Oh the return of spring in the north

Disco Stu · Post by **Disco Stu** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:27 pm

050234 CYIV GODS LAKE NARROWS
CYGO RWY 14/32 CLOSED DUE VERY SOFT COND
TIL APRX 0504011500

w squared · Post by **w squared** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 1:56 pm

Let's talk about what spring in the North means to folks working in the oil&gas sector...

Mud that's so deep and thick that 4X4 pickup trucks need to chain up to climb a 5' tall hill...so glutinous that walking 50 feet leaves you lugging 20 pounds every time you try to take a step...so tenacious that even with a fire hose and a pressure washer it takes you two hours to get the undercarriage of your truck clean...so pervasive that anything heavier than a pickup truck needs to have a cat standing by to pull it through the mud holes...

I'm hoping and praying that I'll be able to get my vehicle and trailer out of here in a few days. Even with chains, that heavy little beast that I tow behind me may mean that I'll have to call for a tow to get up the hill. Ain't spring great?

Yeah, I'll take -40 and ice roads over this slop.

ZLIN 142C · Post by **ZLIN 142C** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 4:53 pm

Bang! You just hit the nail right on the head, W^2. Tucker #127 is sitting in Med. Hat all clean and shiny now, not having turned a wheel in weeks. But before that. . . A few weeks back I was up in some country I haven't seen before - Fort St John, High Level, Rainbow Lake, etc. - just about the time the big melt started. Whee! That was "fun", getting on and off some of those leases, not to mention four-bying with a real big truck on those bush roads when they get soft. Add in a few hills with steep dropoffs and some narrow bridges and you get what I call "scarey fun."

My first breakup, and I'm proud to say I kept the logger in one piece, although I saw a couple of the other kind of loggers (log haulers, that is, for those of you who don't know the terminology) upside down in the ditch on that narrow Rainbow Lake/High Level road after some freezing rain. And for the longest time I couldn't tell what colour our truck was.

Then there's the condition of some of those leases. . .twenty pounds of mud on your boots is no exaggeration. After some jobs I had to wash myself from the knees down with the pressure washer because being wet was preferable to climbing into the recorder cab with all that crap on your legs and boots.

In spite of all that, I had a great winter, one of the most memorable I've ever had. Perhaps that's because the novelty of the North country hasn't worn off yet. It helps when you're working with a good crew.

w squared · Post by **w squared** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 5:19 pm

I'm still sitting on a lease near Prophet River (100 kilometers south of Fort Nowhere for those of you that aren't familiar with NE BC). I'll be released in the wee hours of tomorrow morning, so it'll be a race against time to get all my gear off the rig and into my truck and trailer before it all turns back into a disgusting, sloppy mud pit. At least I'm only about 1 klick from the pavement here - not like the last one that was a 50km ordeal of single-lane mud, double switchbacks, and 12% grades before reaching something that any sane person would describe as a road.

I feel for you...Zama and Rainbow Lake can get UGLY when it gets sloppy. Poor drainage around there. I spent a month working out of Zama city this fall, and the week of rain made for some interesting driving.

To make matters worse, my customary month of spring skiing and ski bunnies at Sunshine Village won't be happening this year. It'll be back to Cowtown, an intensive high angle/confined space rescue course, and then straight back out to provide Emergency Response Team support for gas plant turn-arounds. Sacrificing the skiing is worth it though...ERT is great work!

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 5:34 pm

Ah yes, wonderful spring time.
went into YPM yesterday, runway was great. however the taxiway and apron on the other hand, wow, I forgot how bad they can get. we went and basically turned just off the taxi way where I THOUGHT that it would be solid, ha, nope, i was wrong. took about 1/2 power to get it out of the mud.
hope that it doesn't get to much worse

1st timer · Post by **1st timer** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:30 pm

Sorry flying high but it will get worse, much worse.
The runways are still good, soon when you land you wont need brakes as the mud will stop you better than your brakes normally do. If you are lucky you wont get stuck. I have seen a 200's left main sunk so all you could see was the top 2 inches of its tires.
Carefull boys and girls this time of year can be very hazardous after landing.

Galaxy · Post by **Galaxy** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:49 pm

It's still c@ck stiff up here

Hickory Stick · Post by **Hickory Stick** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:04 pm

FLYINHIGH:

You went into Peekum the other day you say. How are the Juvenile Broads?

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:51 pm

LOL,
ha yes, the juvenile broads are just great!!!

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:31 am

You guys are all out to lunch dont think we will see spring for a bit still -30 at night.

Hickory Stick · Post by **Hickory Stick** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 2:51 pm

Your out to lunch. YXL is 12 degrees on the positive today. Snow is melting. Where are you? The arctic I imagine.

Now back to the JUVENILE BROADS, bet they will be wearing minin skirts and sweat pants soon if this warm weather keeps up.

Cheers

Northern Skies · Post by **Northern Skies** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 8:50 pm

My rental car is totally caked in the stuff right now. Sort of looks good on it.

ScudRunner · Post by **ScudRunner** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:24 pm

out to lunch eh!

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 9:44 pm

well right now the broads are haven't quite yet got the sweats going, there sportin the jeans and skirt.

Canus Chinookus · Post by **Canus Chinookus** » Sun Apr 03, 2005 10:24 pm

now I'm gonna have peekum nightmares tonight... thanks!

PT6-114A · Post by **PT6-114A** » Mon Apr 04, 2005 6:35 am

Hickory stick no kidding you think it is spring you arnt even in the north the north starts at the 60th. Guess if you are from YYZ where you are is north.