WorldWide Drilling Resource

Camp on a Mountain, Part 1 by Art Beatty Antofagasta, Chile I would l ike to tell a story this time about a place we worked one summer which was up in a wilderness area. It was really an experi- ence, even for someone like me who worked in many small towns and in the high country. When we left the last little town, we were on a road the map showed would lead to our destination, which was a camp. There was a large billboard sign warning we were entering a wilderness area and it advised to proceed with a guide, but we went on. The road was very narrow for the rig to go over, so the travel was slow. We would go up one summit, then down, then up again. It took the better part of the day to get to this camp from where we spent the night. My father-in-law was my helper and I had my wife with me, who was a little bit pregnant at the time. We were warned to get out of there early because even after just the first snow, we may not be able to get back to town until spring. The elevation of the camp was where the spruce trees were fading and the aspens were taking over. The camp was a two-story building made of planks instead of logs, but it was still windproof. Upstairs was the workers’ bunkhouse, with the stairwell outside the building. The bottom floor was another two bedrooms, large kitchen, and a pantry area, with a huge cook- stove. I had seen many wood-burning stoves, but nothing compared to this monster. It had a large woodbox, so you could bank a fire at night and still have hot coals in the morning. The freshwater was as cold as ice and came from a spring way up high on the side of a mountain. It was an artesian well, and they had it covered, which kept the rats and bugs out of it. The water ran all the time. It first went upstairs, then as it came down, it had more pressure going to a T to let the air out, then it kept flowing into a natural drainage area. The giant cookstove also warmed the water for the house, but was unpredictable on the heat, so sometimes the water would be too hot to touch, and other times would be almost cool. The purpose of our trip to the camp was preliminary drilling, looking for gold. Sometimes when the rig wasn’t running, we could hear the horns clashing from mountain goats fighting. There were also mountain lions, bear, and deer, but we didn’t have any trouble from them. Unfor- tunately, there was not enough evidence of gold for the people I was working for, but the camp was well worth the trip. I don’t have adequate words to say how beautiful the site was. There was an abundance of colors; and the quiet up there was fantastic. We really enjoyed the months we were there. I’ll tell more about it in the next issue. Art Art Beatty may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com Seminars - Thursday and Saturday Over 15 hours of CEUs available Sessions on Drilling, Pumps, Water Treatment, and more. Sessions for REHS Trade Show – Friday Product Spotlight Demonstrations Lunch on the Showroom Floor Call the CGA of2ce (707) 578-4408 for details and early registration. www.groundh2o.org Silent Auction +9 &8 ,&6"4/23 ,'*& . 4* . % * ,% "4&2 &,, / 6&. / ", ". 6&2 2 , * . 2 , * & 1 - 4 & 3& * $5 "4 / *, 0 5*0 &. +9 &8 ,&6"4/23 2& 3&% /2,%7*%& ! 2&8 2&8-$'"%%&. $/- ,&6"4/23 /"% 4&34 $&24*'*$"4&3 "6"*,"#,& * $ "% * $ ( # * $ "% * " # % ! ! $% " ! ! # " ' $ # )" ! )" "# ) % # ) ! "# & )"6& &,&6"4/23 /' ",, 3*:&3 490&3 ".% 7&*()43 ".% $". #5*,% 4/ ".9 30&$*", "00,*$"4*/.3 ) ' & # ) $ ( "# ) $" % % !# ) " ## & " % # ) $# ) ' # &7 3&% 15*0-&.4 6"*,"#,& 777 2&8-$'"%%&. $/- 26 SEPTEMBER 2016 WorldWide Drilling Resource ®