Training Log Archive: Mess Engineer

Continued smashing up white ant nest rubble.
Getting easier as the chunks gets smaller as I can use a smaller hammer.
Gone from sledgehammer, to mallet, to now a claw hammer.
At least then I can alternate arms too.

Event: NOY 2A
 

1st Course.
Hard Medium.
11 Controls.

Didn't think I went too badly today but my time was about 13 minutes off the bench mark.
No major screwups.
Will have to look at the splits later.

#1 OK

#2 Mucked around trying to find a creek crossing through the lantana before backing out and then going again and finding the flagged crossing. On to control with no issues.

#3 N to main E-W track. W along track to 2nd junction. NW to control. OK

#4 NW across all the minor watercourses. Down to curvy track. N to control. OK.

#5 Went straight to the correct gully but wasn't sure if I was too high or too low. Went higher and found the marsh which told me I was too high. So back down again. Thought this was only 20-30 secs but will have to see on splits.

#6 NE. Across creek. NE up hill to main NW-SE track. Along track to highest point. Then NE to line of rocks. E about 5 m to control. Didn't think this was too bad but again will have to see splits.

#7 E to N-S track. Then along E track parallel to E-W water course until crossed N-S water course. N to other E-W water course. Then up gully to control. Didn't think this was too bad but again will have to see splits.

#8 S to track. Followed track curve down S. Veered off to creek on W side and onto control.

#9 S to track and then N-S track to E of control. Back to car wreck ... no issues.

#10 SW to convoluted mess of track junctions. SW to clearing and ponds. No issues.

#11 S from #10 to minor watercourse (and past control for next course). Decided to check how inpenetrable the 'green' around the main creek was prior to going S to track crossing option. Amazingly found a very clear gap so got through unscathed. Got to southern gully. 20-30 seconds of going WTF before realised control was in northern gully about 3 m away.

#12 NW following creekline. No issues.

2nd course.
Moderate Long (Long Orange)
13 Controls.
Last 2 shared with prior Hard Medium (Medium Red)

Switched off navigation after prior event so made a general mess of this.
OK for #1, #3, #4, #6, #8, #10, #11, #13
Minor backtracking for #7.

Didn't find the taped crossing to #2 (which I went through on the prior event) so bush bashed but then ended up in inpenetrable green and had to wade through waist deep water to get to the taped crossing about 5 m up.
Then mucked around through the green getting to #2. So 1:39 getting to #1, then 4:04 getting to #2.

Screwed up #5 badly (been lost in this water course area before).

Never been around the pond by #9 (so at least a new area) but was too far north at the track crossing. Realised this so headed down the west side to the south crossing and then around to the water course and control. Control stand was UNDERWATER. Had to either wade to it, or kneel on edge of bank and reach out. Peter Newton said the water course was dry when he put the control out.

Found (yet again) a lost and frustrated Lynda Hewson looking for #10.
Found control for her and then stuck with her for the remainder of the course.

For #12 we went via the track. On my prior run went #11 (which wasn't my control but went past it), across the creek and thick green and then to #12. Ultimately this was about 40% faster than what Lynda did via the creek.

Right shoe a total wreck. Sole flapping off about 1/2 the length.
Attempt at gaffa tape didn't last halfway through run.
Time for bin and go to MkB pair.
They have done 499 km since 30/08/12 so lasted reasonably well.

As soon as I got home from Bush-O tried to finish off moving all the compost.
It was a race to see if I would collapse of exhaustion first ... or complete the job.
Job completed ... but only just.
1:20 pm - 2:10 pm / 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm

Really tired now after the combination with two Bush-O.
Rest of today off ... and maybe tomorrow as well.

Yesterday

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Today

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Yesterday

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Today

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Now all the leaves are combined into one massive pile.
Got out a tape measure for my own interest.
5.7 m wide
5.0 m deep
1.8 m high
Thats a lot of accumulated leaves!

Hard Medium - Splits

Moderate Long - Splits

7:25 am - 7:55 am

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Continued smashing yesterdays head sized chunks of white ant nest with mattock.
Got down to fist sized chunks.
Then got out little mallet and smashed these up further.
1/2 hr was all I could manage as forearms on fire.
Like working on an "American Chain gang" from a movie.

Too wet to poison any of the survivors.

Later in the day little finches were flitting in and out picking up white ants.
They didn't have to look to hard as they were littering the ground everywhere.

7:55 am - 9:40 am
After last weeks exercise of moving 80 wheelbarrows of dirt to eliminate my excess dirt pile I can now start cleaning up my compost pile.

This grew unplanned in a semicircle around the excess dirt pile.
Now thats gone I can merge the compost pile into one great heap.
Started on one side first clearing the area shown in red.
Found another smaller white ant nest hidden under the compost!
Lots of creepy crawlies and multiple pencil sized blind snakes.

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Moved all this on top of the main pile.
Easy digging and only moving a few metres away.
But was hard getting the wheelbarrow all the way to the top.
Anyway this will count as 'turning over' the compost as now half composted dirt put on top.

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Some of this is 3 years old and has composted well.
Some not so well.
In a perfect world would have a bobcat to turn it over every 6 months.
Uncountable wheelbarrows of leaves have gone into this pile.
And more fall every single day.

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

12:25 pm - 2:05 pm

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Working on the other half of the semicircular shaped compost pile.
This is less than a year old so it almost all leaves still.
Using pitchfork to fill wheelbarrow with leaves and then adding to main pile.

It was varying from drizzle, to rain, to pouring throughout.
Continued regardless.
Would look like it would clear and then pour again.

After 1 1/2 hrs gave up entirely as ground turning into total slush.
Got about half of what I wanted moved.

Different instructor -> Less Hills -> Faster Rate -> More km

Straight from bike to treadmill at 12.5 kmph

Different instructor mixed things up
5 min on treadmill
Then 20 reps/15 reps on leg machines
2 km back on bike
Then 20 reps/15 min on upper body
Then abs
Very sweaty by the end of it.

Back on different bike to do 2 km

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm
Return of the 6 tonne chainblock and slings.

Now that got rid of all the white ant infested firewood pile by the shed now want to get rid of the nearby white-ant nest as well.
About the size of the 2 drawer filing cabinet (mud ball centered around a tree stump).

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Came out easy .... surprisingly in a large ball.
But outside layer like concrete.
Heart rate through the roof and lots of sweat.
Hollowed out the 'softer creamy centre' with a shovel but hard work smashing it all up into small pieces with mattock and sledge hammer.

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Never seem so many white ants in one spot before.
Inside nest really smelt strange. Not sure how to describe it.

From Wallalong Gardening Part 4

Forearms sore afterwards.
Will smash it into smaller bits in the morning.

Didn't find the fat queen to squash under my boot, and may not have decimated it enough to wipe them out, but certainly put them back a few years. She was probably further down below ground level. Could have poisoned them but still would have had to do this work to get rid of the mud ball anyway.

C • that's huge 4

Left work early to pick up station wagon (with its new radiator) as the repair workshop closed at 4 pm.
When they pressure tested the old radiator this morning it sprayed out into the engine bay like a fountain!

4:20 pm - 5:20 pm
2 more wheelbarrows from excess dirt pile to downhill Neighbours fenceline.
Rest of time spent trying to move dirt around to level out the ground level 'underneath' where the dirt pile was because at some points I had dug it out too low. Lots of really hard, almost rock, clay boulders which look like they have been burnt (as half ash in the middle) which I spent a lot of time breaking apart with edge of shovel.
This job almost finished .... just need a good soaking rain to level out and compact the dirt.

Now area clear can start of combining all the piles of composting leaves. Digging into some of these (the 2 year old ones) and they have turned 90% into dirt ... with just a top layer of leaves remaining.

Still sore in the legs so dropped back 5 kg to 25 kg for legs and 15 kg for everything else. Struggled in biceps and lunges.

And station wagon radiator didn't drip all night but was flowing out like a little river at service station when I filled up with fuel this morning, then again at gym carpark and again at work car park. So leaks when under pressure / hot. Will just have to top up level to get it home and then keep off the road until I can get it booked in to be repaired. :(

As per tinytoes comment at least it wasn't on a bush track in the middle of nowhere in Tasmania.

Distance a guess. From house to visit someone in old Wallalong area.

Will miss 2nd opportunity to try HIIT class in morning as will be at radiator repair place 8 am in morning.