It seems i'm not so good at keeping this blog current. My apologizes. I have been busy with work. Been stuck in the office waiting for the snow to melt in my project areas. I've been helping my co-workers with graphics (making maps and drawing artifacts and site maps, etc.) and helping write reports and trying to clean out and organize the lab which is where my make-shift office is. My word, these people are pack rats!
Over the winter we put in a bid for a huge gas pipeline survey project and... we got it! We are working with 2 other companies on it. The pipeline will start in southern Wyoming go through Utah and Nevada, and end in southern Oregon. My company is in charge of the Nevada portion. My boss wants me on the project which is fine by me. I have been tasked with finding crew. We will have at least 3 teams of at least 6 people per team, and we will set out on our journey. Now this is northern Nevada above interstate 80. We will be 100+ miles away from any city, town, or ghost town. We will be camping for 10 days at a time with no showers, bathrooms, or running fresh water, and then we will have 4 days off. I haven't done this type of camping before, so it will be quite the experience. It will be very rugged terrain and we will be hiking 12-14+ miles per day! Suffice to say, I started jogging and getting in shape.
I've been at it now for 3 weeks, I've lost a whopping 4 pounds and no longer wheeze and feel like I'm going to die from a heart attack when I get back from my run. Granted I still don't go very far, only a mile right now, but I've been pushing myself to go further. I will not be in great shape by the time I leave for this trip, but at least, hopefully, I won't pass out on the first day. I will probably be in great shape by the time I get back though... may look like a twig. *shocking*
Since I will be one of the crew leaders/supervisors I will have to carry more on my back than the others. I will have the first-aid kit, camera, gps unit, paperwork, and extra water in case people run out. There are times I wish I wasn't in charge but, I love my job and so... yeah.
I will most likely be leaving mid April and be gone for at least 2 months. The four days off between rotations, we will be in hotels in either Elko or Winnemucca. Hopefully they will have the internet. I will try and post updates during my times with civilization, but I'm not promising anything.
Now come on, who doesn't want to walk across Nevada?
