Brysons Blog

 Today was our last day of working during the senior project and we had so much fun with all of the different tasks we completed. Today we head up to Mud Pond in hopes to drill in the final boards and finish the second tent platform in this location. The other platform was built during earth day by a group but it wasn't done fully correctly. Instead of having 2 layers of 4x4 the group only leveled out layer which will still work for what it is being used for, but it will be more sturdy with 2 layers. We finished all of the 4x4 work yesterday so today when we went up all we did was screw the rest of the boards into the 4x4 that was already prepared. This was the most satisfying part of the job by far because seeing it slowly come together piece by piece was very interesting and made the job a lot of fun for both of us. I am very proud of what we have achieved and think we did the most out of our time we had to work. 

 Today we were very excited to get out into the woods and start/finish our tent platform. Mostly, we spent our time leveling out the planks and making sure everything was even before we started moving towards the next steps. It took us a good amount of time to make sure all the 4x4 were level both length and width-wise. Once we got the first 4 boards in place on the rocks, we were then able to move forward and put the next 4 4x4 on top of them. If all of our work was done perfectly, the boards should sit perfectly level both ways. Luckily, it did! we used our big nails and nailed them into one another and then double-checked to make sure everything looked good. This took us the majority of the day so we are excited to get back out tomorrow and finish what we started. Hopefully tomorrow one be as difficult as today, because today was easily one of the hardest tasks we have accomplished. 

 This week sadly did not go as planned. We were approached by many challenges and difficult decisions but we got through it and are excited to move on. Over the course of the week, we lost Cooper, and Sloane who are going to work with someone else, therefore me and Anna are going to continue to work up at Mud Pond. We also have come up with new goals that are more feasible for two people instead of four. I'm excited to see what we can get done next week. For our goals, we hope that next week we are able to finish the tent platform and have it all perfectly level. We hope that this platform will be used this upcoming summer and possibly for many years to come. 

 Today we woke up early and went and got our materials from the wood-shop and started for Mud Pond. It was very buggy and we unfortunately did not have bug spray so it was a little hard to handle at certain times. We got up to the spot and started to look at what we can use to level the ground and how it will work. We honestly think that it will be a very fun task for us to accomplish together and for us to get the best outcome. We are excited to get the project started and have it accomplished next week. 

 Today we checked in with Lynn and decided that we were going to finish the other tent platform. We talked to Greg and he said that this would be OK and very helpful in the future. He told us that the Wood's team was supposed to do it if it didn't get done but we were happy to do it! So we rearranged our goals a little bit and have made one of them finishing the tent platform up by my pond. We didn't do much that day of actual physical labor. We mostly just moved the baseboards into place and talked about the set up and how we would build it to get the best and product. 

 This morning we met with Lynn to really nail down our final goals going into the last full week. Now that there are only 2 of us working every day, it mag be harder to get more things done with less man power. With that being said, we had a great conversation with Lynn and discussed how we can continue to try to clean the paths and even try to finish making the tent platforms so people this summer can use them. We emailed Greg Allen to try to find out if the platforms were completely finished or not and we are waiting on his response. 

  Today was our first day in our new project on campus. We walked over to the development office and met with a few ladies who work up there. We talked about alumni and how they work to keep alumni in the loop and we also talked about funding for this school and how it really works behind the scenes. Overall, I learned a lot of new things about the development office and what they do and am excited to learn more about what we will do specifically for our project. In my opinion I liked the Mud Pond project a lot more and so did Anna, so Cooper and Sloane will continue there project with development and Anna and I will continue in the woods. 

  Today was a very interesting day to say the least. We started by gathering all of our materials and heading up to Mud Pond. After starting to clear the trail around the pond, we headed hack to campus because fellow members were having trouble working through swarming bugs. We headed back to campus and went and talked to kelly. We discussed and decided we were going to try a different approach which would be trying something on campus. We sent an email out to development, and maintenance to see who could need our work for the remaining time. Overall it was a very odd day but am excited to see where the project takes us.  

 Looking back on our first week of senior project, I am very happy with what we have accomplished and am really looking forward to what is to come with our time up there. Not only does the area look a long cleaner and more presentable, but when everything is maintained properly, you even can feel more comfortable in some places and we want this lean-too at Mud Pond to be used by all faculty, staff, and students. Although the first few days were a little slower than planned, we were able to make up that time by putting in extra effort every time we go up to the pond.  Towards the end of the week, we started to clear the path that goes all the way around the pond and found overgrown paths and many fallen duck boxes. In this week coming up, we want to try to clear that path all the way around the pond so people are able to see the beautiful pond from all angles. Some people will never understand the beauty of the places that are here on Proctor's campus and Mud Pond is one of those ci

 Today was a very nice day and it was also our first day working with actual tools. We wanted to try to beat the bugs like we had done previously so we started our day pretty early. The tools we were able to gather were 3 pairs of clippers, a shovel, a rake, and a hand saw. Throughout the day we worked on cleaning up around the lean-too and down a path that leads to the water that had been slightly overgrown. With the sticks and branches we moved, we piled them under the shelter to stay dry so they would be able to be easily burned when needed. Overall, it was a very exciting and eventful day and we are so excited to get back out there and get more jobs done.  Hours: 7:30 AM - 12 PM 2 PM- 3 PM 

 Today was one of the more uneventful days we have had so far. We were not able to receive our materials from Laura in the Woodlands office so we were unable to move forward with our progress up at Mud Pond. With this beautiful day we had though, our group went and hiked up the ski hill and got some exercise. After we had finished the hike we talked as a group about the plans for the following day and what we were going to try to get done in our chunk of work time. I was also able to talk to Kelly today about our project and how we should move forward, which I think we will benefit from. 

 Today was day 3 of the senior project and I was excited to keep working on cleaning up around the lean-too. We got an early start to try to beat the bugs and it was a fairly nice morning overall. We were not able to get any materials from the woodlands office so we had to try to work with what we had up there. We found much more sticks and a lot more brush that needed clearing so we decided that, that would be our daily goal, is to continue what we started yesterday until we get more tools. After working for a little while, we headed back to campus to see if we could meet up with Laura and find some tools for us to use. Sadly, we were not able to meet her today but we are planning to as soon as possible. We had noted today places where we could potentially clear for a small boat launch for things like paddleboards, kayaks, or canoes. When we get our tools we will be able to begin more work with clearing and cleaning branches from paths and spaces that could be used.  Hours:  8 AM - 10

Today was our second day and we started our work around Mud Pond. Like yesterday, the weather was very comfortable for hiking and it was still pretty buggy. When we got to the lean-too we started by cleaning things up like leaves, branches, brush, and clumps of pine needles that were gathering up in big masses. With big branches we started by breaking them and putting them in the fire pit but then moved to lining the path with the bigger branches in the woods. We also made a hand-made sign on a piece of wood by scratching it with a rock. While it was very tiring, it was worth it in the end and we found a nail lying around that we could use to hang it. I grabbed a rock and started hammering the sign into the tree, after about 10 minutes the sign was finally able to stand on its own and we were able to really start contributing only on the second day!  Hours: 8:45 AM - 11:45 AM  12 PM - 2 PM

Today was our first day of Senior Project and I was so excited to take on our project with my group members. It was a fairly nice day out with it being mostly sunny with a light breeze while hiking to Mud Pond. Due to the hatching of the black flies and soon-to-be mosquitos, we learned right away that for this project we will need bug spray every day. While headed out to the pond, we took a slight detour due to my lack of trail knowledge on our first day. We found our way through the woods and finally came upon our spot, but right away we knew that more signs are definitely needed for those who have never been out to the lean-too. Overall, the main trail to the pond is cleared and very walkable, but around the pond, we noted that there is work to be done to clear the overgrown brush around the pond. Because it was our first day we decided that it would be better to make a list of materials we will need and what needs to be done so we can plan out what needs to be done when. I am very e