Up a creek without a paddle....

Well, another week or so has passed and we have been forced to shutdown because of the heat and the fire risk. After spending a couple of days in PG last time I was here, myself, Adam, Ash, Andre, and Ryan were pleased to learn that we could get in some cutting.

We piled into a truck and headed for Fort St. James, a remote outpost somewhat less of a town that the illustrious Mackenzie. In that town we picked up Pat to complete our crew. We drove into our camp for the stay, Leo Creek camp. It was composed of seperate buildings for bunking, eating, games, etc and was more rustic than we're used to.

We worked for five days, all of them on fire hours (getting up at 3 AM, working till 1 PM). The block was hilly and ridiculously thick. Huge walls of alder interspersed with gigantic aspens and cotton woods. it was like cutting into a wall. Other patches of the block were laden with slash piles of rotten wood (nothing ruins a day quicker than stepping on what you think is good footing and then promptly hearing a crack and descending six or seven feet into a hole that you have to crawl out of - with much cursing). The devil's club was bad on this block as well. If you are unfamiliar with this plant, it is aptly named. It has huge green maple leaf type leaves with a stocky stem. Every part of the plant is covered with venomous spines that burrow into your skin should you brush up against it. I expelled many an expletive battling my way through the Devil's gardens in the slash (as an append to the earlier explanation, imagine that hole you fall into off the slash is filled with devil's club - it like a trap set by Satan himself).

Ash quit one day, it was his fourth season and he kind of hit the wall. Didn't want to cut trees anymore, quite understandable but too bad. Apex is losing guys left, right and centre - rookies and vets alike.

The heat was pretty bad, high 20s most of the time, but it was the bugs that made the cake. Billions of the little bastards. My arms are again red with bites from mosquitos, noseeums, and black flies. There were times, especially at lunch where it all got a bit much. Imagine sitting down to enjoy some food and being surrounded by the constant whine of mosquitos while having to clear out blackflies from your ears every other second. It was maddening and the bug juice didn't seem to work that well.

I was able to finish the 1421 book while in camp. Quite a good read. At the end of the book, the author's post-script covered new evidence that is emerging daily. The most fascinating was evidence that the Chinese fleet built permanent settlements far up the Amazon, deep in the jungle. In 1925, and explorer disapeared searching for such lost cities. The author is currently looking for people to pick up the torch and seek out these lost settlements. I couldn't help but think what a find that would be. It warms my sense of adventure to know that there are still near-mythical sites to be discovered in this world.

I bought myself a pipe before I went into Leo Creek, but I've stayed off the cigarettes. I do enjoy a good puff on the pipe while also realizing that this too is something I must quit before I go to Africa. I'll work on it.

Right now what I need is rain. I have the option to tree-plant, but I don't want to do that, especially because I'd be a rookie. 'm tired of working partial-days and making no money. We need the rains to come before we can settle into some good long contract and start raking in the cash.

On the other hand, a few days off in town may give me a little time to work on the novel. I've been kind of stumped for a while, but sometimes just sitting down and typing a little helps.

I never did get myself that Chai latte last time I posted, so it's even more important that I get it now.

Signing off and praying for rain in PG...