Several years ago I was at work and a friend of mine stopped by and handed me a fistful of small quartz crystals. "Here you go," he said, "I found these, you can have them." I was baffled and intrigued and launched into a barrage of questions about where they had come from and how I could go find some of my own. He gave only simple information - that the crystals were found in a hill of dirt along the mountain pass, and militantly guarded by a man with a shotgun. Exciting as it may have been, it sounded a little too risky for my style and I soon forgot all about it.
After exploring Walker Valley, Daniel and I were both smitten with the adventure of hunting for crystals so I took it upon myself to suss out future hunting grounds. Lo and behold, the internet is teeming with information on local crystal hunting (Washington State hosts a great deal of mineralization because of the cascade mountain range - and much of it is within easy driving range). Many mining sites are privately owned, meaning that they are inaccessible, or available only to those willing to pay the fee for collecting there. But there are still a few that don't require permission or fees - you just have to be crafty enough to find them.
When it comes to new interests, I'm tenacious to the point of borderline obsessiveness. I spent a couple of weeks watching every video, reading every article (mindat.org is a fantastic resource!) and pouring over maps - satellite, USFS, topographic. One thing that can be noted is that crystal hunters (as well as hunters of other precious goodies - such as edible mushrooms) aren't exactly forthcoming with their information about where to find these valuable gems. Much of the time you're relying on vague directions such as "follow the power lines" or "around the bend" or "look for the pink ribbon in a tree to the left". Crystal hunting is typically an adventure fit for anyone who enjoyed scavenger hunting as a child.
Armed with a plethora of inexact information, we headed up to Snoqualmie Pass to find a site that promised oodles of small but beautiful quartz crystals - mythically guarded by a grumpy man with a shotgun, though the evidence for such was anecdotal at best. I was tickled that I would finally be exploring the original site that had opened my mind to the idea of hunting crystals in the first place. I had no idea what to expect. After finding our forest service road, there was a fair amount of "Have we gone 2.2 miles yet?" "Was that the turn off?" "Ah hah, here's the train trestle!" Finally, we arrived at the trail head and it was time to hike.
When exploring new grounds (especially as a novice rock-hounder), it's easy to get distracted. Along the trail were mighty exposures of fractured granite that begged to be explored but also shouted, "Danger!" I wanted to look at every rock, expecting to turn them over and find amazing treasures beneath. But with each distraction, we realized more and more that we were only wasting time and needed to stick to the directions if we were to find the true hunting site.
Finally we reached the end of the hiking trail and it turned into a dirt path that led into the trees. Coming through the trees was like entering a realm of fairies and gnomes. The hillside itself was broad and pocked with holes that had been dug by previous prospectors. Young evergreens filled in the dusty hillside, providing cool shade and a canopy of secrets. The more we explored, the more we found trees that had been disrespectfully undercut by those seeking yet undiscovered ground.
The dirt under our feet had surely been sifted and turned for decades - yet still sparkled with countless shards of shattered quartz. It was hard to avoid dropping into the "rock-hounder's stoop" right away; hard to walk past anything that offered a hint of sparkle from the dusty earth.
The thrill of the hunt was fantastic - especially when coming across a crystal with an actual termination. They were few and far between, but that made them all the more special. From my reading, I had learned of the presence of Amethyst at this location and the desire to find such a specimen was all the more motivation to keep digging long past the sore hips and chapped fingertips and aching back and damp, dirty clothes. We just couldn't stop.
Finally, the sun retreated to the far side of the pass and the temperature dropped in our serene grove, and we began to realize how hungry our searching had made us. With great effort, we peeled ourselves away, back on the hiking trail and back to the car - with treasure to ogle and clean and share with our friends, upon our return home.
We knew it wouldn't be the last time we visited Hansen Creek - but we never could have foreseen the adventures yet to be had while searching for Washington State Quartz.
If you'd like to take a look at some of our finds, visit us on Etsy, where we showcase our best material from Washington State and beyond! Check it out at HoundsofApollo.
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