The Kiavah crew spent our first hitch in the Owen’s Peak wilderness, a ruggedly beautiful expanse of land that borders the north eastern edge of the Kiavah Wilderness. Our main objective was to monitor and repair work done by previous SCA crews which included hard barriers, restoration sites, and fences. Immediately upon our arrival in the field we were greeted by the infamous Owens Peak winds which made camp set up interesting to say the least. The next morning we had our first go at hard barriers and the results were impressive. On our third day in the field day we were joined program coordinator and master fence builder Matt Duarte. Over the next several days Matt helped us construct our first fence, which like the hard barriers turned out excellent. The fence apparently satisfied the Ancient Spirits of the Mountains because upon its completion the winds stopped and our nights were calm and peaceful (but most importantly dust free). The remainder of our hitch was spent rebuilding damaged barriers, monitoring fence lines, and restoring vehicle incursions. In addition to our standard work we also had the exciting task of recording the locations of several archaeological artifacts including pictographs and an arrowhead. Although Owen’s Peak isn’t our crew’s main assignment, its a place we have grown attached to. Its an amazing, beautiful, and rugged place. We will not be there for long, but its a place we will never forget. During our time in Owen’s Peak we faced many challenges such as dust, wind, and cold but because of it we are a stronger, wiser, and closer crew. Kiavah’s first hitch was an overwhelming success; we were safe, productive, and we had a blast.
