Collecting On The Ice Yields Vermont Isotelus Gigas And Largest Flexicalymene Senaria

[Cluros]

After having a productive day on the ice yesterday (see Sub Zero Field Trip Report), I convinced my wife Alison to go out with me today. The temperature was a balmy 26 degrees Fahrenheit today. This time I brought a sled, my crack hammer and a slate bar.

Instead of repeating the same trek I took my wife to a hundred yard long section of ledge where I found the negative of an Isotelus gigas the day before. Within 15 minutes of arriving Alison found a complete eight-inch Isotelus gigas eight feet up on the cliff on the under side of an overhang. She told me it was too bad we couldn’t get it. I told her that we would continue down the exposure and that I would try and get it on the way back in case I hurt myself trying to collect it.

We proceeded down the exposure and collected several Flexicalymene senaria, a cephalopod and what I believe is a small colonial coral. One of the trilobites was behind a boulder leaning on the ledge, which Alison had crawled under. It was very tricky to extract.

On the way back I climbed the cliff up to the Isotelus gigas and after about twenty minutes I was able to break the slabs free that the trilobite was on. Unfortunately one of the larger 30-pound blocks bounced funny and hit Alison in the thigh. Fortunately she had my smartphone in her front pocket, which took the brunt of the impact and dispersed the impact so that she was able to walk away without a bruise. I will need a new phone case however.

On our long walk back we stopped where we usually collect and Alison sat on a rock. When I looked over at her I saw the largest Flexicalymene senaria we have ever found on its face. Unfortunately the fossil was on a very large rock. The good news was that it fit in the sled. The not so good news was that I had to make three trips up the hill with the sled and had to pull it up the hill to the car by itself because it was so heavy. I now have even more to prep this winter. I guess there are worse problems to have. Because of photo size I will post additional photos as separate posts.

[Cluros]

Pics of some of the Flexicalymene senaria we found.

[Cluros]

Picture of the Isotelus gigas that we collected.

[Cluros]

I would post more but my internet connection is being a little finicky.

[PaleoWilliam]

Nice finds! Sounds like a cold but good trip.

[ZiggieCie]

Great finds,congrats....

[jpc]

Bravo on these finds. Bravo for braving the weather.

[Ludwigia]

Good work! Pity about your smartphone, but lucky for your wife! I thought that things like that only happened in adventure films

[Fossildude19]

Another awesome report, Andy!

Thanks for posting this.

Regards,

[amour 25]

I bet you had the place to yourself too.

Nice finds indeed.

26 you say ,wow that is cold, not no more for me, been out in minus 25, never again.

Glad you found some stuff though.

[Ludwigia]

I think he was talking + and not - this time.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Ludwigia

[Auspex]

Hot dang!

Such fortitude; my hat's off to ya'.

[JustPlainPetrified]

Determination = Result. Well done! Nice finds. You'll need a phone with gorilla glass next time.

[Cluros]

My phone does have Gorilla glass. It survived. The case didn't.

[FossilDAWG]

The trilobites are great, but I think the best "treasure" in your story is a wife who shares your passion for fossils enough to want to go out in that kind of weather with you. It must be great to have a life companion like that. My wife doesn't "do" cold, and she doesn't "do" fossil hunting; it would be a toss up which one would be more torturous to her. I honestly think she would choose being waterboarded over hunting for trilobites.

Don

[Plantguy]

Very cool bugs....I'm not sure I understand/remember a balmy 26F day anymore, been a few years. Most of us Floridians now would be in an unrecoverable shiver from that kind of exposure.

Congrats on the finds and thanks for the report. Regards, Chris

[Jeffrey P]

Andy,

Great finds and great report- extreme conditions, a marital partnership, a true fossil hunting adventure. Looks like that site might be more difficult to access in the warmer weather if the lake comes right up to the base of the cliff. Do you find any Cryptolitus trilos there? The rock and finds appear similar to a site I visited last summer near Port Henry, NY south of you. I don't know the formation; Trenton, Chazy? Congratulations. You are an inspiration. Lake Champlain rocks!!!

P.S.- You inspired me to go out in the snow and explore the streams in Monmouth, Co. NJ.

Edited March 5, 2015 by Jeffrey P