Rock Hounding

The age old hobby of rock hounding (ie. the art of collecting rocks) was recently introduced to me by a good friend. Adam and I had our first real adult experience rock hunting when she took us to a mine near Ft. Collins that was known to produce amethyst crystals. She showed us how to identify the crystals and we found them just lying on the ground. Though locating the crystals was not as easy as it sounds, it was a wonderful free activity spent outside on a beautiful day digging around in the dirt. This brought back nostalgic feelings of being a kid. I felt like a five year old swelling with pride that I found something pretty on the ground. What a wonderful feeling as an adult! As a kid I probably reveled in finding my favorite colored stone without realizing the value. Now I appreciate it differently. The only problem at this age was my lack of flexibility compared to when I was a kid. Crawling around in the dirt hunched over staring at the ground looking for shiny pointed stones took a toll on my back.

Amethyst Mine - Adam and Jennifer

Colorado is rich with various mineral deposits and known rock collecting sites. We recently purchased the Colorado rock hounding book which identifies sites (public and private) where different types of rocks form as well as fossils collecting locations. A site known as the easiest and most accessible place to collect geodes was not far from Pagosa Springs just up Wolf Creek Pass. We once again tested our nose for rock collecting. I don’t think it was the smartest move to stand on the shoulder of a highway without an orange jacket pounding a hammer and chisel into the bottom of a rock face of canyon type walls without wearing a helmet, but we kept our eyes open for cars and falling rocks. Those are two items I will look into acquiring for future expeditions. We did however come prepared with safety glasses, gloves a bucket and shovel to collect our findings. One thing I learned from collecting amethysts was the need for a container to store them. Pockets get filled up way too fast and some rocks are too big to fit. Besides, as an adult I can do without dirt in my pockets.

At the site we came across another individual hunting on the other side of the road. He stopped to talk with us and we learned that he was the former head of a gem and mineral club near Denver. He has been hunting for over 40 years and knew what he was doing, but was a bit disillusioned by closed sites and no trespassing signs of today. He passed along the knowledge he had about collecting geodes which we appreciated and we set off to collect. Locating them still often requires luck. The beauty of geodes is found inside a round volcanic rock. The problem is the crystals are hidden inside this rock so you have to break it open before knowing for sure whether you have found one or not. The book gave clues as to what color rock in which to start looking and the color of the outside of the geode. I actually found one just lying on the ground as if it had fallen out of the rock wall. A corner of the outer layer was chipped and exposed the awesome formation inside. The night before there was a heavy downpour of rain so that might have freed some stones. That was lucky! We were also able to identify some potential geodes embedded in the face of the rock wall. Chiseling those out was no easy task. I’ve now had a small glimpse of how miners in the early 1900’s felt using a pick axe and hammer to dig out tunnels for the gold mines. Tired!

Geodes from Wolf Creek Pass

In the end we came away with four good samples and are pretty proud of ourselves. None of the geodes are perfectly round, but each one is interesting. Now, we have to find a place to put our rock collection in the RV. Next, we plan to attempt to search for dragonfly fossils. We found one once in Beaver Creek that was selling for over $150,000. I’d like to find that one lying on the ground. It could happen. Rockhounders will tell you to keep your nose to the ground. You never know what you might find.