Hitch 11 provided the Jawbone team with a well-deserved break from restoration. As an alternative, we tried our luck at constructing a barbed-wire fence around Jawbone’s coup de gras: Robber’s Roost. For anyone who doesn’t already know, this striking geologic feature is closed from February 1st through July 1st every year for raptor nesting (‘raptor’ means birds of prey). This undertaking was nothing short of eye-opening; the learning curve was quite steep, indeed. Praise Allah our ever gracious BLM liaison was there to direct us on our first work day.
Aside from the occasional night of gale force winds attempting to blow away the white wall, the weather was amazing: plentiful sunshine. The Jawboners certainly got plenty of vitamin D. Furthermore, this was one of a few hitches so far in which we stayed (more or less) dry. ATV training was definitely a high-point of the hitch. It was exponentially more fun than chainsaw training, and emphasized the value of occasionally “hot doggin” it. Our instructor, Eddie, was very entertaining and did a great job of keeping our attention.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the impressive progression of the group’s hacky sack skills over the course of Hitch 11. We’ve come a long way, people. It really is remarkable.
