Hewitt Gem Mine Dig – June 7th

Date:

Location: 202 Turkey Hill Rd., Haddam, CT 06424

Type of Trip:

Pegmatite Digging – Explore active worked pits and tailings for amazing minerals like Beryl, Garnet, Mica, Quartz, Tourmaline, Feldspar, and more!

Location:

Hewitt Gem Mine – Haddam, CT (Full details will be provided in the flyer)

Date:

Saturday, June 7, 2025

Meet-Up Location:

On-Site Parking Area (Look for the group when you arrive!)

Ages Allowed:

7 years & up (Kids under 13 must always be closely supervised by a parent/guardian.)

Digging Fees (CASH ONLY, Paid on-site):

• $30 per day (Ages 13+)
• $40 per day (If using power equipment)
• $15 or $20 per day (Kids under 13 – fee set by owner)

Lunch Option (CASH ONLY, Paid Separately):

For just $10 per person, enjoy a delicious lunch provided by Tony – typically burgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, drinks, and maybe even a special side like pasta salad!

Important Notes:

LIMITED SPOTS – MAX 35 attendees!
This is a shared trip with FM-NJ, so sign up early!

How to Sign Up:

To secure your spot, contact Groundhog Dave:
Call/Text: 732-939-4476

MEMBERS ONLY:

You must be a current FM-NJ member to attend this trip!

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to dig for spectacular pegmatite minerals while enjoying a great day with fellow rockhounds!

Event URL: https://www.mindat.org/loc-23091.html

Fee: 30 $ p/p, 40 $ p/p if you bring generator / power equipment / tools, under 13: $20

Safety Information: Hard Hat NOT Required. Proper safety gear is required on ALL trips. (Glasses, sturdy footwear, Gloves) Hardhat SUGGESTED if planning to use EQUIPMENT (jackhammer/saws). Attendees will be required to sign Hold Harmless Agreement / Attendance Sheet prior to the trip.

Tools: WATER, rock hammer, chisels, sledges, pry bars, shovel, buckets, newspaper, FOOD + DRINK, backpack, (if desired – Jackhammer / Saw)

Max Number of Attendees: 35

Post Event Write-Up:

Attendees:  Groundhog Dave, Dave "Lermanator" Lerman, Hayley "Shakespeare" Nalepa, Kevin "Coop" Cooper, Lisa "20 Questions" Bostedo, Kris and Maria Roselle; Andrew, Leslie and Marty Kruegel; Paul Becker, Erik and Emory Jansen; Yu Lin,  Mark and Mark McArthur; Mike Biehl, Anthony Jerussi, Kimmy Brancato, Jan Strachan, Rich and Megan Blatman; John Montgomery, Dave Tibbits, George Speidel, Kristin Stine with Lily D; Robert Witkowski, Zhongya Lin ; PESA CLub:  Mary and Stacy Pearson + 2; Kim Paynter, Rich Anders Marhost, Claire Farnsworth, Stacy Schadel.

NOTE:  LARGEST group outing ever for the NJ Clubs !!!!!  Also most newbies / first - timers ever in one trip !!

With the weather getting more challenging with a LOT of rain lately, all things considered, we lucked out overall this time out at Hewitt.  The local forecast changed during the week leading in, from a total rainout, to chances of rain all day with moreso in the afternoon.  This forecast won out, as despite the heavy cloud cover, the actual rain held out until just after 3:00 pm; and at 3:30 pm the floodgates finally opened.  * JUST A NOTE - the trip ends at 4:00 pm, so this was a VERY agreeable outcome!

Aside from the weather, we once again had a great time collecting at Hewitt.  Extensive work had been done on the back walls of the main pit, and some recent blasts, along with the steady incoming club visits, created a new appearance of the back wall of the pit.  Folks as always had plenty of fresh tailings to dig through, and good opportunities on the pit floor and walls, to expose new surfaces.

Tony once again did not disappoint with the preparedLunch and we did grill up some delicious burgers and was prepared to do so under a tent if needed !  He did skip out on the Hot Dogs again this time around, however he did have plenty of bags of chips and waters.  

 

NOTABLE FINDS:

Lisa "20 Q" Bostedo - 2 very nice double terminated Smoky Quartz xls, each about 1"

Maria Roselle - few nice Amazonite / greenish Feldspar pieces

Kris "Paratsch23456ethynko" Roselle - nice small Schorl Tourmaline pieces (loose)

Kevin "Coop" Cooper - several nice deep blue-green Aquamarine Beryl xls in pit floor

Paul Becker - several small nice Schorl Tourmaline xls in Mica plates

Dave "Lermanator" Lerman - piece with green Torbernite splotches 

John Montgomery - nice Goshenite Beryl fragment in feldspar

Kristin Stine - nice small Aqua Beryl piece (loose)

Anthony Jerussi - nice Goshenite Beryl piece (loose) 

AWARD:  MOST HEAVY DIGGING / MOVING:  Kevin "Coop" Cooper

Others in general found nice Beryl pieces (various varieties), Schorl Tourmaline pieces, Schernikite and Lepidolite Micas and other Micas; many Spessartine Garnets, plenty of Feldspars and Quartz, and other goodies!