Current members only are allowed on fieldtrips, some trips may have age limits that will be discussed during the clubs monthly meetings prior to the date of the trip and can always be answered by our Field Trip Coordinator.

Needed equipment can vary based on the location of the field trip, apart from person health items (water, food, ect..). As a rule of thumb all colleting field trips will require steel toe / composite toe boots, rockhammer (masonry or geologic but no hardened steel carpenter hammers), up-to-date hard hat, collection receptacle (bucket or bag), eye protection, and appropriate protective clothing. All further need equipment will be informed prior to the field trip by our Field Trip Coordinator.

We attempt collecting field trips on Saturday’s monthly as long as the weather provides,  except for November and December as those months are generally too cold. On colder months our field trip coordinator may arrange club visits to various Universities and other Mineral Museum such as the Smithsonian, Radford University Geology Department, James Madison University Geology Department, and Virginia Tech’s Geology Department.

Each field trip is led by our Field Trip Coordinator who will advise the group prior to entry on safety rules and what to look for and where to look. The coordinator will  also generally have examples to show either on hand or at the monthly meeting prior to the date of the trip.

Only active members are allowed on Field Trips due to liability and insurance reasons. The Club is granted access to a number of locations to collect that otherwise would not be allowed for liability and insurance reasons. The club has it’s own insurance and wavier forms that provide members with access to these locations.