Hi Everyone,
I had the thrill of being invited back to dig on the quartz crystal bearing claim of Jon Johnson and Ed Christensen this year and wanted to share the moment. This year's report will be told mainly through photographs which documented our time spent on the mountain. I'll post captions and will very much hope that you enjoy coming along and sharing in the adventure!
 A typical overcast day for western Washington. Here I'm traveling parallel to the Hood Canal in Jefferson County.
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 On the road. A gorgeous scene found off a side road in the Lassen National Forest north of Susanville, CA.
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One of three pieces of heavy equipment working on the claim during our dig.
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Jon's pup Alta kept us all company, here we're waiting as the excavator moves in.
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With the excavator on the hill, tomorrow would be our first full day of digging.
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Our excavator for the dig posing pretty with the "monolith" in the background.
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The backhoe we'd be using. This is the same model used during our dig back in 2006.
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 This was the first major pocket we hit on a contact which continued to produce pockets throughout the course of our dig. Note the dome structure. The pocket is to the immediate left of my hoe.
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 A closer look at the pocket. Notice the jumble of cascading crystals spilling free from its left side. This was one of the largest pockets we worked and was a blast to collect.
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One of the spilt shards from the pile.
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Here's a large amethyst about to come out from another pocket.
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A flat of treasures freshly liberated from the pocket and awaiting its walk down to camp.
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Another pocket and another terrific amethyst crystal about to be collected.
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The amethyst from the last photo liberated and perfect! Crystal jewels like this are what its all about!
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Beautiful views surrounding and me, I'm face first into the wall... go figure! This is me having fun!
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