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July 12th, Day Six - Covert Time

Go me! I finally woke-up before everyone else and was "up and at 'em" as the sun was glistening over the lake. One by one, my fellow crew mates woke-up and my foremen named the new crew leader of the day. We made a hearty meal of eggs with hash browns and brewed some coffee. The rain was gone, though the ground was surely wet.

We booted up and headed out to the work site where it was starting to be a routine. We unloaded all the tools and reviewed them again. By this time, everyone was a pro. We could all individually give the purposes of each tool, safety precautions, and maintenance practices.

For Doug and I, it was time to fix the flooding problem again. As it rained last night, our draining ditches were eroded, and we had to institute a firmer solution. Our foremen taught us how to make professional drainers, called coverts. With the use of large rocks for walls and small gravel for filling, we were going to make a covert, which diverts the water flow in the middle of the trail. It sounded simple, but little did I know it would take all day and the next.

Taking out thick roots under water and mud can be a messy process.

Doug and I dug three small trenches and looked for large rocks. The trick of the game is to fit the big rocks inside the covert, which would take the most time. If that was not enough, we had to rid roots from the trenches. Ridding roots can be fun, especially when they are in mud and water.

Lunch came and we reflected on the work. Everyone was getting down and dirty servicing the trail. The others were filling ditches, moving trees, and building steps. The smell of sweat was most certainly in the air.

Just a tad bit dirty.

We returned to work and accomplished much. By the time we were finished, we were on schedule with what needed to be done. We put the tools away and canoed back to the camp.

It felt great to jump into the water and relax for some time. We got dinner cooking and a fire roaring. We made popcorn again and listened to the funny stories told by Andy and Vern. The night was truly relaxing and rewarding.

After reflection, we went to a well earned sleep.

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Revised 03/30/04