I’ve finally got a rockhunt schedule for the rest of November and December, and there are some very exciting developments for y’all!

I’m now working with Aaron Thomas, who is a degreed mineralogist and geologist, and a full time Alpine resident.  He and his wife Katrina run a food truck  business in Alpine called Tri-la-Bite, so he’s only free to lead field trips on Saturdays and Sundays.  He has been rockhunting in the Big Bend for most of his life, and has several ranches available for field trips on an occasional basis and a couple he can go to all the time.  Aaron’s very enthusiastic as well as knowledgeable, has more stamina than all of us put together, and is lots of fun to be around.

Because of Aaron’s schedule, I’ll be moving my field trips to the weekdays before and after the weekends when Aaron can lead trips.  This will give y’all the longest possible time for rockhunting on your trip out to the Big Bend, and you can pick and choose which days you’d like to hunt.  You can sign up for Aaron’s field trips the same way you sign up for mine:  send me an email with the days you wish to attend, and make sure to include the phone number for a cell phone you’ll have with you.  Both Aaron and I will be leading trips to the South Larremore Ranch.   All of Aaron’s field trips will be limited to 12 people, and there’s still no limit to the number than can attend my field trips.

For this set of rockhunts, the new ranch Aaron has available each weekend is the Needle Peak property owned by Jan Woodward.  This is the traditional Needle Peak site which has produced great pompom and moss agates and for the past 60 or so years. It’s west of the East Needle Peak property we’ve been hunting on for years, and if you wish to climb up to where the agate is coming out of the mountain, it’s rather steep.  But there is plenty of agate to be found on the flat area below the mountains and above the creekbed.  I was there last weekend and there are spectacular things to be found!  And Jan Woodward is donating all proceeds from the hunts to the local animal shelter in the name of her late husband Trey Woodward.

All field trips this year will begin at Tri-la-Bite, which is at the corner of Holland Avenue and Garnett Street in Alpine.  It’s on the left side of the street, across from the Sonic Drive-In.

So here’s the schedule.  Be sure to look at the start time for your field trip because they vary depending upon the ranch. I love y’all, but I’m tired of getting emails and calls for questions that are answered in this email, and available on my website.

Date	Location	Leader	Cost	Start Time	Requirements
Thurs. 11/14	Ritchie Ranch	Teri	$10 entrance + $1/lb	9:00	Cash or check
Fri. 11/15	East Needle Peak	Teri	$40	8:00	Cash or check
Sat. 11/16	South Larremore	Aaron	$50	8:00	Limit of 12 people.  Cash or check
Sun. 11/17	Needle Peak	Aaron	$50	6:30	Limit of 12 people Cash only
Mon. 11/18	South Larremore	Teri	$50	8:00	Cash or check
Thurs. 11/28	South Larremore	Teri	$50	8:00	Cash or check
Fri. 11/29	Ritchie Ranch	Teri	$10 entrance + $1/lb	9:00	Cash or check
Sat. 11/30	East Needle Peak	Teri	$40	8:00	Cash or check
Sun. 12/1	South Larremore	Teri	$50	8:00	Cash or check
Mon 12/2	East Needle Peak	Teri	$40	8:00	Cash or check
Sat. 12/7	Needle Peak	Aaron	$50	6:30	Limit of 12 people Cash only
Sun 12/8	South Larremore	Aaron	$50	8:00	Limit of 12 people Cash or check
Sat 12/14	South Larremore	Aaron	$50	8:00	Limit of 12 people Cash or check
Sun 12/15	Needle Peak	Aaron	$50	6:30	Limit of 12 people Cash only
Sat 12/21	Needle Peak	Aaron	$50	6:30	Limit of 12 people Cash only
Sun 12/22	South Larremore	Aaron	$50	8:00	Limit of 12 people Cash or check

Rollin’ Rock Club membership is still required for my field trips.  Cost is $10 single and $16 for a dual membership.  Membership will run through the year 2020.

Regards,

Teri