Trip Report - Boylston and Moose Point April 22, 2001

The trip started early Sunday morning. An alarm is not usually necessary, even at 4:30AM; excitement usually keeps me from sleeping too much the night before a collecting trip. A good crew of keen collectors had met at Tim Horton's by 5:30 and we were off. The weather was fantastic; very mild with a beautiful orange and pink sunrise. A short stop was made at McDonald's in Antigonish for breakfast before completing the trip to Boylston.

People immediately carried their equipment up the hill and began scanning the slope for any crystals that were sitting out in the open. Almost right away some excellent orangey quartz crystals were found, just sitting in the open. Some boulders at the base of the slope were reduced to rubble with a sledge and pry bar, producing some nice bright specimens. Another boulder on top of the hill was not so fruitful. More poking around revealed a pocket which produced some nice specimens, even if the colour was a bit pale.

As noon approached, the tides had fallen enough that we could move to Moose Point. This beach has some interesting geological features in the cliffs including large amounts of sparkling specular haematite and large contorted veins of calcite. After a couple of hours, people had found enough specimens to be satisfied, so we returned to Boylston.

The afternoon at Boylston was less productive than the morning. The rock seemed less willing to offer up the treasures inside, however, one of the younger collectors did find a very large colourless crystal from the slopes. The rain, which was beginning to fall, was the signal to leave, as people began to head home. The end to a successful collecting trip and very fun day.

Ronnie Van Dommelen

© 2001, Nova Scotia Mineral and Gem Society

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