Back In The Day Fossil Hunt

[Foshunter]

Maybe folks want to read about present day hunts but had to tell the story when I found this phaceloid colony. Now mind you this was before information was available on the net, literature in small town USA about fossils was almost non-existant. Me and my fossil huntin buddy climed aboard my Toyota truck called the Tonka Toy, and headed for the 19/24 briidge crossing the N. Sulphut R.It was a pretty good walk to the path leading down to the river botton, should say, STEEP GOAT TRAIL, that was overgrown with tall grass, slick clay mud and blackberry vines. The tall grass worked in your favor as made a good hand hold on the way down otherwise you would become a human tobaggan which would severly endanger a quality fossil hunt. When hunting this area of the Sulphur I always carried a hammer as it is known for it's mud balls that contain some pretty cool calcite formations. This day not much on the calcite front but did find some bring home fossils, nothing special. Then----there it lay---a massive coral block that was at least a foot and a half long laying in the gravel beckoning for a trip back home. I picked it up and quickly realized I left my Incredible Hulk muscles at the house, but such an amazing fossil, nothing like I had seen before, what to do? I removed my backpack and started shoving this block into the compartment that was bulging on all sides. It is now secure and laying on the ground, next problem, how to get the humongous thing onto my back. I squatted down and my friend lifted the back pack onto my shoulders, wow, that went well. now the lift, up I go and then it happened. There was a deafening sound of nylon blowing apart, straps flying and an earth shaking thud I'm sure was heard for miles. Thank goodness I was still in a partial lean back position or my buttocks would have been severly dented making the ride home very uncomfortable. My trusty backback was not a tatered shell of it's former self which left me without a fossil transport. Well, decided a little is sometimes better than the whole. Took out my trusty hammer and started pounding on a manageable section. The limestone was so hard that the noise from the hammer strikes made a pinging noise. Finally 1/3 of the fossil broke free and back to the truck we went taking turns carring the treasure. Sometimes in the heat of the hunt you can't resist hunting one more gravel bar, in this case we had traveled more that a mile from the goat trail. This little excursion was in the summertime, temp was close to a 100, humidity at least that much, and our energy level was at the lay down and die point when the path up was spotted. Now another problen, how do you climb out on a path that was like a slide on the way down, first you cry a little at the thought of having to abandon the fossil that was so valiantly carried to the point of victory. Not on my watch, with the fossil safely tucked under one arm and a hand full of tall grass in my free hand, the trek up the trail inched forward. At one point I was on my hands and knees pushing the fossil uphill inches at a time until finally reaching the top, Everest had been conquered.

What is the purpose of this post. I was outside yesterday looking it some of the fossils that live outdoors and happen to recall this hunt finding the coral and wanted to share, I'm sure others have stories of humerous hunts. When the folks wanted fossils from the Sulphur for the publication of the Fossil Collector's Guide to the North Sulphur River, this was one of the fossils that went with me to the meet, it is in Chapter 2 Plate 2 ID as phaceloid coral colony possibly Cladophyllia sp. found by Mac Glaess, wish he could have been there when discovered could have helped carry it out. Large fossils need that extra effort to preserve, all the agony was well worth it---Tom

My fossil wagon the Tonka Toy

The Beast

[Auspex]

"...on my hands and knees pushing the fossil uphill inches at a time until finally reaching the top..."

When the going gets tough, the tough...get a little stubborn!

[Crinoid Queen]

That is awesome! Colony of Dibonophylum??

[Missourian]

Goodness.... I would have gone to the effort to bring that thing home.

And the Tonka Toy looks like it could have ridden the entire route you described.

[Vordigern]

"the Beast" is awesome! great find and great story

[Fossildude19]

Tom

Thanks for posting this entertaining story - almost as good as being there.

Great find and story.

Regards,

[Tessy]

Wow, great trip report and great coral haul! Thanks for posting.

[cowsharks]

Great story. I would have engineered a solution as well, even if it meant pushing it up that hill like you did - hard work pays off!

Daryl.