      3. Gloves are critical, whether they be industrial\ngloves, or fabric or cloth gloves that are available from any hardware store,\nor convenience and gas station store. Your hands will thank you, and your\nmanicurist will thank you.
        1. \u201cDiamond Tip\u201d \u2013 A cost effective glove are the\nfabric and cloth gloves that are often found in the car supplies at a corner\nstore, or any drug store or convenience store. They are a low price point, and\nyou may want to have more than one pair to share with fellow rockhound.<\/li><\/ol><\/li>
        2. Ear plugs. This is a personal preference\ndepending on your sensitivity to noise. Banging on rocks throughout the day, or\nusing a jackhammer (extreme rockhounding), can be taxing to your hearing. Some\nrockhounds are not impacted by the loud noise and do not need them, but other\nrockhounds require ear plugs for comfort and precaution. Perhaps pack ear plugs\nas they are small enough to take up next to no space in your pack.<\/li>
        3. SPF! Shield yourself from the sun any day you\nrockhound! You could be in the shade, you could also be in full sun, the entire\nday. Protect your skin beforehand with SPF (this is good advice for every day),\nand bring a small travel sunscreen for other rockhounds not as prepared as you\nare.<\/li>
        4. A notebook and pen to help you record the\nprovenance of your finds and discoveries. Another chapter describes in detail\nthe importance of documenting your finds, and the additional value, sentimental\nas well as financial and monetary of documentation. Your cell phone is a great\ntool for this, but a small notepad and pen or pencil may be easier to use.<\/li>
        5. Sometime a gem and mineral club can be granted\naccess to rockhound around a working mine. If you are a member of a club, and\nyour club has not explored this option, we suggest your leadership look into\nthe potential for a field trip to a rockhound among a working mine, which\nrequires their permission, guidance, and supervision. In those special\ninstance, special gear is often required and that includes a hard hat, and\nboots with steel tips.<\/li>
        6. A first aid kit is helpful for Band-Aids and\nbandages since you are using tools, cracking rock and stone, and are out in the\nelements, and susceptible to cuts and scratches. The first aid kit can\nincorporate the sunscreen we recommend, and hopefully is not needed if you are\nprepared, but a basic first aid kit is a good resource to have for any outdoors\nactivity.<\/li>
        7. When you are rockhounding along an outcrop on\nthe side of a state or county road where rockhounding is permitted, consider a\nfluorescent orange or yellow mesh vest for safety. Pennsylvania for instance is\na state where rockhounding is allowed (no rockhounding along federal or US\nhighways or freeways), and while we are as far as possible away from the road\nitself, we wear orange and yellow mesh vests as a courtesy to cars driving by,\nwith drivers interested in what you are doing (a common occurrence). Some\npublic areas where rockhounding is allowed, are also areas where hunting is\nallowed. For instance, where we hunt for geodes in Southern Indiana, private\nproperty, acres off a private farm, backs up to a state forest in Indiana where\nseasonal hunting is allowed. We also rockhound in Texas and in Georgia, on\nprivate acres that also allow hunting. Wear a vest if you are rockhounding in\nan area that you believe is also used for hunting.<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          \u201cClothes Make the Rockhound\u201d                 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 … <\/p>\n

          Continue reading “Rockhounding ABCs – \u201cClothes Make the Rockhound\u201d”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2247,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,52,101,102,157,156,95,5,32,47,20,94,93,80,79,46,96,158,33,97,159,160,1],"tags":[76,55,40,78,77,67,3,163,131,133,39,164,84,81,135,4,45],"class_list":["post-2582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antiques","category-antiques-roadshow","category-conservancy","category-environmentalism","category-gem-and-mineral-clubs","category-gem-and-mineral-shows","category-gemstone","category-geodes","category-geology","category-ice-age","category-interior-design","category-jewelry","category-lapidary","category-museums","category-new-york-2","category-paleontology","category-peridot","category-rock-shows","category-science","category-star-wars","category-tucson-gem-and-mineral-show","category-tucson-gem-show","category-uncategorized","tag-american-geode","tag-diamond","tag-diamonds","tag-gem-and-mineral-club","tag-gem-and-mineral-show","tag-gem-and-mineral-shows","tag-geode","tag-geode-cracking","tag-geodes","tag-geology","tag-herkimer-diamond","tag-indiana-geode","tag-mindat","tag-museums-2","tag-paleontology","tag-rockhound","tag-rockhounding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2582"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2583,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2582\/revisions\/2583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.americangeode.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}