Field Work

I'm leading my first field expedition ever this summer, taking a crew from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and associated colleagues to New Mexico for two weeks. I've been second in command on a number of expeditions and involved in probably a dozen or so, but this is the first time that I've been the primary budgeter, scheduler, organizer and everything else. It's an amazing experience, but sometimes it feels like trying to herd cats to make it all come together. I have a new appreciation for the complexity and expense of fully managing a field crew now and it's been an amazing experience. It will definitely be easier next time. I'm through the looking glass now. The kind of looking glass that only appears when you've spent time researching and negotiating for a company to drop port-o-potties in the middle of BLM land, 51 miles from the nearest town. It's a truly unique experience. I'm spending nearly two weeks in and around the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness in northwestern New Mexico. Mike is going to come join the crew for a week, which will be his first time out in the field. Expect lots of exciting (hopefully) updates in a couple of weeks and pictures regardless. This is some of the most stunning geology I've ever seen. -JTH