Singed Ambitions.

Let me just start off by saying, it was not the best of my days here at Coweeta. This morning started off well enough, doing my normal Friday rain gauge sampling. In fact, it was looking even better than usual considering the fact that it hadn't rained in a week, so all the rain gauges were dry. Without having to take samples, I simply enjoyed a leisurely hike to each of the gauges that took half the time it normally does. However, today I was also responsible for purging the wells in watersheds 17 and 18. What this means is for the first time, I got to go solo on the geopump. I was walking from the first well I purged to the second when it happened. Feeling my finger getting singed, I looked down at the pump I was carrying only to see it smoking uncontrollably. I quickly placed it on the ground and watched in horror as the negative clip thing on the battery melted the metal prong it was snapped onto. (Please excuse my not-so politically correct terminology). When the pump had finally stopped smoking, I could smell nothing but burnt plastic and metal. I tried in vain to get the pump to work, but to no avail. So I finished the rain gauges and headed back to the dorms to wait until Nitin, Joey, and Catherine got back from their work in watersheds 1 and 2 on the opposite side of Coweeta. Those were the longest 2 1/2 hours of my life...I was so scared that I had broken an expensive and crucial piece of equipment beyond repair, what's more, I had only purged one well from both the watersheds; essentially accomplishing nothing I was supposed to have.
Luckily, it turns out that the pump wasn't gone afterall and neither Nitin or Joey were upset or thought it was my fault...whew. Apparently the battery had shorted out or something. Unfortunately though, with half the day gone and a storm rolling in, I still had to take the other pump out to the watersheds and finish the work I never got done. Given the overall theme of the day, the sky decided to open up right as I got into my first watershed. The two hours that followed were very wet, muddy, and a tad bit miserable. Since the pump couldn't get wet and it was downpouring, I had to lend it my rain jacket, leaving myself to get thoroughly soaked in the process. I guess all that matters is the pump got out alive...