Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Walk Faster!

Today was an exhausting day.  It started in the usual way.  I drove through the park and then to the barn to turn off the faucets.  When I got to the office, I did the paperwork and then headed out for a walk.  The river had risen some more, but it is still slowing down a bit.  The river dock is now under water and the water on the spring walkway has rounded another curve.
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I had other things to worry about today than the water rising though.  I returned to my office and finished up the paperwork for the purchases that I had made yesterday.  When I finished, I spoke on the phone to a volunteer who will arriving in March.  Mid-morning, my coworkers and I left to go to Ichetucknee to take our pack test.  In order to participate in prescribed burning in the parks, we have to pass a physical agility test each year.  We have to wear a 25lbs vest and walk two miles in thirty minutes.  We can't run, we have to walk in a very steady, very fast pace.  It is similar to moving along on the fire line carrying all of your equipment.  Hopefully, I will have an opportunity to burn sometime soon and I will talk more about that process then.  The pack test isn't fun, but I passed with a couple minutes to spare.  I am feeling it now.
After the pack test was over, we still weren't done.  Our new buoys had been shipped to Ichetucknee and they had arrived this week.  The rangers at Ichetucknee were kind enough to load them on a trailer for me and I just picked up the trailer.  We secured the boxes on the trailer and headed back to Troy.
When we got back to Troy, we were tired, but we wanted to get the work out of the way.  My coworker and I unloaded all 22 boxes, one at a time, off the trailer, up the step, around a corner, and in to the storage room.  Then we were really worn out.
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The new buoys are cool though.  I think they will be much safer and more durable than the old ones.  Now we just have to wait for the water to go down.  Buoy installations require swimming.
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I headed home in the afternoon and enjoyed not walking for a while.  I did have to go back and close the park later, but I didn't mind.  Today starts a four day weekend!  I have acquired plenty of time off and now is a great time to use some of it.  The park is not busy at all, and we have plenty of people to cover the park.  I am really looking forward to it.  So... what am I going to do with the blog for four days?  Any ideas?  I will share photos of any outdoorsy activities, but if anyone has any topics of discussion, or questions, feel free to post in the comments.  Come on, what's the question that you really want to ask?  You can post anonymously if you want to...

8 comments:

Lorena said...

Let's see... questions to ask...

Are you allowed to have birdfeeders? Or would that interfere with the natural order of things?

What advice would you give a young girl (or boy) if she (he) wanted to become a park ranger? What would you tell her (him) to study in school, or do for extra curricular activities?

Do you like fiction books that are set in State or National parks?

Why am I just about the only person to come up with questions? I know my friends read your blog! They're slackers! And they need to come up with questions! Step up to the plate, y'all; you're not usually this shy!

I thought I had one more question, but it's gone right out of my head. Hmm...

Ranger Amy said...

Thanks for all the ideas Lore!

stephanie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
stephanie said...

I'm sorry, no questions yet! Just lurking around enjoying the blog. Love the photos, especially the "little things" that are easy to miss. And the birds- I'm somewhat of a birdwatcher. Hope to get out to the park sometime soon.
Oh, and that was SO not fair to have to unload all those buoys after the pack test! You get bonus points for that!

Anonymous said...

what is the funniest question ever asked by any Park visitor ?

marie stanley

pickledpurls said...

Hey Amy:
How would you like to talk about the preservation of springs, the ecology of it etc, to my GS troop? We want to come and visit.

Jen Hayden said...

Thats a great idea! Ranger Amy, Im planning a day in April for the Greene County Scouts. Want to come? We would love to have you...we might be a little out of your way. We are in the southern part of Indiana, though.
Jen

Ranger Amy said...

Thanks for all of the comments!! I will get to all of the questions throughout my four days off. Thanks for the help and bonus points.

@Pickled Purls- I would love to give a program for your girls. Please e-mail me at work: Amy.Conyers@dep.state.fl.us and we will work out the details.

@Jen- You will have to bring your scouts to me, the state does not pay for me to travel out of Florida for programs. LOL!