Summer 1970, took summer job with USFS Quinault District after offer of employment by District Ranger to freashman Intro to Forestry class.
That summer while doing suveys of proposed roads, I sat down for lunch on a ridge some three miles hike from the last landing. A hundred feet below me was a momma Elk with calf grazing on a small meadow on a bench on the side of the ridge. She had no fear of us whatever. I was hooked.
Looked up the laws on surveying. Yeah, I can do that.
So I did and have went on to Orcas flowing within inches of the keel as they check us out on Puget Sound, hot steming piles of Grizzly scat in SE Alaska, herds of Elk taking 10 minutes to cross the road ahead, snorting Bulls coming at you as you slowly back the rig down the logging road, amazing trout/steelhed/salmon waters, mushrooms for the kitchen, pheasant cackles near your set up and in 2 minutes you nail him for dinner because you always carry that little youth 20ga single shot you got as a toe head during the season.
I was born and raised farm, field and forest and surveying is a great way to stay out there and enjoy the outdoors, while being paid.
