The second three day trip into Gulf Mountain. My small patch of poison ivy rash is getting larger and I’ve covered it with gauze pads and a bandanna. I am wearing my long sleeve rashguard (for kayaking) from now on. No more poison ivy or bug bites! I’m also wearing my kayaking hat with the large bill and flap that covers my neck. No more ticks in my hair!
We immediately got to work after we dropped off the camping gear. Today’s sampling is a stream named Powerline. (I don’t know how some of these streams get their names). Three pool/riffles are to be sampled. And then we have to go back and finish the one that got rained out on the previous trip. Oh damn. We forgot the 5 gallon bucket. We improvise and use a flow-thru which will not protect the fish from the electro-shocker so the person carrying the flow-thru has to stay well behind the group. There are five of us today. With the experience of the first trip, the hours today should be less than the previous trip.
These are long pools and riffles, a couple are nearly 60 meters in length. We are falling into a rhythm and the work goes smoothly. And then it happens. The battery goes dead in the electro-shocker. Did we bring another battery. Nope. Left it in the truck. Someone bushwacks back to the vehicles and gets a battery.
I’m getting my stream-legs and don’t fall down as much. I’m much more comfortable wearing more clothing, but my waders are leaking. Ha ha. I love field work!
The Research Turtle 