So I have found myself taking full advantage of Swamp People marathon this weekend - not sure why but, but my 7 year old son loves it. Anyways. I would love to hear stories and see some pics of all you Swamp Surveyors out there. I just cannot imagine what you have to go through. I assume you could survey out of a boat? Oh do tell...
I don't have any pics, we were in too much of a hurry to get OUT of the swamps.?ÿ I have waded from ankle deep to waist deep for hours at a time, using a tack in tree stumps for traverse points.?ÿ Some folks might worry about snakes or gators but they will leave the area when they hear you coming.?ÿ There is one spot in southwest Georgia (I'll NOT say where) where I "set" an iron pin by throwing it the approximate line and distance.?ÿ We computed the location,?ÿ turned the angle and began cutting and pulling the distance.?ÿ When I got to chest deep and was still about 50 feet short I just gave it a fling.?ÿ This was 45+ , years ago and I wouldn't do it again but no one will ever know and no one will ever "reset" it in it's computed location.
Andy
I would think setting up in waist deep water would take some getting used to...you also would get the chance to see if all the foam in the total station case is enough to float the unit.?ÿ
Having a 10ft flat bottom boat is nice for carrying equipment and providing a dry spot in the middle of watershed.
It will easily carry more than the whole crew can carry in packs and is easy to pull along with a rope as long as it fits between the trees.
Will also fit atop an atv without totally manufacturing a rack, I use a rollbar from a gocart mounted in the front and let it rest on the back toolbox.
This would work as a Swamp Chariot
I surveyed for 40 years in the swamp.?ÿ Started out with an outboard but it could only run in?ÿ the bayou's.?ÿ The water over the land would be from dry to 4' deep?ÿ with to much debris for an outboard so walking was the only option.?ÿ We would be picked up at the next bayou.?ÿ
Today we use air-boats or small swamp buggies or both.?ÿ The ones shown above are too wide and tall for the swamp near us. This is what we use.?ÿ https://www.marshmaster.com/products/mm-1lx/mm-ii-personnel-carrier/
Three years ago we surveyed for a proposed?ÿ 34 mile pipeline, 31 miles were in the swamp.?ÿ ?ÿ?ÿ
By the way 90% of that stuff you see on swamp people doesn't happen when hunting alligators plus the weight of the gators are about 1/3 of what they report on TV.?ÿ
That Marsh Master is awesome! I bet everything runs when that SOB comes through the marsh! I now know what I would buy when I hit the lottery!
What do you set for corners out there? 10 foot poles? I would love to hear some war stories on surveying out there.?ÿ Regarding Swamp People I can only imagine how embellished it all is - sticking your hands down by a pissed off gator... There is no way I would do that - but I would be more than happy to eat gator tail and mudbugs any day of the week. After all it is wash day today...better start soaking the beans.?ÿ
Got any good pics from those 40 years?
We've got a few folks here that have surveyed in the swamps of eastern Texas (not sure it's the same but a swamp nonetheless). They talked about cutting logs, putting a bevel on one end and hammering them into the mud then setting the instrument on that. Sounds like a mess to me.
Being from Kansas, I don't have any personal experience with swamps other than Swamp Loggers and Swamp People on the Discovery channel.
What do you set for corners out there? 10 foot poles??ÿ?ÿ
All of our surveys were for pipelines so didn't need to set corners.?ÿ As for as control for pipelines we would cut a cypress knee, turn it over and drive it in the ground. If you don't know what a cypress knee is take a look at the link.
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What do you set for corners out there? 10 foot poles??ÿ?ÿ
All of our surveys were for pipelines so didn't need to set corners.?ÿ As for as control for pipelines we would cut a cypress knee, turn it over and drive it in the ground. If you don't know what a cypress knee is take a look at the link.
What do you set for corners out there? 10 foot poles??ÿ?ÿ
All of our surveys were for pipelines so didn't need to set corners.?ÿ As for as control for pipelines we would cut a cypress knee, turn it over and drive it in the ground. If you don't know what a cypress knee is take a look at the link.
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At our old house (before we moved due to Baby 3) we had a huge cypress tree in the back yard. There were little knees all over, but only about 3 that were about 4-6 above the grass.?ÿ
What do you set for corners out there? 10 foot poles??ÿ?ÿ
All of our surveys were for pipelines so didn't need to set corners.?ÿ As for as control for pipelines we would cut a cypress knee, turn it over and drive it in the ground. If you don't know what a cypress knee is take a look at the link.
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About 20 years ago my father made the mistake of planting cypress trees at the edge of his fish pond.?ÿ For the first several years everything was fine, and then the knees started popping up.?ÿ Now you can hardly walk in that area and you can, for sure, forget mowing there.
Andy
We would saw off a small tree above the waterline and drive a 60d nail 3/4 the way in and use for hub and backsite.
Would also drive 60d nail in trunk of trees close to sited line for backsite.
For short shots would plunge scope and set nail in tree as far away as possible for backsite. Boss caught me doing this when I had a few shots less than 50ft on a 14mi traverse thru Black Cypress Bayou.
I have set the instrument up directly atop stumps in water because tripods will easily move when stepping from one side to another. When tripod setup was this led to having one person looking at backsite and another looking at foresite.
BTW don't corner an Alligator Gar in shallow water, they will do whatever it takes to stay in the water.
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