Team Lore

Thursday January 19, 2006

Bob here,
Well day fourteen has been an eventful one. We can use one word to describe the day Water, Water, Water. Of course that was three words but they apply.
The team was glad to have the reining duck kill leader in our midst, Andy. We thought that he would bring with him the opportunity to increase all our totals just by association. It's not often we have a cold blooded folding machine like him around to show us how the job is done. Another member, John "I'll miss Brett Farve" Verhague, baled on his chance to hunt the big waters of the mighty Columbia River. But as we all know, three is a magic number. We hope the sand gets out of 'there' for you John.
After an early start, in which I was able to sleep an extra half hour, we hit the road to the 'old spot' hoping for some great post 2005 Pacific Flyway killin'. On the walk down we were filled with anticipation of a great day. There was a little rain and some wind but nothing prepared us for what we would find. The water on the river was at higher levels that ever before. We're talking 12 feet above normal high water. We here in the Pacific Northwest have been getting normal rain but with temps above normal there is no snow falling in the mid elevations. All that rain equals big water. We had to take the route described in the last update through the pricker bushes and down the slope of death, but right at the bottom, water.
Now I know what you are thinking, water good. No my friends, water bad. It was so high that we were unable to set the decoys far enough out to be seen and forget about retrieval. We gave it the old College try but still the results were only water. Andy was the first casualty to the water. He got a rip in his waders and the water attacked his foot. Fred fell in up to his shoulders and got the ole' wet wader willie. As we were pulling up I slung my pack over my shoulders and fell over a log back first and below water level. Like I said, Water, Water, Water.
The walk back to the truck was a wet one but we learned something that day. The North unit of Sauvies may not be bad right now. (Sorry Steve) Then we learned something else, Andy lied to us. No water in his waders. Hope the sand gets out of yours too.

God Bless Charlton