Rock climbing turned fossil hunting!

[Jared C]

Recently, I was introduced by some friends of mine to full fledged rock climbing, and I was hooked. One session on a big cliff near Austin was all it took.

 

As many of you know, rock climbing shoes are excessively tight, and I decided that it would be best to try and break in my new shoes on some small, crumbly limestone cliffs next to the track of the elementary school I went to. 

 

I was scouting out which portions of the cliff would be manageable when I noticed by my feet an otherwise inconspicuous rock with two or three dimples on one end. Fossils hadn't really been on my mind for most of the week, with school and climbing occupying the space instead... but that shape screamed at me.

( are you thinking what I'm thinking...)

 

I overturned it, and looking back at me where the coils of an ammonite... missing those rare inner whorls, but still the largest, best preserved ammonite I had ever come across... and right next to the track/field area that I frequented as a little kid, tucked away between those trees and a cliff! 

 

Here it was as found, once turned over, and then cleaned up.

 

After such a pleasant surprise, finding some sturdy rock to get my hands on and scampering around those cliffs was the perfect cherry on top to bring my evening to an close

 

[Nimravis]

Congrats on the finds and welcome to the world of climbing, I have been climbing for over 20 years and my avatar is a pic of me doing a lead climb at Red River Gorge, Kentucky.

[JohnJ]

Very cool find, @Jared C.  Compare to the Mortoniceras species.