Today was our first of four practice days working in the soils of West Virginia. It was a day defined, oddly enough, by fashion. As you might have guessed, a collegiate soil judging competition is not exactly on par with the runways of Milan and Paris; it's a world of camo trucker caps and coveralls (a fellow judger was overheard saying she brought her "best flannel" for the occasion).Even so, there was one accessory today that was in high demand: boots. Rain boots, that is. Rubber, waterproof boots were the item du jour following a night that saw rain fall on a landscape of soils with poor infiltration capacities. For you non-soil-scientists, that translates to puddles. Puddles and mud and even puddles of mud (not Puddles of Mudd, though--different thing). So, a solid pair of galoshes for tromping through the fields and woods was a necessity. And, biased as I am, I would say that the University of Minnesota judgers had the most stylish boots by far. BY FAR. Duct tape and all.
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| Suitin' up |
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| This mud made THE BEST squelching noises. |
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| Work it. |
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| It's not really science until you're covered in mud. |
