About the Field Trip
Geology of the Quilcene to Center Area (Center Road)
Leaders: Michael Polenz*, Trevor Contreras*, Harley Gordon*, Ian Huber*, Jeff Tepper, and Carol Serdar Tepper
The purpose of this field trip is to review the geology of the southern part of the Quimper Peninsula (sites between Chimacum and SR104 between Discovery Bay and the Hood Canal bridge), which has been mapped recently by geologists* at the WA Dept. of Natural Resources. The main focus is on the Tertiary bedrock of the peninsula and the history and deposits of late Pleistocene glaciation, which created most of the present landscape.
The trip will start at 8 am at the Chimacum High School parking lot, where we will assemble our caravan of carpoolers. Minimizing the number of cars is critical since some stops will be along narrow road margins. There will be as many as eight stops, so it’s a full and arduous day with some hiking over uneven ground. You should bring a bag lunch and other personal items (rock hammer, hand lens, sunscreen), but we will provide water and beverages for lunch. The trip will culminate with an open-ended stop for cider, wine, bread, cheese, and chats at the Finnriver Farm (@ 5 pm), one of the Jefferson Land Trust’s farm partners.
We must limit the participants to 25 so don’t delay if you want to be on this rather hard-core geology field trip. Cost of the trip is $20, which we’ll collect on the morning of the trip.
Advisors of the Geology Groups will run the rain-canceled beach walk on Marrowstone Island on Sunday, July 22, to see the Eocene and Pleistocene sections at Nodule Point, located near the southeast end of the island. This walk is timed for the low tide and participation will be limited (by parking spaces) to 50 persons.
Walk. It’s about 2.4 miles from the East Beach lot to Nodule Point. Probable walking time, one way, is 1.5 hour–or more if we see interesting things in route. Arrival time at Nodule Point should be about 12 am (lunch). Collecting and/or defacing the outcrop is discouraged: please take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but footprints. Wear your sturdy walking shoes/boots. Bring clothing for the weather, a pack, water, camera, and your own lunch. No bathroom facilities are available beyond the parking lot. We’ll plan to return to the parking lot by about 2:30 pm and be at Chimacum HS by about 3:00 pm.
Jeff Tepper, Chairman of the Geology Dept. at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, spoke about Tamanowas Rock, a sacred site for the Callam Tribe and local rock climbing site located just west of Chimacum. This illustrated lecture was attended by about 120 geology fans. After the talk, Jeff and other geologists in the group led 105 Tamanowas enthusiasts on a 2-mile round-trip walk from the Tri-Community Center to the rock where its geology and sacred status will be discussed.
