A River Full of Garnets

We went garnet hunting near Lake Wenatchee, yesterday. It involved waking up at 5 AM, driving a few hours east, meeting up with our new rock and gem club, hiking through old growth forests, braving the vicious swarms of man-eating bugs, sticking our feet in an ice cold creek... but still it was worth it. Imagine a a river sparkling with mica-speckled rocks and glitting with little red gems... and that is where we were. Scoop up a handful (or shovelfull) of river sand and pepples and pick the red sparkles out. An amazing day.