WorldWide Drilling Resource

Tales from the Field by Jeremy C. Wire Geoconsultants, Inc. The Instant Lake Night was falling when we reached the edge of the flat, following the two tracks which served as a road across it. It was raining and we suddenly real ized through the rain- streaked windshield that our headlights revealed what had been dry ground that morning as we crossed the flat, was now totally covered with water. As we reflect- ed about this unexpected development, our thoughts went back to how we had arrived at this situation in the first place. It had been a long summer geologic mapping project in some high mountains of eastern Nevada, and it was now August with thunder and lightning storms brew- ing up every few days, a not uncommon occurrence in this region in the late sum- mer season. With a deadline fast approaching to finish the project, my father had come to help measure some sections. We spent some long days getting into the remote areas, returning to camp late in the evening. It was our usual practice to leave higher elevations by about noon, since thunder and lightning strikes could come up quickly, but this day we were delayed by hiking through some rough ter- rain. Apparently, a local cloudburst in a side canyon had contributed enough water to cover the flat with up to six inches of water in places. Several options were considered: try to go around on some high ground, or try to go on forward where we thought the road was, hoping the saturated ground was not bottomless and our old trustworthy Jeep truck would make it through. Backing up and getting a run at it, we made progress almost to the point where we could see high ground about 100 yards away, but the ground was very muddy, and sud- denly we ground to a halt. We were stuck! Trying to back up made the situation worse. The thought of staying here until daylight was not appealing, and abandoning the truck and hiking in the rain to our camp about two miles away was not appealing either. It appeared the left set of wheels was somewhat positioned in one of the tracks of the old road, but the right set of wheels was hub-deep in the mud. There were no rocks or pieces of dead tree branches nearby to place under the wheels to support a jack to get some traction. Searching by flashlight some distance away, some rocks and branches were found, and by placing them under the tires when jacked up, the truck could move by about 10- to 20-foot increments. However, it was a slow, wet process, and by the time high ground was reached, it was about three hours later. Upon reaching camp, hot coffee and some hastily cooked dinner were reviving, and after removing some wet clothes, the old sleeping bag felt pretty good that night. The next day was clear and warm, and needing to finish work in the area, we headed out to the flat. The road was now visible, the water having receded by evaporation and percolation. We could drive across the flat easily, and it was obvious where our struggle to extricate the truck had been focused the night before. By early September the weather cooperated for a change, and the map- ping project was completed without fur- ther incident. However, since then, when traveling across a similar environment in the Nevada desert, particularly in bad weather, that night of the unfortunate incident involving “The Instant Lake” is often recalled. Jeremy Jeremy Wire may be contacted via e-mail to michele@ worldwidedrillingresource.com 12 DECEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® C&G 302-684-3197 FAX: 302-384-0643 142 Broadkill Rd. • Milton, DE 19968 www.atlantic-screen.com email: atlantic@ce.net Manufacturers of Slotted & Perforated Pipe ranging from ½” to 24” diameter Atlantic Screen & Mfg., Inc. • Well Rehab. Products • Manholes • Bentonite • Filter Sock • Inline Chemical Mixers • Sampling Bailers • Clear PVC Pipe • Locking Caps