Hitch Number Six

27 October-4 November 2010

Hitch number six brought some of our coldest weather yet, but that didn’t slow our survey speed down even one wheelie turn. We began by finishing our survey of The Devil’s Backbone Wilderness and made it across the narrow and evil backbone both alive and safe! Then we moved on to survey The Noblett Loop Trail and the Noblett Dam trail. After this we returned to the twister damaged and seemingly war torn Raccoon Hallow Trail and finished surveying down to North Fork River. This concluded our work in the Ava/Cassville/Willow Springs district!

In celebration of our accomplishments, and Halloween, we each carved our own pumpkin and watched them flicker while drinking hot cider, under the starlit sky of the North Fork Recreation area. When our party was over we moved out of our beloved Mallard trailer, where wild armadillos and college kids who do not respect camp’s quiet hours, will be sorely missed.

We traveled North to our new bunk house in the Houston/Rolla/Cedar Creek district where we live next to a giant fire tower and a cemetery. Here we enjoy indoor plumbing, a full kitchen and dining room, and even our own rooms!

In our new district we began surveying the Paddy Creek Wilderness on the Big Piney Loop trail. Sometimes, our wilderness experience is interrupted by the low rumble of tanks or rapid fire of machine guns. Don’t be alarmed: a war has NOT broken out. Rather, the Wilderness is only six miles from the military base called Fort Leonard Wood. On the second to last hitch, the crew surveyed 22.66 miles in total.

Peace and love,
Lincoln