Friday, March 12, 2010

back to the blog

Long time no write. I know, I know, five months without my riveting prose.
What have I been up to since November? Here’s a summary:
I left Utah at the end of October, and via Albuquerque, returned to California. I applied to Graduate school. That kept me busy for about two weeks and then I had to find other ways to entertain myself. In January I went up to Oakhurst (it’s near Yosemite) and became a certified wilderness EMT (oooh, shiny certificate). I spent a month playing with fake blood in the snow, constructing splints out of camp chairs and rain coats. In the event of a wilderness medical disaster I am totally prepared: Oxygen and Transport!!! Oh, wait, that’s urban….
Now it’s March. I’ve just returned from an adventure in Arizona. I saw the Grand Canyon. It turns out that March is still winter at 7,000 feet. We started our hike into the canyon at 8 in the morning, before the sun had a chance to soften the icy bobsled course of a trail. After an hour of slip, slide and splat we graduated to sloshing through mud, the trail finally drying up into proper desert dust at mid day. The river was green, the cactus purple, and the camping great at Indian Gardens. I especially liked the motorized compost toilets. The humming is very soothing.
I currently have a jury summons that is preventing me from making plans more than 12 hours in advance, but at the end of this month I head off for my next adventure. I am heading back to Utah (gasp!), but this time to the fun part of the state. Moab. I am going to be working for the Division of Wildlife doing fish surveys on the major rivers in the South eastern part of the state. Longish story shorter, I am in Utah until the end of May and then I will be heading up to Yosemite for the rest of the field season. Someone needs to count those toads!
I anticipate great story making moments in the coming months. Perhaps a few will even make it to the screen.