Saturday, July 9, 2011

Getting ready to finally spend some work time in the woods

If you are a biologist, especially a field biologist, the problem with moving up in your career is that it often means you spend less time doing what you love (being in the field) and end up spending more time in the office.  I am lucky in that I love my job. I get to make a positive difference for aquatic resources, and I still get to go to the field. If it isn't as often as I like, I at least get to go to beautiful places.

Next week I am traveling to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, which I can't wait to see. I have not been out in the field for work since October.  It was a long, long winter in cubicle world. So getting out  to the Sawtooth NRA makes me positively giddy.  But I need to spend this weekend dusting off my field gear, getting food together, and finding everything I need.

When I worked temporary biologist jobs, I was in the field every day. There are lots of little things you can take with you when you work in the woods to make yourself safe and to make the day go smoother. Tick tweezers, for instance, as well as a knife, compass, radio, some way to make fire in case I get stuck out there, headlamp in case it takes longer to get back than expected. As a biologist, there are also pieces of equipment that you take that aren't necessarily part of the job for that day, but that you feel you have to have just in case. I used to carry a tub of plaster of Paris so I could take castings of animal tracks. I carry binoculars to watch birds, even though I am a fish biologist. I always carry a net, vials, and whirl paks, because I never know what I might find and want to collect.   It is always when I leave something at home or forget it that I wish I had it. It was easy to have everything ready to go when I was working in the field everyday. I just replaced whatever I had used that day, if anything, and set my field vest and backpack out by the door so it was ready to go at o'dark thirty the next day.  Now my stuff is scattered, and I am all out of practice.  Finding my stuff now will be like a scavenger hunt.

I also have to get some field food ready. Because I will be traveling over 6 hours to get to the Sawtooth NRA, my options for carry along food are more limited.  So I will also be breaking out the dehydrator this weekend to make some snacks. I am going to try making sweet potato chips and kale chips, which I haven't made before. If I had more time, I would make jerky. I am in Utah, and as dry as it is here, the dehydrating times may be shorter than I am used to, so maybe I can get some jerky made. I have a case of Chocolate Peppermint Stick Luna Bars, which are my favorite energy bar. I just wish there was a Trader Joe's nearby so I could stock up on dried fruits and nuts.

So part of this weekend will be spent dedicated to getting ready for work next week, but that is okay because work next week will be out in the field, which is why I got into this career in the first place. I am looking forward to seeing the Sawtooth range in its spring glory, the Salmon River roaring with snowmelt, and all the unexpected treasures one can find in the great outdoors if one is paying attention.

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