Accidentally Amagical: Full on field season

Yesterday, my tech (Stephen) and I headed out for full on field season. We got a few days of groceries, checked into our hotel room, and then went out to fog and pitfall the first stand. It was a long, long, humid, 4 hours in which I ran out of water at the end point, but the toughest of the stands are done!

This morning we could have possibly got 3 surveys in, but the rest of the week is rife with 50-60% chance of rain, so I didn't want to do any of the stands we could possibly do of it rains and the other stands had been surveyed not that long ago, so we came back early. However once we got changed and were about to head to get breakfast I couldn't find my phone anywhere. I have never lost my phone and being this far from everyone put me in panic mode. I checked everything and decided to head back to our last stand where I knew I had it last. I didn't want to change back into my wet clothes so I went in my shorts and flip flops; big mistake.

We searched and searched the road where I checked the time on my phone before we went back to Newton. Didn't find it. So I decided I was going to trek back to the last point in my flip flops and shorts. There's a decent bunny trail to it so I figured I would be ok, though I kept thinking I was gonna get bit by something. Still didn't find it. So we went back to the truck and moved everything around. I moved the seat back and lo and behold, there it was. I felt awful and scratched up like I got in a fight with a bobcat. So I got is some ice cream from the DG in Merryville cause ice cream makes everything better.

We get back to Newton and I'm feeling a little better (see ice cream worked!) and start helping hang our clothes back on the tailgate to dry and I step in the ONLY ant bed in the whole freaking parking lot! So not only are my feet scratched up from briars, but now I have ant bites! I'm thinking fuck this day, so I put rinse off my feet in alcohol (holy mother of jeebus!) and put on my bathing suit to get in the pool. As soon as I get settled in the pool and used to the cold water, it starts thundering in the distance. Seriously!? So I get one lap in and get my head wet before I get out.

A few hours pass and it's time to doors fogging and pitfalling and its raining! I can't fog in the wet, it won't work, so we turn around and head back, again. I hope the rest of the week gets better. Stupid El Niño year during my field season! In sure we will get it done though, it's just gonna be a struggle.