Everyone kept thinking I dug it down to the axle or something really bad.
So I got back from trapping last Saturday and thought "I should update!" but put it off because it seemed like a thing that would take time. And put it off and put it off and I realized today that this is the same reason why I had such a long drought of updates before. This idea that I should be thorough, or even essay-like in my posting.
But really, this is a place to dump my thoughts, happenings, and it doesn't need to be perfect or take a lot of time.
So.
I went trapping. We were crazy successful with mammals, went from 0 to 28 at two different sites. We were crazy unsuccessful with birds, went from 0 to 2 at one site and 14 to 16 at another. Three days of netting at each, so there were zero days. Time of year I guess.
I got the truck stuck that Sunday, which was a minor crisis because it was, well, Sunday. And there was rain. But it wasn't bad.
We hit a patch on an ag road that was just too muddy and no matter how good your tread is, once the mud fills in the gaps they may as well be bald. I tried my 4-wheel-drive and reversing but while going backwards I was also going sideways and the front driver's side was starting to slip into the rows so I stopped and that was it.
My co-worker and I hiked out 4.7 miles in intermittent rain and my brother picked us up in Paicines and took us back in to Hollister. The next day the ranch manager backed the truck out, no problem. (I felt a little better about it when he said that he put a tow strap on at first because he saw the sideways-ness and knew from experience that could be trouble, but it was fine.)
My boots started to wear at my feet, not enough for a blister by any means but enough that I was happy that I packed an alternate pair of shoes so I could switch them out as needed.
Meanwhile, I need new boots. Not as a result of this incident but that gash in the leather just above the sole has been there for a while and it's all bad. I should take a picture of them and my old ones.
While I was off trapping, my boss hired a new guy to help me out (I've been borrowing sci aids from other projects for a while). I haven't even had a chance to meet him yet, but I've got him coming up to Monterey on Monday. I set out some seed on the wild hillside behind the parking lot and, assuming it doesn't rain, with a little luck we'll be able to trap a couple of the juncos hopping around and I can get him some hands-on experience with birds.
But really, this is a place to dump my thoughts, happenings, and it doesn't need to be perfect or take a lot of time.
So.
I went trapping. We were crazy successful with mammals, went from 0 to 28 at two different sites. We were crazy unsuccessful with birds, went from 0 to 2 at one site and 14 to 16 at another. Three days of netting at each, so there were zero days. Time of year I guess.
I got the truck stuck that Sunday, which was a minor crisis because it was, well, Sunday. And there was rain. But it wasn't bad.
We hit a patch on an ag road that was just too muddy and no matter how good your tread is, once the mud fills in the gaps they may as well be bald. I tried my 4-wheel-drive and reversing but while going backwards I was also going sideways and the front driver's side was starting to slip into the rows so I stopped and that was it.
My co-worker and I hiked out 4.7 miles in intermittent rain and my brother picked us up in Paicines and took us back in to Hollister. The next day the ranch manager backed the truck out, no problem. (I felt a little better about it when he said that he put a tow strap on at first because he saw the sideways-ness and knew from experience that could be trouble, but it was fine.)
My boots started to wear at my feet, not enough for a blister by any means but enough that I was happy that I packed an alternate pair of shoes so I could switch them out as needed.
Meanwhile, I need new boots. Not as a result of this incident but that gash in the leather just above the sole has been there for a while and it's all bad. I should take a picture of them and my old ones.
While I was off trapping, my boss hired a new guy to help me out (I've been borrowing sci aids from other projects for a while). I haven't even had a chance to meet him yet, but I've got him coming up to Monterey on Monday. I set out some seed on the wild hillside behind the parking lot and, assuming it doesn't rain, with a little luck we'll be able to trap a couple of the juncos hopping around and I can get him some hands-on experience with birds.