Field Work Follies

It’s not all a bed of roses out there. (Well there are roses but they too have thorns.)

  • Rain that can chill to the bone.
  • Wind that will drive you insane.
  • Sun so intense you swear you are melting.
  • Bushes intent on tearing off your clothes.
  • Terrain so rough you need to duct tape your boots.
  • Joints and other body parts that scream at the end of the day, “What are you doing to us?”
  • Squirrels caught in your fan belt (very dead and very oderous).
  • Mice trying to get into your vehicle (best trick is to drive down a bumpy road ASAP and hope you bounce it out).
  • Socks and shoes so stinky they want to walk away from themselves.
  • Clothes so stiff from dirt and sweat they could pose as scarecrows without propping.
  • Insects seen and unseen wanting your blood.

    midges with marsh wren in background
  • Bugs so thick your camera focuses on them instead of bird you are aiming at.
  • Poisonous plants that can make you scratch for days.
  • Cold food that should be hot; hot food that should be cold.
  • Broken or lost eyeglasses leaving you feeling like Mr. Magoo.
  • A slow leak in your air mattress leaving you on the cold ground around 2am.
  • A small hole in your tent that only a mosquito can fit through — and of course does.

 

Is it all worth it? Must be because I keep coming back to it.

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5 thoughts on “Field Work Follies”

  1. It is quite a mixed bag, being out in the wild, right? It reminds me of rafting down the Grand Canyon for 3 weeks- awesome beauty, and intensely physically challenging. And it requires that you be 100% present – probably part of what keeps drawing you back. Take good care and enjoy it all!

    1. Right you are about being present. You have to pay attention to your surroundings so as not to fall off a cliff, get bitten by a snake, run into a tree limb. But as my posts indicate, if you are out there and paying attention you will see a world of grace and beauty that can touch the soul.

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