HITW Break-Up

Under beautiful., warm sunny skis this afternoon as I was enjoying a cup of coffee on the deck, I could not help but hear a familiar sound. Normally it would have been a sound that would have brought me to full attention, however, it sounded so nice I ignored it. The sound of runny water in Grannies Gulch and signaling that spring break-up had arrived at the Hole In The Wall.

Following my volcano observation trip to the beach, I did stop by the HITW to check it out. However, darkness had descended enough that I was unable to shoot any pictures, although I could tell there was not much to shoot. Grannies Gulch was handling the current load and the new diversion ditch was transporting the run off in the right direction. Bear Creek remains quiet.

By the time I return form my "road trip", it will be time to start rigging the emergency pumps and activate the emergency response team to monitor the situation. This task will be made much easier this year with the improvement of the de-waterization system. The monitoring crew is really going to enjoy the comforts of the heated observation cabins that have facilities to make hot coffee and even a bunk to take short naps between monitoring watches. A vast improvement in comparison to the seat of the maintenance truck.

On the Ides of April, preparations begin in earnest for the new season.

In my preparation for this season, I have made an modernization improvement to my "plow truck" to enhance the performance and make it easier to open the passenger door.