A muddy adventure

The hits, they just keep on coming.

I am out in the boonies this week doing interviews for my contract work. I am interviewing elders, chiefs, staff, community, and kids to add some substance to the data and copious amounts of paper I have slogged through.

I went out yesterday to have a couple of hours with the kids and elders. In the span of 3 hours, I had moose meat, watched a young teen skin a muskrat and singe a duck, learned how to dry the skin of an animal, and learned a few Cree words which I have since forgotten.

It was an exiting day considering it took me an extra hour to get there.

A very city girl trying to navigate back roads is rarely a good thing. I missed my first turn and ended up taking the back way in over a bridge that I was well aware was unsafe for human passage. On the other side of the bridge was a deep mud pit.

Once I did arrive at my destination, I told the ladies there "I put it in 4 wheel drive, prayed out loud, and gunned it!"

It worked then, but it didn't work today.

Once again, I got lost. Well, less lost and more misdirected. In fact, I know exactly where I am, but not how to get out.

Rather than returning to the motel of serial killers from my last visit, I made a longer detour into Prince Albert and stayed with a lovely woman who did not mind my last minute drop in.

She's very gracious.

This morning, I got on the road with plenty of time and headed out.  About 20km out of the city, I saw a road I recognized the name of that went straight to the place I wanted to be. How fortuitous! I turned on to it and about 15 ft in, recognized it was nothing but mud.  It was a road. Even a government maintained road, but it was a MUD road.

See? That's mud not road.

I tried to turn around. I had 4 wheel drive after all.  I could do anything.

I. CANNOT. DO. ANYTHING.

Some fancy manoeuvring later, I was facing the other direction, looking at the high way I wanted to be on, and feeling on top of the world.  I was congratulating my little jeep on doing a good job and was thankful it had not gotten worse.

Why do I think things like that? It got worse.

The view out my right window

Suddenly, my back wheels slid in the mud. And ever so slowly, I started to lose control. Inch by minuscule inch, all in slow motion, my back tires slid into the ditch as it gave way. I thought if I could make my front end go in the same direction I could drive along the ditch a bit until I could get better footing.

I am very stupid optimistic.

Now I sit.  Slightly tilty, facing the highway so closely I can read the stop sign. I called the tow truck, but they cannot get out here due to the mud. He has agreed to come out and get a farmer he knows to come rescue me with a tractor.

The highway is right there.  RIGHT THERE.

I will pay through my nose for the service, but at least I will get out.  Eventually.

I hope.

For now, I wait. I wait and I hope the mud stays where it is so I don't fall into the slough that is less than a foot away from me. I have a plan of action if that happens, but I'm not wearing the right shoes for this so I really hope it doesn't.

Contract work is very exciting, I have to say.