GMS Field Trip

GMS Field Trip
Various Minerals in North Carolina
Saturday, August 3, 2013

Many thanks again to David Callahan, the field trip chairman of the Lynchburg Gem & Mineral Society and the Roanoke Valley Mineral & Gem Society, for inviting GMS on another fun trip! The trip was filled with the beauty of the area as well as incredibly cooperative weather. We were told it rained every weekend for months until the weekend we were there. In the woods, we had a cool breeze and the shade of the trees and surprisingly very little mugginess. When we were not in the woods, the skies were overcast and we still had that delightful breeze.

Charles and I started by visiting a rock show the day before the field trip. This outside show has a field full of dealers with a variety of rocks, minerals, fossils, jewelry and many other interesting things. One of our purchases was a long wave laser pen that served us well the next day. Once we had a chance to see everything at the show, we went to another rock show! That show is inside a gymnasium so we had a moment to cool off as we perused the many beautiful items there.

When everyone gathered for the field trip on Saturday morning, there were so many people that we split into two groups. One group went to one mine while the other went to another mine. Charles and I went with the second group. After an adventurous hike up a steep slope that included hanging onto a forest service fence, we arrived at a good place to collect. And collect we did. Daniel Miller and Charles worked for hours on one spot but were rewarded with some nice specimens of beryl/aquamarine and sprays of tourmaline crystals. We used our new long wave laser to locate some nice apatite too. Plus, we didn’t realize until later when we were washing our finds, but we found some amazonite as well! Elizabeth Lamb and her worked diligently nearby. When I wasn’t waving the new laser pen around, I was having a grand time finding and photographing a plethora of fascinating fungus.

After thanking David Callahan for leading the trip, we departed with Thelma and Louise (aka Linda and Diane) on the tough trek down the hill. The ladies had already been to the other mine with the first group, so they decided to visit some local attractions as Daniel, Charles, and I headed for the other mine. There we were rewarded with a much easier collecting experience as beautiful chunks of feldspar, mica books, and feldspar/quartz dotted with deep red garnets. One more shopping trip at the rock show and we bid North Carolina a fond farewell. We are looking forward to sharing this trip again next year with the Lynchburg Gem & Mineral Society and the Roanoke Valley Mineral & Gem Society!

Lori Carter, on behalf of
Charles Carter, GMS Field Trip Chair
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Morning Location

Afternoon Location

Mushrooms and More