Hot, Hot, Hot
We were finally able to get out onto the trail and use the
chainsaws. We looked up on our GPS and every day we picked a new
section of trail that we had marked as having downed trees. Hiking
out into the dry prairie with heavy equipment felt like a death
march. By the end of the day, my 3 liters of water I was packing had
usually run out well before that. Reaching Moby was like stumbling
onto a small oasis as we would deliriously chug chilled water out of
the cooler to replenish our bodies. Even the buffalo seem to be dead
on these hot days as no one wants to move quickly under the beating
sun, which is good considering that I probably couldn’t run very
fast without burning out.
Wednesday finished our week of water bar maintenance and tree
cutting. As we packed up our chainsaw gear, we heard the distant
rumble of thunder. At that point, we were about 3 miles from the
trailhead, so we quickly set back onto the trail to get to safety
before the storm reached us. We made it about 2 ½ miles before the
black clouds descended over us and let loose rain in buckets. It was
quite refreshing after a hot day on the prairie. Soon, however, the
gentle rain began to harden into ice, piercing our skin. I looked to
my side and watched as white marbles bounced off the ground. As we
marched on, the marbles turned into golf-ball sized hail that
slammed into the ground at an angle as the wind picked up. Wow! Does
hail really hurt! It hit my head, legs and arms with such force, I
was afraid I might bruise later. Even though it was painful, my crew
and I scrambled along the path laughing and cursing as a blizzard of
ice chunks flew all around us. I used my shovel as deflection from
the hail hitting my head. Exhausted, completely soaked and skin
stinging, we finally managed to find safe refuge in Moby. Catching
our breath, we watched as the storm grew more intense and passed
over us. It was an amazing experience. After a moment of silence,
except for our heavy breathing, we all looked at each other,
laughing and yelling “Let’s do that again!”
Thursday and Friday was more regen cutting. Rather boring, but we
got a lot done. We took some before and after pictures of the meadow
we cut down for our SCA presentation.
Monday morning we set out on another hot hot day to fix the high
school crew’s water bars. They did an ok job, but they dug ditches,
which I feel will eventually be ineffective as erosion control
measures. We went out to Cold Brook Canyon, Bowland Ridge and
Highland Creek trails to put in some rocks to serve as a backboard
for the runoff water.
Tuesday we pulled off onto the Centennial trailhead to start our day
of hiking out to Highland Creek where we were to fix some more water
bars before we encountered a huge herd of bison. We were up at 6:00
am that morning because it had been so hot, we were trying to break
earlier in the afternoon before it got unbearable. It is definitely
mating season out here. We sat high up in the rocky limestone
ledges, watching the grazing bison and listening to their monstrous
noises that seemed to echo across the plains for miles. They were
like long groans, especially from the bulls. They make that noise
even when they aren’t mating. It was sort of an eerie sound to
listen to in the early twilight hours. There were too many of them
for us to pass safely, so we got back into Moby and headed out to
NPS 5. We hiked through this beautiful unmarked canyon, following
the GPS for general direction. It was a very long and hot day. The
terrain was a lot rougher than we expected. By the time we made it
back, we had basically hiked clear across the park. The sweat just
pours off of you when it’s that hot. I felt disgusting, but it was
overall a good day.
Oh – and that buffalo that I mentioned in last week’s entry – well,
we found it. Its foul carcass lay pathetically by the creek. The
only reason we stumbled across it was the fact that it was emitting
a truly repugnant smell that made my stomach squirm. I felt sorry
for it because it took over a week for it to finally die. I hope it
wasn’t painful for it.
Wednesday cooled off considerably and remained that way for the rest
of the week. Hiking along the creek bed of Centennial at about 6:30
in the early morning, the sun reflected off the semi-damp leaves
perfectly, allowing each leaf to glow a crisp lime color. Even the
air felt fresh in my lungs and the wildlife seemed more alive as
bugs flew by, birds chirped happily and random elk and deer sped
passed in peaceful caution. After we finished up the water bars, we
headed back to the maintenance shop to have Moby’s back tire
replaced. A huge chunk of the rubber tread had fallen off. A fire
also broke out west of Cold Brook Canyon trail, just outside the
border of Wind Cave. Our fire crew headed out to help control it.
Planes and helicopters were sent out to dump fire-suppressing
chemicals over the area. It was fun to watch. It wasn’t long before
it was put out. Definitely not a big one.
Monday I decided to march up the hill to call my parents because I
realized I hadn’t called in awhile and I knew they must be getting
worried. After the phone call, I spent some time up on the hill
practicing yoga and just taking some me-time. It was absolutely
breath-taking. The golden rays of the sun stretched out over the
prairie, illuminating the tips of the dry grass as it swayed in the
gentle breeze with a rhythmic motion. I sat on my hill for a long
time, just listening to the sounds of the thousands of jumping
crickets, the occasional hum of a bee or clack of a clod hopper.
Bison were quietly grazing on a nearby hill, making their occasional
grunts and mating calls. For a while, there were no people sounds,
no distractions, and no unnatural disturbances. For once, I felt
completely alone and yet a part of this beautiful ecosystem. I
watched the sun set, melting its golden hues into orange and red
streaks across the cloudless sky. The warmth on my face was so
inviting. That was my time to reflect on my adventure so far this
summer - to look back on my time here and see how I’ve grown, what
I’ve learned and accomplished and what I hope to bring back with me.
I felt a quiet calm settle within me and watching a hawk fly across
the sun in a cliché-movie type way, I smiled knowingly. This
experience has been spectacular and I wouldn’t trade it for anything
else in the world. Yet, I am so excited for what is to come. I can
feel another great year ahead, full of more fun-filled adventures.
Only 3 more weeks!
