Plan on spending the entire day of the trip. Arrangements for tools, the specific work to be done, and other considerations depend on the skills and experiences of the workers present. Coming late or leaving early can compromise the experience for others and disrupt operation of the crew. On some trips we may drive through locked Forest Service gates and there would be no way to accommodate those not with the main group. Use of cell phones in the area is very unreliable.

We asked Mark Nelson, who was rumored to have been instrumental in naming the crew, if he could shed some light on its early days. Here is his reply.

"In the interest of truth, and fun, I'll clearly (well, hopefully) distinguish between fact, speculation/fog-shrouded memory, and mirthfully created fiction.