Great Basin Institute Internship Wk 2 & 3

Hi again,

Since I wasn't able to make a post for week 2 I will be combining both into this post.

Week 2

This week I continued my work on the dirt bike and ATV trails in Dry Valley. Our group was able to finish the main sections which included trails 11, 14, 15, 16, and 17 adding to more than 10 miles of trail. We were moved to another section of trail to work on the harder black diamond trails. This work involved a lot more rock work and the temperatures started to climb making water my new best friend! The Bureau of Land Management has been really impressed with the work being done because there is a race in the valley every year. Also from what I understand, maintaining trails can cost a fortune. Using a Sweco trail machine can cost up to $1,000 per mile which can really hurt their budget. I've been really happy to work for them, and have met a lot of great people working in the business.

I had a shorter weekend due to Memorial day, but I was able to make it up to Lake Tahoe which was quite an experience and the water was freezing! The views are unmatched as being surrounded by Pinus ponderosa and snow capped mountains. The weekend went by really quickly and it was on to week 3.

Week 3

We moved on to another section of the mountain and continued doing rock work. A lot of the trails on this portion where covered by rocks and it is important that the trails are detailed to ensure the safety of use. Temperatures have reached the 100's this week and working in the valleys can be brutal if not prepared. There is very little air flow and energy can be used up quickly. I think the group did a great job this week and we cleared a large amount of trails. Since this was the last week in Dry Valley and the work left was minimal, our supervisor used our last couple of hours to show us some native drawing that have been there for so many years. It was definitely an added plus to the week, and then to finish it off we climbed in a cave that holds one of the only permanent source of water. We also ended extremely hot our days with a swim in Pyramid Lake which is an Indian Reservation.

I spent this weekend watching the Reno Aces baseball game, exploring more of downtown, and going back to Lake Tahoe for the whole of Saturday. Today, we are planning a trip to float down the Truckee River.

Next week I start working on noxious weed removal around the Lake Tahoe.

Thinking about Yosemite next weekend!!



Enjoy,

Craig