Snoopin’ with the Snoop

Hey, I’m trying to compile a photo book and don’t remember our schedule exactly. I have 4 missing tours. Anyone remember where they go? Or any corrections if needed?

sometime was moapa/corncreek (weeding/decommissioning)
a (fourth or fifth) ash meadows
a second athel
??

1 orientation
2 12 days of planting (4 days and then 8 days)
3 trash with marco (11/19-11/21: thanksgiving)
4 rainbow gardens (11/26-11/29: nvum training)
5 rainbow gardens (12/3-12/6)
6 athel (12/10-12/17)

*christmas break*

7 mormon mountains (1/2-1/9)
8 sahara mustard arizona (1/14-1/17)
9 MLK, Hiko Wash, Rainbow (MLK(21), 1/22-1/25)
10 Corn Creek fencing (1/28-1/31)
11 Ash Meadows fencing (2/4-2/7)

12 (2/11-2/14)
13 AM f?(2/18-2/21)
14 (2/25-2/28)
15 (3/3-3/6)

16 pahranaget (3/10-3/17) (six days off)
17 trash with nccc (3/24-3/27)
18 ash meadows cattails (3/31-4/3)
19 sahara mustard weeding (4/7-4/11)
20 eglington preserve (4/14-4/18)
21 ash meadows cattails (4/21-4/25)
22 Lovell Canyon (4/28-5/1)

Tuesday:

The Mojave Green (Crotalus scutulatus) is the most poisonous rattlesnake in the Mojave, and as with all young rattlesnakes, the young one is the most dangerous. Adults have learned to control the release of venom on a strike to conserve it for hunting, but the youth have not realized this, so when they attack, they release it all. Adam showed us a young mojave green he came quite close to—he had been weeding on the other side of the bush for a half hour before he noticed it—and once again reminded us not to wear both of our headphones if we choose to listen to IPods, Zunes, or other music devices while working. (Note: Adam doesn’t, but many of use do.) Later, Melody saw a 2nd (huge this time) rattler. (Perhaps the small rattler was not quite as young as we assumed; apparently the young are born in July and August…)

Dusk is falling, and the wind is strong. Given the two rattlers spotted today, I think any nighttime wanderings of mine will fall off for a bit. I have only my small LED light with me, because the one that Brendan lent me is a power-sucker. For the first time, I brought no tent on a tour but just my sleeping bag. The weather is colder than I expected, because of the chill from the wind and our elevation, but at least I brought both layers of my City Year coat. When I get home to Illinois, I want to rebuild the firepit in the garden, especially now that I know what I’m doing. The “campsite” I chose has a fire ring. I had decided to sleep next to it, but the wind is so stiff that I created a lean-to from a pallett I found next to the fire, leaning it against the cedar I’m sleeping under, and braced by a close-by yucca. Gotta watch that I don’t impale my head on a branch of the yucca when I lay my head on my pillow.

… All tucked in now. I forgot my hat, but the NCC sweatshirt is hooded. I think I’m facing NE, so I should get some good sun in the morning. Regardless, I’m setting my alarm. Now, the wind is changing directions a bit from my left to from the open area at my feet. Oh well, my bag is rated to 0 degrees.

Wednesday:

My sleeping pad blew away. I don’t want to buy another one this late in the six months and have to lug or ship it home when I go. Maybe I’ll just use the Big Timber (Slumberjack) as a pad though it is much heavier and bulkier to bring on a tour. I want to bring both my fleece blankets next tour—one to drape if need be for a wind block and one to sleep with. The ground isn’t as cold at night anymore, so sleeping without a pad may not be too uncomfortable, but the rocks would make it so.

I will miss the Nevada night sky and the lack of humidity to grey out the stars. Night falls, peace fills.

Thursday:

Melody figured out she is strong enough to lift me, and when we stopped to wash the trucks on the way back to the field station on Thursday, she and Megan attempted to throw me in a dumpster. I wriggled free. Later she said she wasn’t really going to toss me in, but I’m sure Megan would have. Ha, ha.

Atypical. Hilarious. My truck forgot me on Monday morning. I was hurriedly jotting some e-mails related to job searching in the office the morning we left for our 8-day near Alamo, NV, and Adam stuck his head into the office, saw me, and told me that my truck just left without me. When I grabbed my stuff and signed out of the e-mail program and walked out to Adam’s truck, he said he noticed my truck waiting around the corner. So he drove the truck around the corner. I thanked them for the ride and went to get in my truck, and noticed Josh sitting shotgun and pointing rapidly and repetitively in the direction of the windshield. Therefore, I wasn’t one bit surprised when the truck zipped forward out of my reach as I reached for the handle.

When I situated myself in the truck after a fair amount of chasing, Josh said he very quietly – sort of under-his-breath-like – had told Jon that I wasn’t in the truck. Humph.

Most of our tour was decommissioned road maintenance, instead of full-blown disgusing of tire tracks in the desert.

I didn’t do a good job of dating the entries in my journal for posting here.

One of the first four days of our tour, we plowed through a lot of snow. Our truck got stuck at first. When we broke for lunch, I played in the snow. I was coming down the side of a hill and tripped, landing elbow, knee, and face first. And laughed. All the snow that somehow found its way into my boots dried within 15 minutes after I decided that I needed to let my clothing dry before heading out.

On the 15th (Saturday), we caught the weather forecast at the Shell station that lives near the intersection of highways 375 (Extraterrestial Highway), 318, and 93 (Great Basin Highway). It said a storm system was going to invade, bringing snow down to 3500 feet. With our campsite at 5500 feet, we moved the kitchen when we got back to camp. And wrapped up the tools in one of the tarps. When I woke up the 15th, after I punched up on my tent roof to knock off the snow, I looked out and we got about two inches. Wheeeee. I had camped nestled in some pine covered boulders, and after putting on the snow pants I brought on a whim, slid down to camp.

Ok, so I didn’t get to slide that far, but there was ice on the final rocks before getting to the kitchen, and I did decide to slide down those six-foot tall rocks.

The End of All Things Athel, for us, for now.

Last night four of us from Brian’s truck zonked out in the truck to music from Josh’s Zune when we got back to the campsite. Megan must be some kind of super hero or something, as she hopped out of the truck as soon as we got back. (Brian drives one truck and Adam drives the other. Brian’s truck usually contains him, Josh, Megan, Jay, and me, with Adam’s usually being him, Melody, Burke, Dave, and Jon.) We had stopped in town before coming back to the campsite, and many ate at McDonalds. I only got ice cream and cherry pie, thinking I would eat back at camp. But I fell asleep. I roused around 10pm only to haul my sleeping bag into the truck. I think I may have woken Jay, as he left shortly after I got settled, and by 10:30 I was the only one in the truck.

Today before heading back to the NCC field office in Vegas, we helped Adam’s half get rid of as much of the Athel along the road as we could accomplish before we left. Yesterday, his half traveled one 1/2 mile, dealing with thick Athel stands and crazy, twisted, and thick single Athel monsters. Given the choice between the two, I’m glad I made the 11 mile hike yesterday. At least my scenery changed. And, we saw the port-a-potty we had hiked by last week (the one on Map 3 ») across the lake, when we stopped to lunch on top of one of the hills at the edge of Lake Mead.

Christmas party at the NCC field office: Eric’s crew made an awesome rap. Wish I had a video recording.

Our next tour is from 2 Jan to 9 Jan, and then my sister is coming to visit! Yay! I’m not quite sure the details of the next tour, but I believe I heard that we will be road decomissioning somewhere south of Ely, NV, which last time I checked, had a low of 3 below. Brrrrrr.

Ugh.

That’s about all I can muster today. I’m not carrying my camera with me anymore on this tour. Our new site is long, hilly, and tough. We hiked out to about three miles treating Athel today (making it six round trip). And tomorrow we have to start from that three mile marker and work our way farther still.

Warm showers are one of the best things. The campground host told us we could use the showers, and so I had our truck drop me off at the 20-minute-walk-from-the-campsite after work, having brought everything I needed with me. True that we’ll be home Monday night, but after I’ve been sick awhile, I enjoy scrubbing off. And one of the best feelings is coming out of a steamy hot shower, bundling up, and walking a mile in 35 degree weather. Invigorating!

So, suprisingly I hadn’t missed dinner when I got back to the campsite at 6:30, which was only because it was the most complicated meal that we had made so far since we started at the end of October. Lots and lots of dishes. Breakfast burritos, mmmmmm.

Most of us lumbered off before the dishes were washed as is usual. Those of us left decided a schedule is required on future tours…

If you’re cold, the best thing to do is be active and move around so that you’re warm when you tuck in for the night. Playing hot coals is one way to achieve an increased body temperature. >:)

Need lots of rest for tomorrow.
Goodnight.

Thurs, 13 Dec
All 10 of us started work at the massive Athel zone this morning, but split off at lunch. I was one of the three who were dropped off near Rd 112 to start Athel eradication there, while Adam and Jon went into town to refill a propane tank and get the flat fixed. The other five would finish off the Athel zone we had found two days before and then meet us @ 112 with the other truck. We spread North, looking, chopping, and spraying. One more day is needed at this new site.

Fri, 14 Dec
Like most of the days on this tour, we split off into two groups today. Adam’s group continued North past where we finished yesterday, and Brian’s group (containing me) headed South toward the campsite. We did not leave from the campsite and work our way toward the day’s base because it was thought campsite was unreachable…

Not accurate.

I came across a small tree that impressed upon me that it was an ent. I obliged to take many photos of the creature. I love how it looks as if it is gingerly stepping down the slope, watching its footing so as to not fall over backwards and land on a prickly cactus.

While chopping an Athel in the morning sun just around the bend from
the friendly ent, I was struck by the shadow of my hatchet and after
lunch convinced co-worker Jay to assist me in taking a photo of the
hatchet and the Athel I had been killing.
Since we succeeded in clearing out the area, we broke camp this afternoon and headed over to Echo Bay campground on the Overton side of Lake Mead. We will be working off of Lewis Rd until Monday when our 8-day is over and we have until Jan 2 off for the holidays.

Most of us went out to dinner tonight, taking a break from camp food. I was especially glad to get some warm clam chowder into my still ill body. Carley’s, where we ate, offers pizza, and I especially liked my Steak Lover’s Pizza. I could have ordered pretty much of anything on that menu; it all looked so tantalizing. Since only nine of us came out tonight, we sat four and five at a table. Everyone at the table of five ordered pizza, and I shot a photo of Jon surrounded by everyone’s pizza. The flash startled everyone in the restaurant. *sigh*

Dang sleeping pad. I forgot it on this tour, and what a time to forget it, too. I felt as if I were getting sick both on Sunday and Monday, and sleeping uninsulated in 30 degree weather is unwise if you’re healthy. So I succumbed and am sick. When packing on Sunday I packed my favorite four herbs (cumin, fennel, coriander, and cardamom) and some garlic, ginger, and dried cayenne, and made some tea tonight. Fellow co-workers tasted some and told me it was good. Whether it tastes good or not I don’t really care when I’m sick, but I do like the savor. I tried sleeping curled up on my pack on both Monday and last nights, but gave up and have moved into the back seat of one of the trucks. I’m nice and toasty in my sleeping bag even though I have to sleep with my legs bent a little to keep my head and feet off of the cold doors.

Word has been suggested that we rise around 1am to watch the meteor shower. I asked to be woken without promising I would not just go back to sleep.

All of us traveled to the grove that the half of the crew I’m with found yesterday. Up and down there, and up and down back. (pant, pant, pant.) My legs sure are getting a work-out and (I’d like to think) are learning a bit of mountain goat-ish manuevers. Honestly, my foot coordination is nowhere near that of any mountain creature, including human climbers, but I am learning how to slide down rocky and sandy slopes without crab walking or falling over.

The found Athel site isn’t more than a half-hour walk away from camp, and there are many more athels than just in the grove. When we were walking back yesterday (through the unfamiliar terrain when we weren’t sure if we would have an easy path back to camp — where’s a topo map when you need one?) we hiked through a flat area overgrown with Athels and most likely hybrid Athel. We are going back tomorrow as well.

I’m looking for a small digital camera that I can attach to my belt. I’ve been carrying my $600 digital prosumer SLR-look-alike and am not only quite worried about the dust ruining it but it increases the weight of my pack in a terrain that requires the lighest pack possible. Necessities include at least a gallon of water, rain gear, food, and tools, which on this tour is a hatchet, possibly a saw, and for two lucky people, the Garlon* Chemicals. Chemical carriers don’t carry their own packs, for obvious reasons.

NCC supplied us with two small portable radios for communication on this tour. Co-worker Josh found a small radio at the beginning of our hike yesterday, and with some new batteries, it has become a third radio. Lunch under a large Athel away from the zone of destruction proved entertaining today as Adam and Melody proceded to play with the radios and attempt to wake up Brian who was sleeping next to the third. Lunch has proved a bit difficult for me, though not in a hard-difficult sense. Difficult in that I take so long to eat that I have no time to nap before going back to work. Where possible, I’ve taken to reclining against my pack in order to nap and eat at the same time.

Aside from our work day, Boggle has proved entertaining for me at night after dinner. I keep trying to pull tricks that my dad and grandfather use extensively in Scrabble, but I’ve been thwarted because Boggle consults the regular dictionary, not the Scrabble dictionary. Shouldn’t Scrabble words be regular words as well?

Goodnight.

When in doubt, follow the cow path. Yep, today the cattle footprints led us down to our campsite from off of a high plateau. We had found a massive stand of Athel around 2 pm, and had to make sure that we were back at camp before dark fell at 4:30p. When 3:30p rolled around, we had the choice between navigating the mud and salt cedar by following the river home, or by going up and down the slopes and hoping that there was a quick way down to the campsite. (On Map 3 » of the LMNRA, the port-a-potty we passed about mid-day is marked if you look south of Rd 113.)

I had been up on the left side of the camp on the rocks along the river when we arrived at camp the first day and was certain that we’d hook up with those rocks and be able to find our way down. Our path did not meet those rocks; we were higher; but the cows showed us. I wonder if we were perhaps following a goat path as some places were narrow for me to walk, and I’m a skinny person to begin with, much less in comparison with a cow.

The Athel we are eradicating looks like a pine (as opposed to cedar or juniper) but is actually a flowering plant, and it makes the wind sound the same whushshhsh as the trees back home. Our 10-person crew has split into two groups this tour, enabling us to cover more area. My coworkers and I hiked between four and six miles today along the high water mark where Athel grows in the land around Fisherman’s Cove. Rarely does Athel root anywhere lower or higher than the high water mark, according to our project partner.

In one bay area where we worked, I felt as if I were underwater the entire time I was in a particular spot and felt quite unsettled. After moving on to a different tree, the feeling faded.

I think I may have just heard a cow. Something made a strange noise.

I’m quite thirsty. Where did I put my water bottle?

My toes have been cold all day, probably from a lack of circulation from the combination of layered socks and my shoes. Now that my shoes are off, my toes are still cold from the air. The rest of my body is absorbing the chill, so I will end for tonight. Oh, I really want my own hatchet, by the way.

We’re camped out at Fisherman’s Cove for this tour, which is off of road 113 from Mesquite, NV. 113 is a 4×4 access only road and dead-ends in the Cove, which is quite near the Muddy Virgin River, and in high water years is under water. Map of the Overton Arm » of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area shows Rd 113.

I’m trying to negotiate my way into being on the southern crew as a member of the staff since I can no longer be an Americorps member after this term is over. Chad said it rarely happens, but it has happened, and I see no good reason why it shouldn’t be available for me. Adam would be my supe on the Southern Crew, and he said he’d love to have our entire crew with him. I’m very much in love with my job. We’ll see if “in love” becomes “love.” I don’t want a leadership position within a crew yet but would not be against taking one on at a later date.

The land out here is open range. (The Bundy’s again.) They are quite possessive of land that the government took back from them from lack of paying taxes or something like that, and they are listed as an environmental hazard on our daily safety sheet (in jest). We saw some of their cattle on the way out here, and our kitchen is set up on some cattle footprints. Well-traveled cow paths mark some of the easiest routes to the river.

I am getting chilled, and my throat is asking for sleep.

2007 Nov 11 (Sun) Written by hand in letter format to my sister. Mostly copied here.

Yesterday night I just wanted to crash. Half of us had to go back and replace the temporary screens we had installed on the first days of the 4-day tour (Oct29-Nov1) with the tripis (treepees). I composed an acrostic yesterday, but I’m not sure I can recall it completely. Installing the tripis was rough enough as a go-along with the planting, but oddly enough, disturbed-by-water desert soil is just as cement-forming as Illinois clay soil is! I have a new cut on the side of my right pinky, so writing hurts.

Tripi
Rough
Intense
Painful
Intellectual

Intellectual because of figuring out HOW to insert it in rock. A tripi is a cone with three metal legs at least 9 inches long.

It sprinkled today. We seeded purple threeawn, globe mallow, a desert marigold, and chia. Apparently, a tablespoon of chia was enough to keep the Apaches alive when they were on the warpath. Good to know, if I could identify the plant and seeds. The BLM chose threeawn because the wild burros won’t eat it.

We finished at 11:30am today and went on an “educational” hike to Ice Box Canyon. The temperature in the Ice Box was a nice midwestern September/late August evening.

My pack doubles as a pillow, if I keep the top of it relatively empty except of spare clothes. I don’t bring many clothes – just my uniform and a change of clothes for around camp, and my pajamas, and of course rain gear. But the raingear stays in my daypack. What’s the use of bringing it if it’s stuck at camp when I’m in the field?

I’ve been thinking of bringing a fleece blanket to curl up in around the fire. That sentence did not flow right. I want to curl up in a fleece blanket while sitting at the campfire. The gold sweater doesn’t block the wind well enough for my comfort.

Nighttime slumber is much warmer in jeans than my pajama pants. That reminds me — I will also be packing long underwear, since it finally arrived with my Carhartts last Friday.