During my PhD, I collaborated on a project involving the need to assess water quality and take water samples – one would think this seems simple enough, and in theory it should have been. Where the issues arose were: 1) everything looks flat on a non-descript map, and 2) our lab had field gear designed for deep lake use, not shallow streams and rivers.
The deepest of these rivers was only knee deep. While the river banks here are gradual and access relatively simple, not all of our sites were like this – there was near-vertical terrain through brush and bramble to access small streams in critical areas.
While the terrain was manageable with smart footwear choices, hiking poles, and an extra dose of laughter, the real complication and need for innovation came in our available equipment. Recall we had gear designed for deep lake work, meaning it was meant to be loaded onto a boat and meant to reach great depths. In the photo above, you’ll notice the cable attached to the probe I am holding leading to the spool of cable on the bank and then to the handheld being read by another collaborator. That spool was a solid 50 meter length of cable. A length that could not be broken up and lived only untangled when wrapped on this wooden spool.
So, our task was really to traverse some challenging terrain with an awkwardly shaped 50 meter length of heavy cable on a wooden spool…easier said than done! Once again, as it always does, life experience swooped in to save the day – looking for analogous experiences in our daily lives can help drive our research and help us solve problems as scientists.
I had carried something awkward before on challenging terrain…well, actually…someone.
An adventurous lifestyle with a large dog means preparing for worst-case scenarios, including an injured pup in the backcountry.
I had purchased a rescue harness for Ryland, designed to carry him off of a trail and back to safety should he need assistance.
The reality is that this harness was designed to turn Ryland’s barrel-shaped body into a backpack….barrel-shaped much like a wooden spool (though don’t tell him that). So, we repurposed his harness to carry the spool up and down terrain with relative ease. It quickly became a staple in our field gear bag.
Success!