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[lithicbeads]

Report will be posted later tonight- some pictures now

[GoodEarth]

Sweet!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Bentiron]

Uh, there ain't no water in that creek, that's a tad bit hard on the salmon fry isn't it? Nice looking picking for rocks though. You all can use a ton and a half of rain me thinks.

[lithicbeads]

The tribes and the federal fish hatchery take all the returning salmon, or at least it seems so. The upper river has plenty of insect life but the only fish are Bull trout in the very upper parts of the river. A ranger saw a salmon in the upper river a few years ago and said it was the only salmon she has ever seen in the uper river. Salmon only exist here so politicians can allocate them , the wild runs are in deep trouble and will become extinct for the most part. Helene is going to get a treat as the suiattle river road has reopened and the incredible salmon runs of Buck Creek are now fairly easy to get to see. The numbers are not huge as the stream is small but the number of species in a single small pool is mind boggling. In past years it has been spectacular as long as the bears have had their chance to get breakfast before you get there.

[Phishisgroovin]

THIS IS A PINK SALMON RETURN YEAR, SHE IS IN FOR A TREAT!!
The Pink (aka HUMPY Salmon) return in MASSIVE numbers.

[ToTheSummit]

I love your idea of "disability" Frank.  I'm not sure that creek bed is ADA approved. 

[lithicbeads]

This is from the rough that I carried out yesterday. They are all patterns that I have been cutting from this area for thirty years. The red and white and the black and white we call Harlequin and it makes very beautiful stones. My buddy got a 20 lb piece of red and white that was extremely good. The best reds are virtually fluorescent they are so bright and his best piece was that good. I had hurt myself by time we met up to go out so no pictures of his rough as I was totally focused on getting out by myself.The black and white harlequin was broken from a 30 lb piece that either Gergis or my daughter will pack out.I will do a field trip report tomorrow as I am nursing an over stressed hip and knee tonight.

[ToTheSummit]

Neat material.  Can't wait to see it cut.

We do it for the love of rocks, and I admire your tenacity, but take care of yourself Frank.  Thats easy for me to say...my wife tells me all the time that I never know when to slow down and give my body a rest.  I still have youth on my side...just barely.  Another 10 years and I won't be making jokes about it but telling my own tales instead!

[lithicbeads]

Just stay in shape and work on your sense of humor , old age demands a sense of humor. And in my case damn nice rocks!

[Bentiron]

Keep in the best shape you can because once it is gone it is extremely hard to get back, struggle with that pain every day, no turning back the hands of time and damage to the body. Think before you leap into chaos, it maybe you last leap, plan ahead.

[lithicbeads]

Exercise helps stay on top of the pain but nothing eliminates it for long. I love my gym because it is full of old folks battling age as well as disabilities. This can be hard to pull off before you are retired but trying to fit in regular exercise into your work day can provide big returns for those folks in their fifties. As we age our  relationship with our bodies changes and we usually have to do a lot more to take care of it as it has taken care of us during all those years of working and rushing about.

[lithicbeads]

To give you an idea of scale you can see my buddy's red backpack in the first photo just right of center.
 This was my shake out cruise and it was a mixed bag with two falls one of the bad variety but I managed to carry a 29 lb pack of rocks out despite  a totally whacked out leg and a barely functional " good " leg. Strong shoulders are absolutely mandatory as upward progress on the trails is a simple matter of using your arms and shoulders as your legs to move you up. Staying balanced on the crutches while going sideways up steep switchbacks  is tough on the shoulders. I use a longer crutch for my dominant arm so I can push up hill while the short crutch is held out at arms length uphill to provide balance and an assist. Slow but efficient over all. The shocker when we set out was that there is no traditional place for a side arm when on crutches with a pack. With the holster on the side the crutch can't move and no room for a shoulder holster. The answer is a stock position for very scary G bear country - the pistol is in front  on the belt near the buckle. For right handers the butt would stick out to the right with the barrel pointing out to the left. This works well in blowdowns and willow thickets etc. because you can quickly grab the holster in the left hand so that it doesn't flop around while your right hand draws the gun. I figured this out years ago in a canyon in Montana that was full of winter killed elk. I came off the cliffs with a pack heavy with crystals and the canyon  bottom was a wet seep so you had to claw through the willow thickets. A big downed doug fir forced me to crawl under it and while under it  a G bear was pushing through the willows looking for a spot that it could get under the log. It saw me from about 4 feet away and almost exploded with fear. I couldnt get the gun out as the holster was flapping around.That will never happen again. That is why old time holsters had a string to tie the end to your leg so that it was stabilized  and you could draw the gun in a simple motion. Tragically a bow hunter was killed by a G bear in that same canyon less than two months later. In Alaska they have 45-70 handguns that bow hunters use, a gun with amazing stopping power but one that will near rip your arm off if you don't fire it in a very stable position. Bears are usually pretty cool but I have been stalked up close by a cougar looking for breakfast and that made for a hellacious half hour before I managed to get to a meadow that the cougar did not want to enter. If I am to be dinner I expect to cause some indigestion at the very least.
 Going alone would have been much better because I wouldn't have to share my focus with someone else who frankly is not as woods worthy. Better focus would help and being alone provides that for me. With Helene Lithic strings will be her minder to help guide her  and make her safe. With me thumping up the gravel bar behind them of course.

[ToTheSummit]

Never had to face down a wild animal who intended to hurt me.  Spent plenty of time backpacking in black bear country and crossed paths with them many times, but never even seen a grizzly outside a zoo.  Also lots of mountain lions where I have been but I have yet to spot one in the wild.  I'm sure they have seen me but they are a very elusive creature and I have a feeling that more often than not they would be on top of you before you knew you were being stalked.

Going alone would have been much better because I wouldn't have to share my focus with someone else who frankly is not as woods worthy. Better focus would help and being alone provides that for me.

This is something I relate well with.  I do most of my hiking/camping/rockhounding solo and frankly I prefer it that way most of the time.  When other people are around (especially people who I feel are not, as you said, 'woods worthy') I find I lose my edge in a couple ways.  First, I spend time worrying about them as if I have to babysit to an extent.  Secondly I tend to let my own guard down a bit with the (somewhat false) feeling of security that comes when another person is there.  On my own I always feel I am much more in tune and aware of my surroundings.

[Phishisgroovin]

I will carry the side arms!!!!
Take me everywhere you rockhound!
You guys focus on rocks and i focus on dinner,........er.....um i mean your safety! 
this was a 20 round magazine emptied in less than 5 seconds.

[Bentiron]

We just have things like Africanized bees, rattlesnakes and killer heat other than that it's very safe  here to go hiking, oh, and the occasional mine shaft that you can step into and find bees and rattlesnakes, some fun that and the sudden stop at the bottom.