Geology Adventures makes earth science a hands-on experience

With a cry of discovery, this reporter proudly displayed the efforts of sustained digging: a long, slender crystal, dirt-covered but unmistakable, perched on top of a small pile of mud in a trowel. Two boys nearby glanced over, curious, then dubious.

"That's the only one you found in that big hole?" asked Chris Ledbetter, 10, with a note of pity in his voice. By that point, he was calling out "I found another!" regularly and had just added crystal No. 17 to the fanny pack around his waist.

Children are often better rock finders than adults because they're closer to the ground and have sharper eyes, said Bob Jackson, who leads family "Crystal Kid" field trips as part of his Geology Adventures company.

Humpf.

It turned out Chris also had an unfair advantage, as he'd been up crystal hunting last year for his birthday party, and he'd been on an overnight family trip with Jackson last summer.

"We just love it," said Chris' mom, Kathy Ledbetter of SeaTac, who also brought daughter Kara, her sister-in-law, Karin Faulkner of Bonnie Lake, and one of Chris' friends. "It's like finding buried treasure, and who doesn't like that?"

What's treasure to kids was just a byproduct to the owners of the once prosperous silver mine, located in the mountains beyond North Bend. At the turn of the century, the mine delivered some 1,700 ounces of silver per ton of rock. Miners dumped the crystals, along with dirt, in a big pile outside the mine. The pile reached six feet above Jackson's head when he first started bringing groups out here about 10 years ago. Eventually, digging will deplete the dirt pile, "but it'll be a while," he said.

After taking over the claim, Jackson dynamited the mine entrance so no one could enter and get hurt. An abandoned rail car still sits at the edge of the digging area, just as the miners left it. "They made as much money as they could and just walked away," he said.

Prospectors originally hoped to find gold, because in California, where they found quartz, they found gold. "Unfortunately, in Washington quartz just means quartz," Jackson said.

Don Morris of Burien, who came with his wife, Kim, and daughters Rebecca, 9, and twins Anna and Emily, 7, said the trip helped him understand "gold fever": the compulsion to keep searching and a reluctance to give up one's spot for fear someone else would find something good there.

Ledbetter can relate. "I always think I'm going to be able to quit my job," she laughed while sifting through the mud on her knees. "Every time we go out, I'm sure this is going to be the big one."

But the only gold found on this trip was pyrite, also known as fool's gold. Kids also brought Jackson two other types of shiny rocks, which he calls (in "kid terms") "glitter rock" and "fool's silver." Occasionally diggers find a small piece of real silver.

When one boy asked how Jackson could tell the difference, Jackson pulled out a pocket knife and pushed it into the rock. Real silver would bend up around the knife; the fool's version turns to powder. Diggers also can find peacock ore (bornite) by searching for the right type of rocks and breaking them open with mallets Jackson provides.

"Our girls have always been interested in pretty rocks so we thought it would be fun to actually dig for crystals," said Kim Morris. "They love to go on an adventure."

Jackson started Geology Adventures 20 years ago while working as a geologist (he retired in 1998). After volunteering to lead classes for his wife, then an elementary-school teacher, he turned professional as word of mouth spread.

Besides digging for crystals, Geology Adventures offers local trips where families can search for amber at Tiger Mountain (one of only five places in the United States where the fossilized sap is easily found) and minerals that glow when illuminated with an ultraviolet light. Overnight trips include explorations of Mount Rainier and several spots around the state, and Big Rock Candy Mountain in British Columbia.

He and an associate also lead almost daily trips during the spring for school groups, usually third-grade classes studying rocks.

"Washington is terrific for geology," Jackson said. "We've got all three kinds of rocks — igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary — and a lot of public land."

Participants in the "Crystal Kid" trip meet at a gas station off Interstate 90 just past North Bend. Then they caravan along a 12-mile unpaved Forest Service road, pass through a locked gate and hike half a mile to get to the location, which Jackson keeps secret to discourage trespassers. He has the only key to the gate so participants can't arrive late or leave early.

The drive and hike can be steep and sometimes rough; the trail at one point becomes a creek during the spring. But it's also lovely, with mountain views and lush forest. Groups in early spring sometimes hit snow. Trips go rain or shine, so boots and appropriate clothing are advised.

Beyond a brief talk explaining a bit about the area's geology, Jackson doesn't lecture. Genial and laid back, he's happy to answer questions. The biggest crystal found at this site was the size of a soda can, he tells one child. While the kids thought that was cool, he assured them that the smaller ones are actually prettier. The bigger crystals are white and murky rather than clear.

Jackson showed children a rock smoothed and shaped into a large, gorgeous marble. He also let them hold a large chunk of gemmy green fluorite (a find from another site) but warned them not to drop it: "This piece will end up in a museum," he said.

Stephanie Dunnewind: sdunnewind@seattletimes.com