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More about me...I'm originally from Roanoke Virgina. We moved to Seattle in '84 (for the mountains)and later to Bremerton. In the fall of '08 we moved to Bellingham, in no small part for the rock-hounding!
How I first got into treasure hunting...Beach combing, digging in the dirt looking for pirate treasure, finding rocks on hikes and while camping. My dad always had a collection of rocks and fossils he'd found, seemed like treasure to me as a kid. So I guess its his fault. I really got into it after a trip to the Redwoods a few years back. We had bought some of those cheap touristy treasure maps at the Oregon Vortex and after seeing the big trees decided to Fill the rest of the vacation up with beach-combing based on the sites those maps listed. That's how I found my first jade.
My treasure hunting obsession(s): Jade, Nephrite, Jaspers.
My most exciting find:I have no Idea what it is!!!! And it changes every time I go hounding.
My favorite places to look for treasure: Rivers and creeks, In the North Cascades and occasionally the beach, whenever I find myself there...especially Oregon.
My favorite treasure hunting techniques: Pick up everything and sort it out later.
My treasure hunt toolkit contains...Estwing rock pick, safety goggles, shoulder bag, bags, buckets, 5#,8# and 20# sledges, folding shovel, pry, crowbar, screens, helmet, high test rope,emergency everything, boots for walking, backpack to carry stuff, spray bottle, various gads and whatnot, lots of maps, my eyes and some spit. Collapsible latter to cross creeks. A plastic sled for coming down the mountain. And magnets!!!!...to weed out the serpentinite. I'm presently hunting for...Jade mostly, jasper, "agate", anything that will take a good polish and maybe someday I will.
Recommended treasure hunting resources: Google image search and the good folks on the wiki!
Images on this page link to Photobucket Slide-show of the piece. More of my collection, slide-shows, descriptions and thoughts on identification can be found in the galleries below. I'm always adding new finds, etc, so if this topic interests you, you should add me to your watch list or friend me, so you will know when I update. I'm also very interested in seeing others' finds, especially if you really know what you're doing!! Because I really don't know if I do. If you follow the pages in order, you can witness the learning curve. And it curves a lot. Warning!! These are pictures of rough jade for identification in the field, not polished pieces of the finest Burmese jadeite!!! They are also "organic" pages that I am constantly updating and cross referencing, so if jade is your thing, these galleries are for you. Updates are in red, and the stones, unless otherwise noted, present the classic tells of jade...that is harder than a knife, waxy luster or feel, and heavy for it's size compared with a piece of quartz. Sometimes the "conversation" is ongoing, so it's best to work your way through the entire gallery. VIEWING THE SLIDE-SHOWS IS WORTH THE EFFORT, AS IT WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER FEEL FOR THE ROCK, AND THE PHOTOS I PICKED FOR THE GALLERIES ARE RARLY THE MOST INFORMATIVE, RATHER JUST THE BEST COMPOSED. And there are a lot of stupid mistakes in the beginning, but for the most part the information is good. Happy hunting!!! ~Zeke
Greetings Gama, This is Leslie from the Rock-A-Teers. I really like your profile. Never new you could find jade in the Northwest Region?? That's pretty cool. How can you tell if it's jade? Is there some sort of test that could be done in the field?? Just curious. We live in Aberdeen, and do alot of beach combing. We always find green rocks that don't look like just green rocks. We go to Birch Bay once in awhile and stay for a few days at The Worldmark. Maybe someday we can meet up there?? Anyway, whatever you can tell me could be a big help. Thanks Leslie
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I'm actually new to Bellingham so the other day I took the family out to Birch Bay for the first time for some liesurly beach combing. What an awesome place! Thanks for clueing me in. if you're finding odd green rocks there then they stand a good chance of being jade. I don't know what the collecting rules are for that park though. I kept a few pebbles and plan on taking all the little ones up there to teach them how to spot jasper and agate and what not while I grill. Its a lot easier than dragging them into the mountains! Take Care ~Zeke
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