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Not too long ago I had the occasion to go on a hunt for Kentucky Agate with my family. My son, Robert and I, wrote this wonderful article that was printed in my now out of print magazine "Wire Art". I loved the trip so much that I wanted to share our adventure with all of you again. Are you ready? Here we go.
The blue sky blanketed over the green hillsides as the clear rocky creek cut it in two. The still quiet air filled our lungs as we head out on our adventurous hunt for the ever beautiful, ever elusive Kentucky Agate.
The adventure begins as I first meet up with my guide and master agate hunter Roland McIntosh at his workshop that lies at the foot of his hillside home. Roland is by far one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. His ‘down home’ country demeanor makes you feel welcomed. From the beginning it felt like we were long lost friends reuniting after years apart. His humble manner and easygoing attitude immediately set me at ease.
Our Guide, Roland McIntosh
After pleasantries and introductions he gave me the grand tour of his workshop. Looking around the outside of his shop I witnessed the largest collection of Kentucky agate that I’ve ever seen. There were piles upon piles of geodes all around his building. The stockpile of agate was almost unimaginable. At the time I didn't realize it, but this was very beneficial to see, for now I have a slight clue as to what we were searching for.
Roland, whose knowledge about this beautiful stone is seemingly unmatched, has been hunting this rare stone for over 27 years. In that time, he’s had to self-educate himself about Kentucky agates, gleaning as much information as he could from fellow hunters. Kentucky Agate is only found in a small region of Eastern Kentucky. It ranges in color from brilliant red, orange, yellow, and burgundy to subtle pastels of lavender, pink, and green. Roland pointed out that out of all of the color combinations that the stone is found in, the rarest is red and black. This, however, was the inside of the specimen. What makes finding Kentucky Agate so difficult is differentiating it from other stone. In many cases it looks like everything else in the creek bed. Roland turned a specimen over and pointed out how to identify the treasure we were looking for. I needed to keep my eye out for a large, egg-shaped stone with a tan to brown exterior. I spent a few minutes studying the target that he and I would be searching for. The education that I received from this mineral hunting sage was priceless. The more he spoke, the more excited I got.
Once the lesson concluded, we started our trek through the
hills of Kentucky. Gorgeous hills and valleys fill our eyes and the blue sky
covers our heads as we walked over to the hunting grounds armed with our wits,
sharp eyesight, and a bag to hold our catch. We headed up a creek that Roland has
hunted from previously and knew well. Even though he's been there before, the
rains and other storms that hit a few days before kicked up new stones for us
to find and explore.
The "Dangerous" Wildlife
Without a doubt the one thing that helped me on the journey
was Roland. His accurate and vast knowledge of the area and different stones
proved to be quite an asset. His easy going nature came in handy as well.
Throughout the entire trek I kept picking up stone after stone, rock after
rock, bringing it to my hunting guide for approval, not one of them being the
correct stone. I must have picked up the entire creek bed and brought it to him
for inspection. With each specimen that I presented to him he would
nonchalantly say, “That’s junk”. His disapproval at first was hard to take, but
after the first fifty rejections it almost became a joke. It was a good thing Roland
doesn't frustrate easily. If not for him I think I would have left the creek
with five tons of flint and iron ore. It seemed as if the creek was dominated by
these imposters, making it difficult and tiresome to find our treasure. But
like any good treasure hunt - the harder the work the better the pay off. This hunt would have been much easier if we
had a pirates treasure map with a huge “X” marking the spot. But all we had is
a very very long hike and a lot of time. Hiking through the creek, you felt as
if you would never find your treasure. Stone after stone, bend after bend, and
no sign of the agate.
"That's Junk"
Will we ever find our treasure? Tune in next week for the exciting conclusion of "The Great Kentucky Agate Hunt!"
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Rock on
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