[Rockhounds] WAS: Mitchell maps... now: a true book in Idaho

[DonH]

Lanny wrote:


Gee I didn't think it was that good.  I have so little time these days, 
I just try to share facts when I can, and sometimes I have a little more 
time for the colorful details people like.

> I must confess a problem though with the Freezeout location you were so 
> successful at in following my guidebook directions. 

Now I'm confused... you mean the 0.8 is wrong, or the previous edition 
was wrong?  Because I must tell you the outcrop was RIGHT THERE as soon 
as the odometer turned 0.8.

The funnier part of the story is that, while I was talking to them as 
they ate lunch, they were telling me how they were using guidebooks to 
find things, and they said the book had directions for kyanite but they 
didn't find anything, and "you know how these books have bad info."  I 
said, "yeah a bunch of folks were just having that discussion on the 
rockhounds list.  Let me see what it is."  And then they pulled out 
Lanny's book, and I said, "Oh, um, I kind of know him, and I doubt it 
would be too wrong."  Now, I looked at the page they showed me with the 
map, but they also said something about 5-inch, faceting-grade kyanite, 
which I didn't see written on that page.  That's when I mentioned I 
hadn't seen any evidence of that kind of metamorphism around there; that 
isograd is some miles to the east, or so I would think.  I tried calling 
but all I got was a staticky signal; the phone showed a tower 
connection, but I have no idea where it was, and it was weak.  I thought 
it would blow their minds to realize they pulled out this book in front 
of a stranger who happens to know the author, and we could call him from 
a ridge at 6,000 ft. with nothing in sight but other mountains.  But 
anyway, in an effort to defend Lanny's good name, I crawled all over 
that outcrop until I found those little blue treasures.  Maybe there is 
another outcrop with the big ones?  Or maybe they were all collected out 
(you know what happens when you publish a new guidebook)? Or maybe they 
were reading the wrong page?  In any case, I sent them to Goat Mountain 
for the big ones... good luck with that climb.  However I must tell you 
that these senior citizens were in fine shape and were a testament to 
the fact that life is full after retirement.

I know that somewhere in the Freezeout area is a ridge with a sloping 
meadow on one side and some rocks with large garnets in them.  That's 
what I was looking for.  I also remember seeing perfectly formed, opaque 
garnets in matrix that just pried loose out of the rock; the trick was 
being able to find where they are, up a sloping hill under thick trees.

[time lapse]  I just remembered I have photos from last year's field 
trip.  Tomorrow I will post pictures of giant garnets and huge kyanites 
with andalusites.


Best,
Don