Week 5: Starting to feel a little like the Griswolds

So this week, I'm comparing my experience on the "Goodfellers" to that of Clark W. Griswold in Christmas vacation. There's the obvious cutting down of the trees and having the sap remnants linger on my left middle finger, where a hole has been worn in my glove. At night, as I finger through the pages of my latest book (i'm reading more books than a procrastinating English major btw, which rocks) the lone sappy finger often catches the page. Luckily there's no Cousin Eddy equivalent on my crew (although i do wish someone rocked the dickie), however, the phrase "shitter was full" often comes to mind  as someone realizes the trench for the poopchair has reached its capacity and has to dig a new one. Now we have a dog too!! My leader's German Shepard is with us for the weekend :) I'm so happy to have a doggy with us. He dribbles a basketball around with his snout...so cute! Makes me want another dog more and more.... oh mommmmm ;)

SO, recap of the week. We are camping outside of Walden, CO..which is like nothingtownville, USA, but our campsite is on a mountain with a view of the Zirkel mountain range (SO SICKKK). We have it all to ourselves, which also rocks. The only drawback are the bugs. I hate using DEET, but it's kind of necessary... eating lots of garlic...hopefully that'll keep them away too. (oh sidenote before i forget: confirmed that i will be able to see HP while i'm out here!! SIGH OF RELIEF!!!)

THis week we started a new project, which is up the mountain from our campsite about 10 minutes or so. The whole tree thinning thing i discussed last week. It wasn't bad at all! The only thing is Monday, I knicked my chaps (yep assless and everything). They are made of Kevlar (sp?) fibers to protect the chainsaw from gnawing into your legs. The saw was on idle and i had it resting on my right leg in order to put the chainbreak on, but the chain still moves kind of... it pivoted just right so that it got my left leg. BUT the chaps did what they were supposed to do and stopped my chain. Didn't even cut through my pants! So all is well. But it's policy that you have to "swamp" (move trees and limbs out of the way for the sawyers) for 3 days if you cut your chaps, so that's what i did for the rest of the week...yea my biceps are kind of a big deal now.

4th of july weekend: We are camping outside of Leadville, CO with another saw crew until Monday (we get the day off). Hopefully, if the weather holds up we are going to be hiking Mt. Elbert and Mt. Massif, which are the 2 tallest peaks in Colorado...(2nd and 3rd in the Continental US). That would be sick!!! We have to leave wicked early to do it though because at that altitude the storms get really bad in the afternoon... it's pretty much like clockwork. So we are waking up at like 430am tomorrow i think so we can summit by like 9 and be down by 11. Got my work cut out for me i think.

My crew keeps asking how much i write about them individually soooooooooo here goes. Jake, Skeeter, Alex, Peter, Stu, Sam, Colin, Lida. How's that for namedropping?!

Half way through the season... crazy thought.

Happy Birthday 'MURICAH

PUnmaster,
reveal yourself...  I'm stumped (yea that just happened)