Running from the Storms

So we finally got out into the field after 4 days of being stuck in the house at the ranger station. We were trapped in the house due to a winter storm warning from the 18^th to the 20^th (which never happened) and a severe thunderstorm warning on the 21^st (which also never happened). By the way, we survived the end of the world by watching Star Wars IV, V, and VI. Good movies, although they are kind of cheesy, but what can you expect from one of the first Sci-Fi movies made in the 70’s? We had to play it safe for the storm warnings because the weather out here moves fast, so we couldn’t really risk going out into the field. Don’t get me wrong, the weather wasn’t beautiful by any means, but it was sample-able for the most part. I did get to run though! From the ranger station to the highway is 2.5 miles, so I’ve got a nice, flat, windy, exposed 5 mile run with telephone/electric poles every tenth of a mile. Once the weather stays consistently nice, I’ll be running that route and trying to do distance and speedwork there every chance I get. Running in higher altitudes (I’m at 6100 ft right now) is REALLY different. I was MUCH slower and felt like I had a holes in my lungs, so despite the fact that I was breathing regularly, I was still winded and tired. It’s good training and I’m going to stick with it (I’m not giving myself any options).

My running view

On Sunday the 22^nd, we were able to go into the field at last. It was BEAUTIFUL. Sunny, clear, warm, and just plain awesome. Until we saw some really bad storm clouds over a ridge. Like I said, the weather here moves FAST (I blame the lack of trees), so we ended up paddling like mad to get to a place we could camp. When we got to a good spot, Brady hopped out and searched for an acceptable campsite and I started frantically throwing everything out of the raft so we could beach it. We can’t exactly raft the river looking for scat if the raft is swept away by the ever-rising water…I’ll explain that later, I’m on a roll here. So we beached the raft, grabbed our drybags containing our backpacks and tents, and put them up as fast as we could as the wind started whipping around us and menacing storm clouds began moving in. There is nothing quite like getting your tent set up and zipping it up JUST as the storm starts. The best way I can describe it is like you’re saying “NYEH NYEH! Take that! You couldn’t get me!” Man, that storm raged. It rained really hard and there was thunder and lightning for 15-25 minutes…and then it was gone. Just like that.

A "walking" storm, like the one that snuck up on us

We emerged victorious from our tents and explored around the new campsite. Blue, Brady’s terrier mutt, found a baby porcupine in some willows. We had no idea what it was until Brady poked it with a stick while I held Blue away. I honestly thought it was a young skunk at first because its quills weren’t hard or visible yet and it was all black. Thankfully, the mother wasn’t there to nail anyone with her quills, so we wandered off in another direction. We saw ANOTHER bald eagle nest (one of the eagles was flying around screeching at us) and some cows. Nothing else super impressive. We did get to build a fire that night though! Ok, I gathered the wood and the tinder and Brady made the fire. For future reference, tumbleweeds are AWESOME tinder. They go up really fast when they’re dry, as do cottonwood and willow branches. I can really understand why wildfires are such a big problem out West. Everything is dry as a BONE and super flammable! We sat by the fire as the sun went down, let it die out, then went to our tents and talked through the walls for a while until we both finally went to sleep.

Monday the 23^rd (the day I wrote this) started out kind of icky (cloudy, cold, kind of sketchy), but ended up being a nice day for the most part. I woke up first, as I usually do, and got the breakfast stuff out of our cooler. I learned how to use a propane stove this morning and successfully got our “squirrely stove” to produce green fire on the first try (the green flames are the hottest and most stable), from which I boiled water for my oatmeal/hot chocolate and Brady’s coffee. I think that MAY be the routine when we camp from now on. First one up boils the water. Brady thinks I’m a morning person, but I’m totally NOT. I just wake up 45 minutes to an hour earlier than I need to so I can stumble and grumble along in peace and be civil and coherent by the time anyone else is awake. It sounds stupid, but I like my time in the morning when I don’t have to talk to anyone and can “gather” myself without having to deal with anyone or anything. I developed that habit in high school thanks to my parents.

Anyways, we got on the river pretty early and I rowed for most of the day because Brady rowed most of yesterday…plus I need practice. I’m not exactly fast or accurate and I suck at beaching the raft. I really hope Brady is patient. I also hope that I’m doing a good job as a tech. He hasn’t given any indication that I’m not, but it’s only been a week. We’ll see. Today though, we met a nice guy at one of our sites who builds his own sea kayaks and goes down the Green River a lot. He offered to take us out on some kayaks on one of our days off, so we’ll probably take him up on that. I know I’ll be on the river all the time, but COME ON, it’ll be different in a kayak without having to sample! Towards the end of the day, the weather started to turn somewhat nasty looking AGAIN, so Brady (it was his turn) rowed to our last 2 sites and then to the take out pretty quickly, especially since we heard thunder and saw lightning in the distance. We beached the raft, Brady backed the truck down while I chucked everything out of it, we put the raft onto the trailer and the stuff in the back of the truck, and got into the truck as the wind started whipping around and the clouds rolled over us. MAD STORM-EVADING SKILLS, PEOPLE. 

This is how the river looks on a good day....BEAUTIFUL

So since then, I’ve been watching Hot Tub Time Machine, cooking dinner, and typing this. Brady thought about it and since we have takeout areas halfway down the river, he asked if I’d be okay with taking out the raft halfway, coming back to the station to take showers/eat food/be dry/sleep in our beds and then driving back to the site in the morning to go the other half. NO DUH I’M OK WITH IT. So that’s going to be the drill for the first 2 river sections we do (which should be the first 2 months). I’m SO excited that I don’t have to sleep outside during the craziest months weather-wise in Wyoming (it should become stable in mid- to late-June). I’ve also been thinking of dinner ideas that are relatively quick, easy, large so the extra can be frozen for later, and can be done with basic kitchen equipment. I think I’ll make ziti after we go grocery shopping. If anyone has recipe suggestions, please send them my way (especially if they’re heavy on the veggies).