Wading in Wetlands

Since I arrived last week Sunday until today, I have been working without waders. I have done a decent job of avoiding wetlands so I could keep my feet dry in the mornings, but those days are over. I got my waders in the mail today, they're a little big but they stay up ok. I went through some of the smaller wetlands in Pasture 4 with Molly as a depth checker for me, and the ground was decently solid in most places. Then later I went out with Eric, he's pretty solid on his feet in the water, more so than I am, but then he has had two years of practice, if not more from previous jobs. I didn't fall in yet (and hope I don't!), but I'm going to do my best to stay in places where I'm most comfortable wading through. Marissa, my boss who is in South Dakota, said in an e-mail to me today "Happy Wading! I love waders, they make me feel like I can go anywhere if I want to." So I can't avoid the wetlands any more, but I sure will not be moving very quickly through them just yet! But I'm glad to have the appropriate field gear now.

My evenings have been pretty boring out here. Mostly been reading a book (almost finished with East of Eden after having started it in Kenya!), and watching Fringe online. I'm also trying to get a few papers submitted for publication, which always takes longer than I want it to take (and is extremely tedious). I'm looking forward to a few people arriving next week, two girls will be staying for about 2.5 weeks to do vegetation surveys, and my boss will be coming up to train them as well. Eric is also going away next week, and I will get to take care of Molly, his dog. It'll be nice to have some companionship! (Not just the dog, but the people, too!)

I'll check back in to let everyone know how my wading experience is going. I'm obviously nervous to get out there, but I think it is more fear of the unknown than anything else. It's just like when I was nervous about learning to drive boats on the Missouri River, or to drive trucks along narrow dikes in the San Francisco Bay. Once I get the hang of spotting solid places, I'm sure I'll be cruising along. In the meantime, I'm just going to take it easy.