California Jade

The final trip of the season before winter sets in turns out to be the most spectacular. Gitchel discovers what turns out to be the elusive “Giant Gem,” and he is determined to remove it. He enlists some of his crew to help move two huge non-jade stones to fully reveal the top of this beauty. The size and weight are just a guess as the behemoth was never totally uncovered or moved at all. Gitchel estimates the exposed area as 2.5x3x4 feet and weighing at least half a ton, but…”there’s no telling how much is below the sand. We tried and tried to move this mega-stone, but without success,” says Gitchel. The stone will not yield.

Here’s the huge boulder Sam has been wrestling with for days
Photo by Dael Keplinger

Humbled by the strength, power, and size of this unmanageable and uncooperative boulder, the crew spends most of the evening around the campfire, plotting their next move. Through the night they compare finds and revel in the glory of the wilderness. Some have found beauties and others have had no luck yet. They trade stories of bear and mountain lion––scat and tracks abound––but talk always returns to the Giant Gem. They devise a new plan to crack the Giant Gem on its fissure and remove at least part of it. To be continued...