Linda Denning

🔹 Part 3 of 3: Cleaning Crystals, Weekend Ideas, and Final Thoughts

What I Bring to the Actual Dig Site: AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. You need way less than you think you do. Seriously, imagine hiking in a rocky landscape of iron-rich dirt, sandstone and quartz. There are large craters. You have a bucket, water, tools. . . Do yourself a favor and don’t carry a purse unless you can wear it like a backpack. Also, consider attaching your tools to a belt. If you set down the ones you’re not using while you explore, it will be a pain to backtrack to retrieve them. I usually carry one tool, don’t use it, and end up lugging it around for no reason. You’ll find a crystal-hunting style that works for you. I (and most of the employees at the mine) am a forager.

• An orange 5-gallon Home Depot bucket. I swear, these are the best things on the market. Check out some digging forums if you don’t believe me. I have used the same bucket at least 10 times, hauling probably around 65 pounds of quartz down steep hills and trails and back to my car, and even the plastic handle is still undamaged. It’s uncanny, I swear (and under $5!).
• Gardening gloves (I bought these). Quartz is sharp! You’ll think it isn’t, but it will catch you off-guard at the worst possible moment. Keep your gloves on!
• Gardening hand rake (I use one like this). This one is a personal preference. I find a lot just turning over big rocks and sifting through what the excavators have knocked loose from the rock walls. I’ve done it both ways, and wasted hours trying to pry something pretty out of a vein. It’s not easy, and it’s not the best bang for your buck. Quartz is hard! You can bring screwdrivers, shovels, whatever you want, but just remember, when you’ve filled your bucket and have pockets full of crystals, you’re going to have to haul all of that out with you. It won’t be easy. I usually start heading back to the rendezvous site about 20 minutes before the truck comes back. I know I’ll have to put my full bucket down many times, and I don’t like to dig where there are lots of other people. (Word to the wise, when you get off the truck, don’t purposefully stride off to start digging. If you do that, everyone else on the truck will think you know something they don’t, and they’ll follow you. Be prepared for loud obnoxious conversations to ruin your concentration)
• Water bottles. At least one, but preferably 2. And a collapsible silicone dog bowl (they’re like $4 at Walmart). You’re going to get thirsty out there, even if you’re only there for 2 hours. If you dig longer, you may want to carry some snacks in your pockets. I bring jerky and apples, but it’s dealer’s choice.
• Leash. I favor the retractable leash because even though Peep likes to stay close, she also wants to explore. I’ve let her off-leash before (which is frowned upon, although it’s not like anyone could see us in the crater I was digging in), but it’s a bad idea. You never know if the truck will come early and it could be dangerous for the little pup.

You’re also going to want a set of clothing that is set aside for digging. I wear the same khaki cargo pants (and a Panama hat, but that’s more for the fun treasure-hunting aesthetic. It helps to get into the spirit of things.), white (well, it was at one point) hiking shirt, and tennis shoe-ensemble every time I dig. Because, and I can’t emphasize this enough: THE ORANGE WILL NEVER COME OUT. The tennis shoes are orange. It doesn’t matter how many times I wash them. I’m just grateful I was able to get my dog back to her original color.

Here is a pro tip I learned by accident: always watch the weather report before planning a dig. Check the weather, but not for the reason you think. Unlike most weekend plans (with the possible exception of whitewater kayaking), rain won’t ruin your time. For crystal hunting, rain is GOOD. Fate has smiled upon you. Unless lightning is present, the mine will stay open. And you will hit an absolute jackpot if you dig when there’s been a heavy rain the night before. On a day like that, you won’t need any tools at all. You can pick the crystals up off the ground. I collected more crystals (also finer quality) in two hours after a rain than I did toiling 6 hours in the sun when it hadn’t rained in a while. After a good rain, clear crystals look like black glass on the ground. It’s like trick or treating. No digging necessary.

As the super helpful mine guides will tell you, finding lots of top-quality crystals is less about perspiration and more about observation. Look where you’re walking. Look for quartz veins, and then check the debris around them. If you’re on the hunt for larger pieces, start turning over rocks. Whenever I see people with chisels killing themselves in a seam of quartz, I admire their determination, but their way is not my way. Relax! Crystal-hunting is meant to be fun. Use your eyes. Look for the veins. Look for the black glass. The stones are there for the taking. You just have to spot them.

Every time I visit, I see other dogs at the mine. Some are really into it. Peep wears her neckerchief and has fun. Sometimes she digs now (especially when the ground is muddy), but when we first started going, she seemed very confused about the whole process. It was adorable. But it’s time we can spend together outside, and we both have a blast. She gets excited when I get excited, so it’s nice to have a little buddy with me on solo digs to share the joy of a really gorgeous specimen.

I should also probably mention the wholesale crystal shop. If you’ve forgotten any digging paraphernalia, you can buy it there cheap (cheap as in gloves cost $1 the last time I was there). They also sell a large selection of minerals at excellent prices. I always buy huge chunks of obsidian and rose quartz to put in our orange tree pots. It’s super cheap (much, much cheaper than you think it could be. I bought a gorgeous 4 in.x1 in. citrine crystal for $1.77 last time I visited). Your dog is welcome in the shop, and I always linger and shop after I’ve changed clothes from a few hours of digging. Might want to bring wet wipes too, now that I think of it.

There’s a giant heap of rose quartz in front of the shop, including bowling ball-sized rocks (I picked up one of these for $30 once). They must sell these at a quick pace, because they never seem discolored. Keeping rose quartz and amethyst in the sun (even in a window) will fade their vivid colors over time. I learned this one the hard way. Now we put volcanic glass in our outside pots.

You may be wondering what you can do with the quartz you find. Well, you can sell it—some people do that. I’ve heard that there are people who have quit their jobs, dig crystals, clean them, and sell them online. That’s the life! There are many days when I’m tempted.

I’m sure there are more options, but the primary 3 things you’re going to do with rocks you find are:

• Display them inside or outside. This seems like a no-brainer, but you’re going to end up with lots of rocks that are too big for the house and too ugly for art. You never really know what you’ve got until you’ve washed them and given them an acid bath (more on that later—it’s much easier than you think). Put the inferior quartz in your garden. It may not be museum-quality, but it doesn’t have to be useless either. The milky quartz and clear quartz you reject for your projects will still dazzle the eye and attract more interest than ordinary garden rocks. They catch the sun beautifully. Also, the mine is covered with tiny clear points. You will spot them winking up at you everywhere. One lady I met collects these little quartz points and fills vases with them.
• Make jewelry. There is no end of things you can do with crystal points, wire, and a little creativity. Make that multi-tiered crystal monstrosity you’ve always dreamed of (or maybe I’m just speaking for myself here).
• Make art. This is what I do with the crystals. Never underestimate what you can do with a couple hundred pounds of crystals, a thick wooden board, and some construction adhesive. I buy some wholesale stones in different colors to add contrast. My living room wall looks like it has a giant geode growing out of it. It looks way cooler than you might think.

One thing that is frustrating but adds excitement to the whole experience is that you never really know what you’ve found until you’ve arrived home and cleaned the rocks. You may think a crystal looks promising, but it’s relatively unimpressive once it’s been cleaned. But the opposite is true as well, which is always thrilling. The digging experience is fun on its own but finding something incredibly beautiful or valuable in the process appeals to the pirate in all of us.

Before you leave with your bucket of iron-rich dirt-covered quartz, make sure you stop by the crystal shop and ask for a packet of oxalic acid. For $3, you get a large clear plastic baggie of what looks like cocaine (so save yourself some pain and store it in the trunk in case you get pulled over). One baggie should clean a 5-gallon bucket full of crystals. Do not forget to buy your acid! In fact, now it’s the first thing I buy when I walk in the shop. Just go to the counter and ask. Once you come back from digging, no one will remind you. You will be extremely disappointed if you make it all the way home and can’t clean off what you’ve found.

You’re welcome to extend your weekend adventures, but I’m always eager to get home and see what I’ve uncovered. If you want to grab a milkshake or burger on your way out of town, the Dairyette has some good ones (and outside seating for pups). You lucky ones heading east when leaving Mt. Ida will pass right by Burl’s Country Smokehouse. I always buy a sack of their homemade jerky. It’s crazy good. Also, they’ll sell you to-go containers filled with large portions of ribs or barbecue with sides. Peep is a fan.

When you get home, thoroughly wash your rocks. This will remove some of the orange clay, but not nearly all of it. Just remove as much as you can. Wash the rocks outside with a hose. Do not clean them in the house! The red clay will destroy your drains.

Then, you’re going to want to clean your crystals with oxalic acid and water. Instructions come on the package. I use a crockpot dedicated to cleaning rocks (although if you don’t plan to heat the acid, you can just use your bucket. The acid won’t eat through plastic).

Do this outside and try not to breathe in any fumes. I’m not sure I can explain my process without opening myself up to liability, but I will say that heat tends to speed up chemical reactions (including this one). I usually clean my entire bucket of rocks in one evening. This is multiple batches. I generally use the same crockpot filled with water and acid for all of them. You can tell when your rocks are ready to pull out (I use a heavy-duty plastic slotted tool to retrieve the smaller rocks from the acid to place them in large nearby bowls filled with water (that I drop handfuls of baking soda into). You can tell when a batch is finished when the submerged rocks turn a dirty gray.

Don’t be tempted into leaving them in longer. Once they reach this stage, get them out immediately and neutralize the acid. If you leave the rocks in longer, they won’t get cleaner, they’ll turn an ugly yellowish-green color. I haven’t been able to find a way to reverse this effect once it happens. Your rocks are just ruined.

After several batches of rocks, the liquid will turn yellow green. I’m uncertain whether it means the acid is played out, but it looks nasty, so I don’t use it. At this point, I’m usually finished cleaning the iron off my rocks so I can dispose of the waste liquid.

I rinse my rocks and submerge them in bowls of water I keep on the kitchen counter (my family hates me during this stage). For some reason (I’m ashamed to say I have no idea why. If any of you know, please educate us in the comments!), the water turns oily and dirty. I drain it, rinse the rocks a few times, fill the bowls up with water again, and leave them until the evening or the next morning. Sometimes the water is clear after one day of this, but I’ve had bowls of rocks take up to a week before I completely removed the scummy residue.

When all of your rocks have been through the acid bath and you’re ready to dispose of the eerie green liquid that’s left, I recommend buying a jumbo bag of baking soda and dropping a little at a time in the acid slurry until it stops bubbling. Be VERY careful. Wear safety glasses and rubber gloves. The reaction can be volatile. Don’t be a hero. Use the baking soda sparingly at first. It will cause a reaction and the bubbling concoction will expand and flow EVERYWHERE. Your patience will be rewarded. Trust me.

Be careful about disposal. I poured the waste liquid on the ground once. I knew it was stupid the moment I did it. I figured that since the acid had been neutralized that the liquid would do no harm (a chemist I am not). Boy was I wrong! It’s been 3 years, and we still can’t grow anything on that plot of dirt.

Now I buy a small plastic bucket with a lid in the paint section of Lowe’s (only costs a couple of dollars), pour the slurry into it, seal it, and take it to a hazardous household waste disposal drop-off. You can find these locations by checking your county’s official website. Come to think of it, you could probably use a milk carton instead of buying a bucket, but then you would need a funnel…that’s just too many possible points of failure as far as I’m concerned.

Your rocks are nearly ready for display at this point, but a few of them will be improved by sanding off excess sandstone with a metal file. The sandstone comes off easily (like well, sand). Removing this will give your crystals a finished, store-quality look.

Crystal hunting is low-key adventure that doesn’t require great —or even good —physical shape. Anyone can do it. My 2-year-old nephew and my 68-year-old mother have both enjoyed the quartz mine. The experience is what you make it. If you try to chisel out the side of the mountain and end up carrying 100 pounds of rock home with you, well, that’s one way to do it. Another way is to find a reasonably shady spot, sit down, and turn over dirt with a spade or screwdriver. Sometimes just flipping rocks over will reveal masses of crystals. And you only carry out what you want. If only a handful meet your specifications, then that’s that. Don’t be intimidated by the images the word “mining” evokes. You won’t be underground. You’ll be in the sunshine, with plenty of people nearby (along with a porta potty and first aid station). You can hunt for rocks right where the truck drops you off if you want. There’s often no need to go farther afield. And it’s not necessary to test your balance by climbing down steep slopes or into craters. You can stay on the flat land and do just fine. Peep, my prima donna of a Pomeranian, who breathes like Darth Vader whenever the temperature rises above 70 degrees, has accompanied me to the mine multiple times. It’s a blast.

One thing I touched on before was the ride to the mine. You’ll leave your car in the crystal shop parking lot and ride one of two trailers pulled by trucks over extremely bumpy terrain. Thank goodness the mine offers this service. I can’t imagine making it all the way in my car. When I was much younger, I broke the frame of my Nissan Sentra driving to another of Mt. Ida’s mines. Now I appreciate the ferry service and only visit mines that offer it.

During the ride, you’ll meet all kinds of people, all crammed into padded seats lining the trailer, keeping their buckets and tools under their feet. Peep is always a big hit. Any dog is. These are the nicest people you’ll meet. Someone almost always has interesting news or a useful tip. I’ve met people from all over the United States. One couple had driven all the way from Michigan just to dig at Mt. Ida. It put my measly four-hour road trip to shame.

This is an aside, but another winning weekend plan is to rent a cabin or room at the lodge at Petit Jean State Park. It’s about an hour and a half drive from the crystal mine, but well worth it. The park is incredible. The lodge restaurant serves delicious comfort food (think porkchops, fried chicken, chicken and dressing—and there’s an actual salad bar, which is almost unheard of these days). The restaurant overlooks a breathtaking canyon vista. It’s so incredibly lovely. So rent a cabin, wake up the next morning to dig at Mt. Ida, and come back to Petit Jean to eat at the lodge and watch the sun set over the mountains. It’s truly unforgettable. The next day, explore some of the well-marked trails. There are many difficulty levels (some are short, some are paved, and some are a CHALLENGE), and the park will give you a great map with all the trail information (and you can buy a neckerchief for your dog that has a map of all the trails. Adorable!).

If you’re especially spry, climb the turtle rocks. They look like giant prehistoric turtle shells, and my niece and nephew had the time of their lives jumping from one to another. There’s a trail that leads to an impressive waterfall, another to a large domed cave with fragments of Native American paintings still on the walls after centuries.

I have had more fun on cheap weekend trips to Mt. Ida and Petit Jean than I’ve had on far more expensive vacations. Go clear your head. Put your phone on airplane mode. Leave stress and drama behind you, at least for a while. Sometimes one good weekend is enough to restore your spirit.