Ohhhh herrrroo,
(Me saying : "oh herrro".
P.s. I've worn that same outfit everyday that I have worked down here... let's just say you wouldn't want to smell that shirt at this point. The summer isn't over yet though, and much stench has yet to be added)


Life is going really great down here. I do miss everyone a lot and I felt a little bit like I had the rug snagged from under my feet because I barely got to see anyone, but I know that I'll be back before I know it. It is really hot and really dry, though to people who live here it is probably neither of those things. For us west coasters though who often don't venture far from the ocean, Arizona is as dry as it gets. I think living down a dirt road in the middle of the South Kaibab National Forest likely might have something to do with it, oh and spending most of my time outside. Nonetheless, a really dry throat and nose and skin can't deter me from thoroughly enjoying this work. Bloody booger nuggets on the other hand are becoming a bit of a hassle haha.

Work is good and some days are better than others aka. some days I have a lot of steep hiking while others it is as flat as a pancake. Some days a plot could have 5 live trees and 5 dead trees, and the next plot could have 30 trees and 40 dead. It all really depends.
(Me measuring a tree height using a clinometer)
(Ally coring a tree to count the rings and determine the age)
(counting the tree rings to determine the age)

For a budding forester this work really is the bees knees. I now have a complete set of all my own forestry equipment (except a ridiculously expensive laser) to use all this nifty forestry equipment, measure tree heights, dbh (diameter at breast height), check for tree damages, navigate with compass and GPS, core trees, set up fixed radius plots... and I have no boss! I also get to work alone which really has its advantages because I rely solely on myself to make money and do not rely on anyone else (and do not suffer from other ppl's mess ups). I think it is going to be hard going back to a job where I have someone to report to. I feel pretty lucky to be running my own show and I'm not even done my degree yet. Most of the guys working this job are older (later 20's or early 30's and have been doing forestry work for years).
(artistic photo of the day: Ally in the compass mirror)
But it is really rewarding and enjoyable to spend all day alone hiking outside measuring trees... I quite enjoy that I can walk to work and that my office is in the middle of pure ponderosa pine forest.

We're really enjoying living in the tent trailer and most nights we play drum, make a nice dinner, drink tea, read and go to bed early. It is quite lovely. We have also developed a healthy obsession with the game Yahtzee which is soon to morph into an obsession with Scrabble. Board games are all the rage in tent trailers. We will be moving down to a canyon area pretty soon and we're hoping to travel up to the Grand Canyon but neither of us really want to take time off just yet. It seems like every day off we have an endless list of things in town we need to take care of so once that list is more manageable I think we'll take off up north.
(Lou relaxing in the shade under the awning of our tent trailer)
(a typical burned area in South Kaibab).

That is all for now. We are off to the post office (a favorite location in Flagstaff to visit) and then possibly to the pound. We keep visiting the pound (even though we both know we can't get a dog and we take out the poor lil guys for a walk around the side yard. It seems to fulfill our desires for a dog for about a week).

Love you guys and hope everything is well.
Missing the ocean a lot down here so everyone better be lapping around in the shallows for me.

Peace and love

ally