An obsidian rock found in west Kamloops by backcountry enthusiast and Kamloops resident Al Budreau.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Al Budreau

An avid hiker with a passion for geology was able to add something new to a rock collection he’s been building over decades of hiking in the backcountry.

Outdoor adventurer Al Budreau found a piece of obsidian, a naturally occurring black volcanic glass, a few weeks ago. 

“I was exploring one of the ancient volcanic edifices west of Kamloops and found the rock by accident, I wasn’t looking for it,” Budreau said. “It was just lying in the glacial till, the gravel and dirt glaciers accumulate that falls off when they melt.”

The rock is roughly 10 centimetres long, 10 centimetres wide and 5 centimetres thick. Budreau was able to confirm with a retired geologist the rock is obsidian.

The glass is produced when lava coming out of a volcano cools so fast it doesn’t have time to crystallize, according to a volcano discovery site. Because of the lack of crystal structure, obsidian edges can get super thin which made them useful as tools and weapons in the past. 

While Budreau said obsidian “isn’t a significant find" — he was aware it can be found in the area — it’s the first time he’s found it and it’s a great addition to the rock display in his office.

Budreau grew up in the countryside in Ontario and later worked as a land surveyor doing retracement surveys, trying to find evidence of original surveys done a hundred years before. His love for geology started when he moved to Kamloops in 2008 and began exploring, hiking and researching.

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“You could see all this different stuff, the cliffs and bluffs were right there to look at and I’d never seen them before so I hit the books,” he said. “There’s no doubt, hiking for me is something I do to get out into natural environment and use the skills I’d need if I had to manage on my own. Kamloops is ideal for what I like to do.”

Kamloops resident Al Budreau is an active hiker and author of Kamloops Backcountry Hikes and Kamloops Backcounty Hikes volume 2.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Al Budreau

Budreau published two books about the backcountry in and around the Kamloops area with the help of his wife. Kamloops Backcountry Hikes is about trails closer to the city while Kamloops Backcountry Hikes Volume 2 covers trails that are further out into neighbouring towns and areas. He said it took a few years of mapping and exploring before he had enough information to put the books together.

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Kamloops was once covered by water and is a “premier rockhounding location with fossils and minerals such as gold, opals, agates, zeolites, geodes and many other precious gemstones strewn throughout the region,” according to Nature Kids BC. 

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