Albums=slideshow with dry shots first, then wet

Jade Junkie
Apr 29 2009, 8:37 AM EDT | Post edited: Apr 29 2009, 8:37 AM EDT I just can't stand that everyone went out this weekend and I stayed at home taking pictures of my not jade rocks so I'm off to Finney and Deer creek to hunt for the elusive white jade. I wish I had stuck with agates, (the gateway stone) at least I'd know what I had!
~Zeke
So tired. Finney Creek road is blocked by a log jam just past mile post 7 (Gee Creek I believe) but it looks like you can get through via Deer Creek Pass (Segelsen Pass) as they have filled the washout on the other side of the log...Don't quote me on that. I'll find out next week. Still, I climbed down to the creek by way of the next creek back down. This was only my second collection trip on Finney Creek proper, so I'm not sure what I came out with. I didn't come out with the white jade I know is there (my brother picked up a piece last year, foliated orangish white). That trip I picked up the "Goblin Green" piece (Finney Creek Album, along with a lot of serpentinite).
The jade on Finney is, or so I've heard, notoriously rindy, often foliated/talcy on the outside but good inside and there is, of course, a lot of serpentinite and schist. I didn't see any recognizable rodingite, but it may be a greener variety that I'm not familiar with yet (There were suspicious stones). (Actually I did find one, the green is soft serpentine also in the sills or dikes)

I don't know if I'll post any pictures tonight. Beer time and I had a bout of insomnia last night, so I'll just describe my favorite finds. I came out with a 20 pound nephrite boulder with big white inclusions. Its a bit ugly but I have been searching for that stuff for a year and a half (that's why the celebratory beer). It's true what is said about the hammer springing back...that's how I figured it initially. I don't know if it qualifies as green though some of the bigger inclusions have nice green intermixed. It might turn out nice but I doubt it. I'm still extremely happy with it. I also got away with three large, very pretty, soft on the outside pieces with translucency, each a little different, so chances are good at least one of them is jade and not serpentine. (I'm avoiding breaking rocks until I get a good system for testing specific gravity and then I will test small pebbles of the same material first) The final piece I'll note is good sized, very hard, very translucent and a very nice green. But it reflects like crystal faces and one corner has cleavage planes, so I think it might be actinolite or something. It has tiny black inclusions if that rings any bells. Tomorrow I will post.
And then I have bags of what I'm sure is junkite. I need help...(continued below)

Finney Haul Here are the other "finds" on Finney this trip: (nicer pieces described in my Jade Gallery"*") Finney Creek main view or The Watermelon Jade* Translucent bluegreen* another good chance* Flood's jade* serpy finger Brown and green squiggely rock(?) Finney Flat* Finney Fin,Serp(?) Little Opaque?* Big Finney Opaque* Serpentinite Rodingite? Ugly Green Opaque Round Just Serp? Just Junk? Piece of schist Leaverite Band of? in? Junkie MetaJasper Serp Slickenslide Garden Rock Serpentinite Junkite

Deer Haul Here are the other "finds" on Deer this trip: (nicer pieces described in my Jade Gallery"*") (And/or Rodingite "**") Deer Creek main view or Chert Rock? Junky rock Junkee rock? The Unknown stuff, Twostripes Dark Opaque piece of* Likely Quality Jade* Another* HGG Rodingite with vien** Another Rodingite with?** White with Light Green,Jade?** HGG** HMM Opaque Jade* Brown Rind Jade* . . . . . . . . Rodingite

After that I repelled down another section of the creek that was cliffy, but to no avail. I'm not sure the theory of out-of-the-way places holds well. The first section I checked was obviously a very popular camping spot!
Then I drove to Dan creek looking for the fabled Travertine "mines" (Darrington) a Washington State Mineral Council claim. I was just guessing where it was on the road. The road was snowed in right at the bridge over a creek in a deep ravine right where I think the claim is. But I thought better than trying to repel down alone over a hunch. So off to Deer Creek Oso.
I took Aaron's (Retiredoldfogee's) advice and parked at the closed down gas station, walked under the bridge, back up onto the old railroad bridge, over that, back down to the creek. I was actually looking for rodingite but any jade not picked over would be nice. I got alot of pretty rocks.:-) I did find the obvious "blackwall' rodingite and, as I had hoped, it was rare and very weathered hinting that the source is far up the creek (or long gone:-( ?). That means we may be able to zero in on a source by the state of weathering using Grandy creek weathering patterns as a base line. [He-who-is-retired-but-not should be able to find one of the pieces of rodingite amongst the pile of serpentinites and broken stones one step from the big boulder with the green slick of whatever on it in the middle of the gravel bar. The rondingite is white and broken with a green spot on the tip].

The entire trip took ten hours from Bellingham. In a few weeks I am going to hike up the upper section of Finney, if i can get there, to look for rodingite sign, then down Deer Creek from just up the road. Then we'll see if my theories hold out.
~Zeke
oh, and if the 20 pounder isn't nephrite, I'll never admit to it.;-)