Does that smell like GMR? Brown-capping in Hodgmans.

On the way to the fossil festival the family and I stopped bye GMR.  The kids while they like to find fossils they have a somewhat limited attention span so creek looking is great because they can always play in the water when they have burned themselves out.  Plus there is a great playground at elm street park. 

            We unpacked and suited up, my wife and I in our waders and the kids in there swimsuits.  Now every parent knows that no matter how many time you ask the kids to put on their waders knowing the water will be chilly. The kids always know better so we head upstream from the park and start screening.  In the part of the stream we were working you really couldn’t get out of the water so in about 30 minutes the kids wanted their waders so off to the truck I go.

            Back at the screening site I put the kids in their waders and we keep looking.  We are not finding much so up stream we move.  After about two hours of not finding much I decided to clear out the bottom of the stream around an old tree/stump.  Well, the shovel gets stuck and I figured the best way to free it was to pry harder.  Snap, the handle was free and the stomp was still there.  With broken shovel in hand the family regrouped.  The kids and wife decided to hit the playground and I could get another hour or so in downstream.

            Now I was moving downstream pretty quickly without the family when the taco’s started to grumble.  Then I knew it was one of those brown-capping times where you gotta go right now.  Luckily for me I was adjacent elm street park.  My apologies go out to the cleanup crew there.  I dragged myself up the back through the brush and popped out right at the mens room.  No time to get out of these waders… must go…. So like the swamp thing I waddled into the first stall.  Leaving a muddy wet trail from my felt bottom waders.  Well I made it just in time.  After unsuccessfully looking for a mop I headed back to the stream felling much better and maybe a little guilty.

            After another hour or so it was time to pick up the family and get ready for the festival.  As I approached the playground I heard my 4 year old say, “don’t tell dad” and then watched him run off to play… Well this is what the wife had to say.  She started with Kenny and as she removed his waders she started to smell GMR.  You know that smell of decomposing leaves, snakes and muck you sometimes find in your screen.  On second thought she asked Kenny if he had an accident.  Kenny replied “nope” and headed for the playground.  Next was Samantha, her waders came off and to my wife’s surprise there was no GMR smell.  Upon closer inspection it was clear that the GMR smell originated in Kenny’s waders rather than in the GMR.  So the wife took the waders and Kenny to the Women’s room and cleaned the boy up.  Thanks, Debbie.  I owe you one.

So this really ended up being a stinky trip with the best find being a rootless mammal tooth.

Greg