Work continued on polygon RM67. First we finished the final phase in a hilly incursion that we started the previous hitch. We then moved along up R77 to a big hill climb. In the mid-afternoon, the Wildcorps crew paid us a visit and helped us to build vertical mulch and erosion control check dams. They stayed for dinner before moving on to the southern Sierras to begin their own hitch. The hill climb was finished to everyone's satisfaction and we began work on another incursion that split into two hillclimbs.
The next day, Jordan Albright returned from a wedding in Virginia. With our crew complete again and some help from our BLM contact, Steve Gomez, we were able to finish the dual hillclimb in no time.
We then started work on a major incursion. Originating from a few different entrypoints along R20, the incursion rolled over a small hill in the foreground before splitting off into a few different routes up a large, steep hillclimb in the distance. This three headed hydra was visible from many points along Mojave Randsburg Rd. and was thus a high priority to restore.
Though we soon realized that this incursion would be far more difficult to restore than we had anticipated, we worked hard on it and finally finished at the end of our last day in the field. Spirits were high throughout the work despite the intrusion of a dirtbike tearing up the incursion right in front of our eyes as we ate lunch. We rallied, however, and finished with much gusto.
The EE presentation for this hitch was on Geocaching. After a brief lecture on the history and applications of this GPS treasure hunting game, the crew went on a hunt of their own and discovered some GPS points that directed them to the grand prize of tasty agua frescas from the taco truck in Ridgecrest.
Work Totals:
Incursions Completed: 4
Linear Meters Restored: 1198
Area Restored: 2310
Vertical Mulch: 236
Seed Pits: 104
Rock Wall: 3
Check Dams: 7
Chevron/Catchment: 3
People Hours: 564.75
ToCo Notes / Narrative:
"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."
--Alexander Graham Bell
