A few years ago, we had an unusually warm week in November, so two days before Thanksgiving, Gary and I went camping in a tent at Potawatomi State Park in Door County. The weather was fine but we discovered that that close to the winter solstice, the nights were just too long. By 4:30 it was dark. You can only sit in front of a fire pit for so long. We finally went to a nearby picnic shelter with electricity, plugged in a computer and watched a DVD of the Deadwood series. Not exactly what camping should be.
A long night is what we found with March sturgeon guarding right after the spring equinox. We arrived on site at 6:30 pm and set up some lawn chairs at the river's edge, as we had done so many times when we guarded in late April.
But by the time the chairs were in place the sun had set and it was getting cold, very cold, made even colder by the river damp. This was private property and we were not allowed to start any fires. We did have a camp stove to make tea or hot chocolate and of course the bag lunches provided by the DNR.
The sturgeon were wildly splashing against the rocks, but we couldn't see them unless we used our flashlights. It was a dark evening, with only a thumbnail sliver of a moon above.
As it got colder, we retreated into the front seats of the van. We could watch from there. We read books in our Nooks, and I wrote notes for a short story I'm working on.
At the back of the van is a bed with two quilts. When one of us was tired we crawled into the back for a nap. I woke from my first nap when I heard voices. There was Mike, the DNR warden, checking on the sturgeon, who were in the middle of their orgy. We found out later that the Pines was the most active site so far in the spawning season. Mike loves his job, especially these nights under the stars. We were in such a remote area that the heavens were laid out before us. You can't see the Milky Way in the city, but out there in the boonies, we could see our galaxy so clearly.
At 10:30, Gary took his nap. It got colder and colder in the front seat, but I had on warm clothes. I used the little light Gary got me that attaches to the Nook. Every so often, I took my flashlight on patrol to stretch my legs. The sturgeon never slowed down. A little after midnight, I woke Gary up and took my turn on the cot. He let me sleep until 3:00 then he took another turn. Before we turned off the lights, I put on warmer socks and thicker gloves.
The night wore on. The stars gradually disappeared and then the robins began to sing just before 6:00. I woke Gary up. He made tea on the camp stove in the gray dawn. We were just packing our gear when the next shift of guards arrived, a man and his wife, who also have done this for years.
We returned to the sturgeon camp for French toast and sausages, made our report and we were done unless the spawning season goes on. If that happens, we'll be back next Sunday for another stint. It isn't likely, but the ladies and gentlemen sturgeon make the decisions, not humans. If not next Sunday, we'll see them in 2013.
We have begun our camping season. So many more adventures to come.
A long night is what we found with March sturgeon guarding right after the spring equinox. We arrived on site at 6:30 pm and set up some lawn chairs at the river's edge, as we had done so many times when we guarded in late April.
The sturgeon were wildly splashing against the rocks, but we couldn't see them unless we used our flashlights. It was a dark evening, with only a thumbnail sliver of a moon above.
As it got colder, we retreated into the front seats of the van. We could watch from there. We read books in our Nooks, and I wrote notes for a short story I'm working on.
At the back of the van is a bed with two quilts. When one of us was tired we crawled into the back for a nap. I woke from my first nap when I heard voices. There was Mike, the DNR warden, checking on the sturgeon, who were in the middle of their orgy. We found out later that the Pines was the most active site so far in the spawning season. Mike loves his job, especially these nights under the stars. We were in such a remote area that the heavens were laid out before us. You can't see the Milky Way in the city, but out there in the boonies, we could see our galaxy so clearly.
At 10:30, Gary took his nap. It got colder and colder in the front seat, but I had on warm clothes. I used the little light Gary got me that attaches to the Nook. Every so often, I took my flashlight on patrol to stretch my legs. The sturgeon never slowed down. A little after midnight, I woke Gary up and took my turn on the cot. He let me sleep until 3:00 then he took another turn. Before we turned off the lights, I put on warmer socks and thicker gloves.
The night wore on. The stars gradually disappeared and then the robins began to sing just before 6:00. I woke Gary up. He made tea on the camp stove in the gray dawn. We were just packing our gear when the next shift of guards arrived, a man and his wife, who also have done this for years.
We returned to the sturgeon camp for French toast and sausages, made our report and we were done unless the spawning season goes on. If that happens, we'll be back next Sunday for another stint. It isn't likely, but the ladies and gentlemen sturgeon make the decisions, not humans. If not next Sunday, we'll see them in 2013.
We have begun our camping season. So many more adventures to come.
No comments:
Post a Comment