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Deer Creek, Oso Jade Gallery Page 1
Pictures link to Photobucket slide-show to aid in identification Profile/ Jade Gallery 2.0 /Deer Creek,Oso
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| Deer Creek, Oso Jade Gallery Page 1 |
Trip Report July 20, 2009
A Chance Encounter
This trip started out on Pilchuck (7/20/09). I had planned on hiking up Bear Creek, but decided at the last minute to end the day at Deer Creek to "guarantee" coming home with jade. I also decided to try accessing the creek on the other side instead of on the Lake Cavanaugh Rd side where you have to park away from the access points, and have to either cut through private property or bushwhack in. On the other side is a residential street, but there is an area right before you get to the last house where the road runs right along side the creek that is public. But there isn't very much room to park, and you have to wade across part of the creek to get to the gravel bars. But as the creeks are low, this isn't a big deal, and is easier than the other side (you still end up on the same gravel bars). It was those two decisions that lead to the chance encounter with Ken Agren of WashingtonJade.com, one of the few sites with any real information on Washington State jade. If I had hiked Bear or parked on the other side like I usually do, chances are we would not have met. Well we talked about the nuances of finding jade, showed a few of are finds of the day off, and generally bs'ed as only two jade junkie's could. He invited me on a field trip to Teanaway later this summer, which I'm real excited about. I've been looking for an excuse to look for the jade there. He did tell me that in his opinion, the more translucent stuff coming from Deer Creek is HGG, including when I described the 'HelloRock'(JG page 10), but that, in reality, it's all mixed up, and nearly impossible to distinguish the jade from the HGG in those "DeerStuff" pieces (see JG pg 10), though some are more obviously HGG (based on their rodingite "habit"). He also showed me a variety of jade or jade like rock I hadn't noticed before and will have to investigate more closely. I know where a rather large piece is I past by while hunting earlier, and so will share after my next trip. It looks very similar to some of the stuff from Aaron's claim, only not the blueish green, more a light "Granny-Smith" green, but not really translucent I think, and you wouldn't notice unless you broke into it. More on all that as I learn more. I didn't actually have very good luck on Deer Creek this trip...the sun was relentless and that really affects your ability to scan the rocks for jade tells. And I was really tired. But getting to meet Ken more than made up for it. Try to enjoy what I did find anyway, including the great botryoidal mystery piece....
A Chance Encounter
This trip started out on Pilchuck (7/20/09). I had planned on hiking up Bear Creek, but decided at the last minute to end the day at Deer Creek to "guarantee" coming home with jade. I also decided to try accessing the creek on the other side instead of on the Lake Cavanaugh Rd side where you have to park away from the access points, and have to either cut through private property or bushwhack in. On the other side is a residential street, but there is an area right before you get to the last house where the road runs right along side the creek that is public. But there isn't very much room to park, and you have to wade across part of the creek to get to the gravel bars. But as the creeks are low, this isn't a big deal, and is easier than the other side (you still end up on the same gravel bars). It was those two decisions that lead to the chance encounter with Ken Agren of WashingtonJade.com, one of the few sites with any real information on Washington State jade. If I had hiked Bear or parked on the other side like I usually do, chances are we would not have met. Well we talked about the nuances of finding jade, showed a few of are finds of the day off, and generally bs'ed as only two jade junkie's could. He invited me on a field trip to Teanaway later this summer, which I'm real excited about. I've been looking for an excuse to look for the jade there. He did tell me that in his opinion, the more translucent stuff coming from Deer Creek is HGG, including when I described the 'HelloRock'(JG page 10), but that, in reality, it's all mixed up, and nearly impossible to distinguish the jade from the HGG in those "DeerStuff" pieces (see JG pg 10), though some are more obviously HGG (based on their rodingite "habit"). He also showed me a variety of jade or jade like rock I hadn't noticed before and will have to investigate more closely. I know where a rather large piece is I past by while hunting earlier, and so will share after my next trip. It looks very similar to some of the stuff from Aaron's claim, only not the blueish green, more a light "Granny-Smith" green, but not really translucent I think, and you wouldn't notice unless you broke into it. More on all that as I learn more. I didn't actually have very good luck on Deer Creek this trip...the sun was relentless and that really affects your ability to scan the rocks for jade tells. And I was really tired. But getting to meet Ken more than made up for it. Try to enjoy what I did find anyway, including the great botryoidal mystery piece....
 LuckyBotKin  Reverse  | LuckyBotKin This is an extremely difficult piece to nail down. I found it at the very last before packing up to go after meeting Ken, right where I was standing while talking to him. It's habit is unquestionably botryoidal. The black is a softer serpentinite that tugs on a magnet. The green is just soft enough to scratch with a knife in most areas, but not all (I've noted elsewhere that this is often the case with botroidal jades, as their surface has been constantly exposed). In a few spots not only is it hard enough to "scratch" the knife, but is almost sub-translucent. I took a risk and cut into the lower right knob, but the fresh surface was still just barely soft enough to scratch and was still the dull green color with the purplish lines. I don't want to risk damaging it more just to prove that deep inside the green there is jade, but my "final" conclusion is that it is extremely likely. This is one of those I'll have to take to the University I think. But it is a beauty isn't it? |
 3Pieces | This (was) an example of the orange rind stuff that I have so eloquently destroyed. It was the first I picked up on the creek that day. whoops! Other examples and thoughts on this stuff are on JGv.1.0 pg 7, 'BrokenRind' |
 4Pebbles | Four little pebbles of various stuff. The one in the lower left is a nice jade for sure. Upper left looks like a lot of the stuff that isn't, but is pretty non-the-less, and a different coloration, so it might be jade. The other two are maybes. It's really hard to identify pebbles as there is no room on the stones for "tells". These just end up in an unmarked coffee can just in case I find a use for them. |
 aSmallHGG "DeerStuff" | I've already talked endlessly about this stuff, here's another piece of this beautiful material. |
 Meta1 | Another example of the "metasomatic" opaque jade. Prominent solid green knob plus mixed, mottled green and white. |
 AnotherBlack | Yet again, not really black here. Not like the 'PitchBlack' (JG 2.0 Pilchuck pg1) from Pilchuck, but more of a very dark green. |
 SmokeyBot | OK, I admit that I got desperate out there on the creek. However let me describe this to you, so you will understand my curiosity. Yes, it just looks like a piece of smokey quartz, but the black here is a soft substance, just like in a botryoidal jade. Well, I guess that's it, lol. |
 Family | This just has to be a jade. Because I say so, that's why! |
 DeerRed | I'm always trying to find the red jade, so forgive these pieces. Unlike my experience with obvious jaspers, this one is soft on the large flat surfaces, but hard on the edges (fresher surfaces). The slide-show shows the scratches (the one on the edge shows the metal leavings of the knife where as the scratches on the flat surfaces shows it's softness and non-white, reddish streak). It's this combination of results that gives me pause. That and the black areas. |
 LikeBot | This one reminds me of other various botryoidal-like pieces from Pilchuck, but that's not much to go on. I'll cut this soon I think. Compare with 'OddBot' and 'P1' on JG v 1.0 pg6 |
 Type | If you followed the whole "type" thing on JG v.1.0 pg 10, then you will understand when I say this one is a type buster. Just more "DeerStuff" confussion. this one seems to mix the "metasomatic" type with the HGG DeerStuff type. It's a keeper just like all the rest of the DeerStuff though. |
 RonProof | On most blackwall rodingites, the black is a softer serpentinite like material (usually with no tug from a magnet). This piece (like others I have, but haven't bothered to show this) is soft on the black areas. More reason why I prefer to call these HGG Rodingites and not jade. But when translucency enters into the mix, I've been tending to call it jade...however, Ken calls those HGG. So I really don't know, other than this is rodingite, weather or not there is jade in it or HGG or both. (slide-show shows scratch) |
 aLight | This is another example of the lighter green, mottled white translucent stuff (with an off color rind on the white). |
 Buried   | Buried The is the one really good find of the day. It was all buried except for about 2 inches of flat surface just visible out of the sandy creek bed. The gravel bars have been hit pretty hard already by hounds, so I think a lot of this year's easy to find surface material has already been scooped up. This piece is 21 pounds of white spotted green "deerstuff" of unknown internal translucency. The green spots have a special "glow" about them that is very hard to photograph, but make these rocks something else to behold! |
 aGoodMaybe |  AnotherMaybe |
 CHER |  CH |
| grey cherty stuff | grey cherty stuff |
    | In The Hole I found this one dug up from other hound's in the hole they left after removing a large boulder. This piece incorporates many different tells, and has resent fractures so one can see the internal structure. In the slide-show you can see that the rind is a bit soft, but not the fresh surfaces. Notice the white area on the bottom left picture, the HGG like rind and the various "green" hues of the translucent material the fractures reveal. Study this piece. Seeing this piece has made me realize that I have past some good stuff up by not focusing on this particular rind variety. In regards to the white compare with 'clouds' JG v1.0 pg 10 giving renewed hope that that piece is in fact jade. |
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 GoingToCut | This one is very similar to the 'LittleSurprise' on JG v1.0 pg 10 |
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Latest page update: made by gamaliel114
, Oct 5 2009, 4:03 PM EDT
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| gamaliel114 | Deer Creek Trip Reports | 0 | Jul 25 2009, 11:20 PM EDT by gamaliel114 | ||
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Thread started: Jul 25 2009, 11:20 PM EDT
Watch
Here is the second part to the 7/20/09 trip report, Deer Creek:
http://cash-and-treasures-wiki.travelchannel.com/page/Deer+Creek%2C+Oso+Jade+Gallery+Page+1 Enjoy, comment, laugh or not, there it is. :-) I've already started cutting into a lot of pieces and will update later this week once I get tired of cutting or break my old little tile saw, which ever comes first. ~Zeke |
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