My assistant came along yesterday. He was cheerier. It was a nice day and we weren't going to have any drying tests. We did have a response test. The ground I was stepping on gave way. I tumbled gently over landing on my back. Then, felt like I might need an "I've fallen and I can't get up" device. I couldn't get up until I'd pushed the 80 pound dog off of me. He was there in a flash with the radio. After a bit of dog rasselin', I was able to get going again. The ground was extremely soft, the tumble slow, not even a little bruise or scrape was gotten.
This unit was very pleasant to work on. No underbrush, not much blowdown to go through. My assistant carrying a lot of my gear. A walk in the park. I wouldn't want to be a faller in it. It is definitely a thin from below, and the smaller trees might be hard to persuade to hit the ground. Note to self: Visit frequently and bring paint.
I found a treasure trove of what was left of a balloon clump. Somebody had a birthday somewhere. Sometimes, if they are in good shape, I'll fasten a shiny balloon remnant to a cut tree to liven up a faller's day. These were not worth it so I stuffed them in the Used Dog's pack.
At the top is a decommissioned road--one of the reasons why this is helicopter. The other reason is that the road on the bottom is washed out in a few spots. Not badly but enough to cause some folks to think that all the fish in the world would die if it was repaired and used. Enough on that topic.
To me, this is a good decommissioning job as it left enough material on the top of the fills for the elk to walk on and me to walk on the elk trails.
The pack has a label saying Sunshine Products. I think it was made in Eastern Oregon. Hecho en Oregon.
