With a total of two snow storms, Hitch 11 marks the most snow we’ve seen ’round these parts since we first arrived in Krumville! We spent Day 2 in the field, working through one storm and Day 3 in the house due to another dump of snow.
Day 2 was arguably the most exciting of our two days in the field. As I struggled to keep on my feet while walking against the wind and snow, hands numb and burning, large bush in my hands threatening to be swept off by the wind, I wondered what an onlooker might think…. probably that we are all mad. Surely if we had been camping out all of our tents would have violently ruptured at the seams sending our belongings about the desert like confetti tossed out from an aircraft. In the late morning our dearest Carly fell ill, so we bid her a farewell as she left for home to recover. Luckily we were all able to go home at the end of our work day to a calm, quiet, windless shelter.
Our second day in the field was full of archaeological discoveries! After Josh found numerous obsidian chips on our first incursion of the day, we all got on our hands and knees examining the ground of our second incursion only to find more chips! The illustrious Steve Gomez ended up declaring the area an archaeological site and thus we skipped to the other side of the polygon.
After two exciting field days we headed into new territory. Though the Owens folks had been on our turf, we’d yet to invade theirs. We headed into Sand Canyon, in the Owens Peak Wilderness for the Sand Canyon Environmental Education Program (SEEP). We spent the day helping teach fourth-graders about Archaeology, Birds, Art, Aquatics, and more!
Emily and Amelyne got to frolic in a stream with the children, Andy engaged students in ancient battle craft after leading them through a treacherous rocky hike, Nico and Josh taught students how to properly wander around and look for flying creatures, and finally Carly and I taught the Art class. In our class, we added to the art with push-ups and discussions on why Joshua Trees can only grow in “high attitudes.” Working with kids was a much enjoyed break from restoration work and a fun new experience for some of us.
The next night Emily rushed Carly to the ER. Unfortunately, her insides were exploding. Emily came back home to grab her sleeping pad and bag saying she’d see us in the morning and slept on the hospital floor in the waiting room until Carly was out. The next day we got to WildCorps’ humble abode. We were down south to go through our LNT trainer course led by the famous Jamie Weleber. We tramped down the beaten path with our homes strapped to our backs, fired up and ready to teach! We had all sorts of fun activities and skits ranging from being a sidewinder to human waste disposal demonstrations. We also encountered some wildlife including bighorn sheep and a decapitated lizard. Until next time!
Sincerely,
Karina
Inclement weather days: 3
Wildlife sightings: 3
Carly falling ill: 2
Trips to Nomad Ventures: 4
Karina’s hair color changes: 5
Archaeological sites discovered: 2
Number of times the word “boner” was used: 72
Emily’s sleeping pads blown away thus far: 2
Incursions restored: 1
