- Joined
- Dec 13, 2015
- Messages
- 537
Good afternoon all,
Some guys were asking about what the life is like working in the bush. I got “winded out” this afternoon so have a few minutes to write this up. “Winded out” is just where the bush has too high of winds for safety reasons, especially when working alone, that I have to pull out/risk manage. That being said, here goes the day:
Rise and shine at 0500hrs, get the coffee on and get dressed. Since winter is moving in that means thermals, pack boots, sweaters, etc.
Fire up the pickup to warm up and drink said coffee while checking the weather and news.
On the road for 0615 ish and start heading out the the bush:
Pull off the highway at whichever road is open for access, or once there is more snow and the road isn’t plowed this would be where I unload the snowmobile. Also, hubs get locked in the truck, radio turned on with the appropriate road channel, and establish comms with the log truck drivers and grader to see where everyone is at/and that the road is clear (“empty” or unloaded traffic always clears out of the way for “loaded” trucks):
Once I get up to where I cannot drive any further, I make sure to get well off the main road especially in this case as there is active logging and hauling going on in the area:
Check the maps and look for the best way in. Not always the easiest way to walk as here I need to recce in a road location to get up the mountain (best grades, natural benches, locations for switchbacks, good subgrade material, etc).
Last couple drags on the coffee before getting loaded up and out:
Equipment for the day: several rolls of recce ribbon (for this client that is plain yellow), snowshoes, vest, radio, InReach sat communicator, tablet, emergency shelter, first aid, canteen and cup (for hot water at lunch), and other misc equipment. Generally you are looking at 25-40lbs in the vest. We use a pack vest which is a cruiser vest with a framesheet, shoulder straps and waistbelt built in to help with load carriage:
And off we go (Scout-Dog and I). A huge perk of this job is bringing the dog every day with you. Breed selection is up to the person, but for me I am glad to have this guy as a work partner. Belgian Malinois and Siberian Husky cross; perfect for a bush dog:
More to follow:
Some guys were asking about what the life is like working in the bush. I got “winded out” this afternoon so have a few minutes to write this up. “Winded out” is just where the bush has too high of winds for safety reasons, especially when working alone, that I have to pull out/risk manage. That being said, here goes the day:
Rise and shine at 0500hrs, get the coffee on and get dressed. Since winter is moving in that means thermals, pack boots, sweaters, etc.
Fire up the pickup to warm up and drink said coffee while checking the weather and news.
On the road for 0615 ish and start heading out the the bush:
Pull off the highway at whichever road is open for access, or once there is more snow and the road isn’t plowed this would be where I unload the snowmobile. Also, hubs get locked in the truck, radio turned on with the appropriate road channel, and establish comms with the log truck drivers and grader to see where everyone is at/and that the road is clear (“empty” or unloaded traffic always clears out of the way for “loaded” trucks):
Once I get up to where I cannot drive any further, I make sure to get well off the main road especially in this case as there is active logging and hauling going on in the area:
Check the maps and look for the best way in. Not always the easiest way to walk as here I need to recce in a road location to get up the mountain (best grades, natural benches, locations for switchbacks, good subgrade material, etc).
Last couple drags on the coffee before getting loaded up and out:
Equipment for the day: several rolls of recce ribbon (for this client that is plain yellow), snowshoes, vest, radio, InReach sat communicator, tablet, emergency shelter, first aid, canteen and cup (for hot water at lunch), and other misc equipment. Generally you are looking at 25-40lbs in the vest. We use a pack vest which is a cruiser vest with a framesheet, shoulder straps and waistbelt built in to help with load carriage:
And off we go (Scout-Dog and I). A huge perk of this job is bringing the dog every day with you. Breed selection is up to the person, but for me I am glad to have this guy as a work partner. Belgian Malinois and Siberian Husky cross; perfect for a bush dog:
More to follow:
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