A One-Legged Tripod

Years ago, when a newbie came to work on my survey crew, there were always a couple of questions I asked; And one or two points of understanding to be stressed if they worked with me. One of the questions was "Do you know how to drive a standard shift?" Sending a guy back to drive the truck around, only to have him return...walking, because he can't drive a stick shift is not the way to win friends and influence the crew chief!

One point of understanding with a new crew member?... Don't talk to people and try to explain what we're doing! I've just about had to fight my way out of a couple of situations because of a blabber mouth.

Another thing I stressed was not being afraid to use the tools and instruments. My standard statement was "If you tear it up or mess it up, I can probably fix it."

Through the years I have been called on to prove myself... I have bent a 60d traverse nail into a wrench, with a hammer, in the middle of the wilderness; to tighten a loose bolt on a tripod. When a leaf spring breaks on an old International Scout... out in the boonies? A steel "T" post makes a dandy replacement if you don't mind the rough ride!

And if necessity is the Mother of invention, one particular day, Momma needed to give birth.

I was working on a project in the Mark Twain National Forest near Willow Springs, setting Forest boundary corners. My "Modus Operandi" was to start with the corner farthest from the truck and then work my way back throughout the day. On this particular day, the first corner was a few miles off the beaten path and a couple of miles off the not so beaten path.

My helpee and I left the truck, with "all" our equipment loaded on the four-wheeler. We drove county roads, forest roads, logging trails, cow paths and then took off thru the woods. When we arrived at the corner location, the remoteness made me feel like I was "about a quarter of a mile from the end of the world."

We began to unload all the tools we would need to set the monument. Aluminum monument, post hole diggers, spud bar, metal post, monument sign, sign bolts, witness tree tags, aluminum nails, PK nails, hatchet and scribe.

Since this was a calculated corner position, we were going to "set up" on two previously established GPS positions and "turn in" the corner with the total station. I unloaded the total station and walked to the back basket of the four-wheeler to get the tripod.

The tripod...

It's hard to explain the emotions of that moment. There is a fleeting sense of panic when you think of your beloved tripod lying mangled in the road because you didn't strap it down on the bike and it bounced off. Then there is anger... at yourself, for forgetting such an important piece of equipment. And then there is resignation. What do we do now?

I could send the helpee back and get it but who knows if he could find his way... let alone get back. I could go back and get it but that would take at least an hour. We could just pack up and go back to the truck and set this corner another day (this option was gaining quite a bit of traction in my mind!)

Or... I could follow my own precept and find a way to "fix it".

In my CMT MC-V data collector with "C&G Software" installed, there was a function called "Resection". This function allowed you to set your instrument up at a remote position, within sight of at least two points with known coordinates, and determine the coordinates of the remote position. This was accomplished using a combination of distance and angle measurements (which was done in the brain of the MC-V data collector).

Having no tripod to set at a "remote position", I chose a 4" Red Oak tree which was reasonably straight at the base. Now... I had forgotten the tripod... but I hadn't forgotten my chainsaw! So I proceeded to cut the tree down at about the four foot height, so it would be reasonably stable.

After the tree was down and the top of the stump had been cut fairly flat and level, it was time to "set up the instrument.

I drove a short "PK" nail in the top center of the stump. This was to replace the "Dingfodus" on the tripod that threaded into the "Ji-Widdler" in the bottom of the instrument which kept it attached to the tripod (I hope all these technical terms are not too confusing.) After I set the instrument on the "PK" on top of the stump, it was still way too unsteady and "loose".

In the absence of  duck tape and baling wire, bungee straps come in a tight third as a Redneck Band-aid. There were several bungee straps on the basket of the four-wheeler so I incorporated them into my contraption. I drove four 60d nails into the stump, two on a side, opposite each other, a foot or so below the instrument. Then I "cross-stretched" two bungee straps across the base of the instrument and hooked the ends to the nails. She was solid as a Rock!

Now all I had to do was resection in from the two GPS points, establish the position of the corner, set the monument and continue the day.

Did I mention that the stump was about four feet tall? And the instrument is maybe a foot tall? Putting the total height of the instrument at about five foot.

I'm six feet five inches tall... I just about pulled a kink in my back, bending over to look thru the instrument and turn the corner in! But, since this was seemingly the only flaw in my rustic creation, I was pretty proud.

Proud enough to chronicle in photograph and prose for posterity, the story of the "One-Legged Tripod"...