Blood, sweat and beers.

Partly in answer to Claire's comment, and partly as an update; yes, work has been going on! The boss (The much esteemed Dr Cherie Westbrook, also known sometimes as "the beaver lady" - colleagues can be cruel...), Colin, and Amy,  arrived on Saturday to start giving me a clue as to what I am meant to be doing during this hiking and biking escapade. Saturday evening was spent in serious discussion about plans of action, while having a few refreshments... Which meant a bleary start to Sunday, throwing every bit of equipment we have in the back of the mid-sized SUV and driving off to an existing peatland site with lots of the buck toothed rodents. It all looks nice and easy to walk to on maps and aerial images. In 3 dimensions it was a bit of a different story. Trying to lug a 75cm x75cm x15cm box, plus wheel attachment, plus control unit, plus soil coring gear, plus GPS with large antenna, plus water sampling gear, is a bit difficult. It says 600m on the map, but I'm sure it was at least 5k.

I guess I should explain what the box is. It's the Ground Penetrating Radar, GPR from now on. That's the sourcery with which we intend too look for buried beaver ponds. Sounds nice in theory, but in practice it is a load of dragging a box about on very lumpy ground covered in long grass. We did some trial measurements. Can't wait to see them on the computer, since I couldn't see what was happening at the time because I was constantly trying to prevent the dam (ho ho ho) thing tipping over as Jeff pulled it along. All extreme amounts of fun in the high(ish) altitude baking hot sun. We also had the first instance of the day of equipment cock up. The GPR can be connected up to a GPS. But not the one we dragged through the bush.

Yeah, easy to move it around there...

Part of the plan was a quick lesson on using a soil auger. This is essentially a bunch of 1 metre long hardened steel poles with a coring piece and a handle piece, all weighing about 15kg. Another nice thing to carry through the bush to find that you can't use it. the connecting pieces appear to have been removed by the previous user. Equipment cock-up number 2. So after fighting with the GPR and taking a few water samples, we bashed back to the mid-sized SUV with a song in our hearts. Probably a Leonard Cohen one. Or maybe Johnny Cash...

...Not so easy here though!

So, after being in the field from 9 to 5 (maybe that was the song...), we got back to the cabin, and I threw together a quick dinner of fajitas and had a much needed shower. A good time to count the various cuts and bruises from howfing gear through moderately densely packed trees and shrubs. Some nice nicks on the fingers, bruises on the back from a modified GPR holding position. Perfect timing for my first of two nosebleeds of the evening. The air seems quite dry up here. Which my mucus membranes do not like!

After a quick refreshment or 4 with the boss before heading down, perfectly steadily, to the lab. Our water samples need filtering on the day of sampling, so a great time to learn. Simple enough process. Use a filter tower, pour water above the filter, create a vacuum with a hand pump below the filter. That is if you pack a functioning hand pump. Equipment cock up number three! We had the very scientific situation of being in a lab, looking for anything that could create some sort of vacuum, and finally ending with a combination of the top of a disinfectant skoosher connected up to the filter tower, and me trying to suck the air out through the hose. Science in action people! Clearly a learning point here. Check your equipment thoroughly before packing, perhaps sacrifice a refreshment or two the night before to check things are in order.

Well, this was meant to be a quick update, because we have to discuss some of our issues with equipment and planning this evening. Over a few refreshments. And then some more filtering of water samples.

I've not even got into today, which saw us return from various site visits at 6.30.Think that's going to have to wait. Boss leaves tomorrow afternoon so maybe...


Stats;

Grizzly sightings - 0
Black bear sightings - 0
Cougar sightings - 0
Wolf sightings - 0
Beaver sightings - 1!
Longhorn Sheep sightings - 1
Mountain goat sightings - 7
Coyote sightings - 1

I forget the other stats - no change!