Day 1 –
Leave Missoula at noon. Arrive in Riggins Idaho for dinner. Arrive at Pittsburgh Landing on the Snake River just after sundown. Most people elect to keep tents packed and sleep on picnic tables. “The only thing we don’t want is wind and rain”. We got both.
Day 2 –
Wake up to see people wrapped in tarp burritos seeking shelter from the elements. First group (crew leaders of the hitch), depart up river on a Jet boat. Remaining crew enters phase II (see appendix 1) of waiting, Mario skunks Mack in cribbage
Boat arrives 2.5 hours later; crew dumbstruck by awesomeness that accompanies going up rapids in a jet boat.
Get dropped off on rocky shoreline ridden with poison ivy.
Hike to campsite and learn than in Idaho, 1 mile = 2.5
Get to our campsite, a defunct homestead and set up camp in the rain.
Day 3 –
In your tent, it sounds like it’s raining harder than it actually is. Begin work day by brushing, mostly poison ivy. Mario leaves for his 25 mile saunter out of the wilderness.
Day 4 –
Begin work on Little Granite creek. Lay foundation for our 4 day relationship with rocks. Today we learned that the bigger the rocks used the less amount is needed. We also learned that all rocks are not created equal. Some break easily while some project glass-like shards. “breaking rocks in the hot sun, I fought the wall and the rock won”
Day 5 –
Begin building what will be five rock walls. Each crew worked on opposite sides of the same creek leading to lots of waving and hand signals to and fro during breaks. When breaks were staggered the resting crew would cheer on the working crew. Begin moving big rocks and backs begin to ache.
Day 6-
More rock collecting. Back aches become back pains. Rocks collected in the afternoon are smaller than rocks collected in the morning
Day 7-
More rock collecting. By this time we have established a solid relationship with both rocks, and the tools used with rocks. Mike, a magician with a rock bar, teaches us advanced rock moving skills. We all hone our rock Austin skills three-fold, at least.
This may come in handy later:
Rate your following skills on a scale of 1-6:
Rock finding – 5, still have yet to find the perfect rock.
Rock Moving – 3 judging by how my back feels, there must be room for improvement.
Digging – 6, I now know where and how to dig a cat hole with a boot maddock
Day 8 –
Finish our rock walls in a deluge of rain. Ubiquitous mud and unrefined jubilation. Jokes told around dinner that only we understand.
Day 9 –
Break down camp. Crew leaders leave of the first boat. Remaining people view petraglyphs, collect morels* (see appendix 1). Mack gets a tarp shower finally giving Lina something to smile about. We wait for the boat and enter phase three of waiting.
Appendix 1
Phases of waiting
1) Idling
2) cribbage
3) sleep - hear false echoes of what you're waiting for (jet boat)
4) digging a cathole/ latrine
5) setting up camp
6) foraging
7) building structures
8) bartering for clothes
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