Oh, Grouse Creek and Friday the 13th

Look! A blog that disregards politics!

So this was my first week to permanently reside in Grouse Creek yet again, for another summer. Yes, I've been back and forth since the end of November, but I am thankfully out here full-time now. Due to the fact that my previous technician ended earlier than I had anticipated and Mike (my friend the post-doc in our lab) was using the other technician until the end of May, I decided to hire my friend/roommate Kerry for a few weeks. I was really able to use her help! And thankfully she is a motivated person who avoids complaining, even when I know she is on the cusp of saying "screw this, let me just walk" when we drive the ATV. Oh, we walk plenty, but I have quite a few hens this year, scattered all about the place, and the use of an ATV makes things more efficient. Why don't I use a horse, since well, it is Grouse Creek, you wonder? Well I tried to convince my advisor of that last year and it didn't fly. As well as then I'd have to get a trailor to haul it somewhere 20 miles away, otherwise it would be inefficient.

Well, Kerry and I had quite a week. We found 2 hens nesting. Unfortunately one has abandoned her nest. I'm not sure if it was the cattle that caused this behavior, or some other disturbance, but it is VERY frustrating. A lot of my hens had their nests predated last year by coyotes and badgers, but they never abandoned their nest with eggs still in tact. It was odd. She took a few pieces of grass to cover them up, and just left. Very bothersome to say the least. Sage-grouse (in GC) have low nest-success rates, so we try our hardest to avoid disturbing the nest at all cost. Then again, this is an open-range ranching society. And the cattle have been all around her nest within the past week. But they didn't crush her eggs. Needless to say, frustrating, but I can't really do anything about it.

I also have several hens that have scattered about the northwest and northeast sides of the mountain ranges just north of Grouse Creek. Last year things were so easy. Most of the hens nested near each other--not too far from roads. Maybe they think that I've learned my way around this year, and need a bit of a challenge. And what a challenge it is. I've taken a number of new 2-tracks that I didn't even know existed last year. I've gone up and down ravines. And did I mention that yesterday (Friday the 13th), I took Kerry up north with half-hearted hopes that some hens may be up that direction? So we drive the ATV down into Cotton Thomas Basin--one of the most beautiful areas around GC according to my opinion. There is a larger dirt road that goes down in this canyon which we followed it for about a mile or two. Then I looked left and saw a large, very muscular mountain lion trotting away from us. It couldn't have been more than about 30 or 40 yards away. "Kerry look look." She was still. Then, once it looked like it was about to turn the corner, she reached for her camera. Too late. I thought about following it--I was awe struck with its beauty. I had always imagined that I'd be scared out of my mind if I saw that creature so close. But it was obviously more afraid of us and so beautiful! It does make me a little leery to continue wandering the wild alone though. This is the first time I've had a technician join me. I typically hike alone. No ATV, no technician. I think I might think again about this matter. And why did I ask Leighton to get rid of that handgun? I wouldn't kill an animal running away from me, but if it stared me straight in the face and charged, that might be a different story. Even only a few of the locals have ever seen mountain lions in the area. And never on more than one occasion. It must be due to the fact that it was Friday the 13th---hopefully that also explained the flat tire and issues with releasing the secondary latch, sputtering ATV when we saw the lion (well this has been an issue for months and I've tried to fix it, but my co-worker who is "supposed to be in charge of all the vehicles" sucks as his job), and returning Kerry back to Logan a few hours late.

But yes, the lion was a creature of such beauty and poise. When you have always instinctively thought you would fear such a beast, and then are overcome with a sense of tranquility and awe, you realize that the world does the ability to change your heart.

What do you think?

I know that I said this blog would not be focused on political policies, but I must say one thing before proceeding. Can someone please explain to me why a majority of my FBook friends, liberal and conservative, were posting comments such as "Fuck Yeah America" and " Justice has been done" and "Ding dong Osama is gone." Yes, I am all about humanitarian needs and addressing humanitarian issues and I am not going to state my opinion on the death penalty here. But it certainly seems like there is an overwhelming sense of "Death Penalty Fuck Yeah" by all Americans. Yet if you confront them, and ask "what is your stance on the death penalty?" the common response is "I don't support it" or "Well, I don't have a stance." I am just saying, the hypocrisy in this country makes me crazy. And like I said, I am all for helping humanitarian needs, but this sort of reaction by the American public makes me frustrated.

Okay, enough about that. Friday is moving day! Back to Grouse Creek I go. I am actually extremely excited. The past 5 months have been so stressful. I've had an overwhelming feeling of being in a state of transition. I've driven the nearly 3 hours out to Grouse Creek and 3 hrs back every week. Getting up at 2am to trap the grouse and flip my sleep schedule, coming back for 7 hr labs, proposals, symposiums, etc. What a whirlwind, and not necessarily in a relaxing way. So, this week basically will only consist of completing a final (which will take some time but shouldn't kill me), packing, cleaning, and heading out to GC on Friday. My field tech quit earlier that I was expecting, so I have hired Kerry, my roommate, to give me a hand in the field. She is super excited, as am I. I also have a telemetry flight next Monday, and hope to find my lost birds.

This past weekend and possibly next weekend will be "branding weekend" for the Grouse Creek ranchers. Last year this was a hullabaloo. It was my real introduction to ranching and the country lifestyle. I stopped by a corral of about 200 calves all being scarred for life with that sizzling iron. Of course, the ranchers administer a little medication to help with the process, but it still must be quite painful. Children and adults help with the process of wrestling the calf to the ground and firmly placing the scalding iron onto the rump area. The ranchers completed about 200 head in a day, and we all had a feast of steak and potatoes when they finished. If they brand again this weekend, maybe I'll get in there and wrestle a few myself. Oh, and I should mention that Leighton now owns a branding iron after this year's White Elephant gift exchange at Terry's (my advisor) house.