June 20, 2007: We Pile Trees

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

​We were busy the rest of our time at Devil’s Tower or else simply had long days because I didn’t have time to write.

Saturday: Full day of spraying weeds. I think several snakes were spotted. I know I got a nice view of a 7-foot bull snake slithering away.

Sunday: We got to sleep in. We didn’t have to be at work until 8:30. We helped to set up for the Settlers’ Picnic. Eli stayed to help with parking. The rest of us hiked out to pile logs. The field they were in was supposed to be burned, but it wasn’t and the ATVs couldn’t get through until the logs were moved into piles.

When we got there, it wasn’t logs we had to move, it was skinny, short pine trees and their branches that had melded into the grass. By the time we finished, there were a score or more funeral pyre brush piles in the field.
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We finished a little after 12:00. We met Eli, took showers, and made burritos for lunch while watching a movie.

At 3:00, we helped clean up the picnic, then we were done for the day.

We went to have our crew photo taken at an old timey photo place. We took it outside with Devil’s Tower in the background. It was starting to rain and the lady was not very personable. 

The rain didn’t last long and at 6:00 we went to a cookout with the DT people. 

I left before 8:00, intending to go to bed. Instead, I ended up talking to one of the rangers until nearly 9:00. 

Monday: We sprayed in the morning. Pippa almost stepped on a 2-foot rattler than I had walked next to without seeing. 

The afternoon was windy, so we couldn’t spray. Instead, we cut the heads off of leafy spurge so that it wouldn’t spread seeds. 

It seems a large portion of the MCC work involves sticking your backside in the air as strangers go past. 

Tuesday: We worked a half-day, spraying weeds.

We had each received a $10 gift certificate to the camp store. We stopped on our way out and filled up on junk food for lunch. 

We were back at the office before 6:30 and I was home before 8:00

Today, I ran errands and worked on cleaning my gear. 

I learned something on the Devil’s Tower trip. It bothers me immensely to be the slowest and the last. I guess I’ll get over that these next months or else spend a lot of time frustrated and unhappy.

Today, I also went to the Pictograph Cave State Park. I didn't pay, although I think technically, I was supposed to. There were three shallow caves. Only one had faint paintings in red, black, or white. I saw a brown and yellow striped snake. It was a nice little park to visit once.