Caroline Cornish, reporter from WCSH Channel 6, drenched from head to toe, stood in the middle of the woods interviewing Tom. Her cameraman Charlie was equally as wet. Getting there wasn't easy, but getting out was a whole different story.

Channel 6 called, and based on my last post, they wanted to cover the story about the rising cost of fuel, the impact it's having on the forest products industry, and the first meeting of the Coalition To Lower Fuel Prices. Since Tom is the President of the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine, they wanted to capture his views to add to their story.

When we arrived on the job, it was cloudy and damp, but the rain was holding out. So Caroline, Charlie, Tom and I headed into the woods to film the interview using the harvester as a backdrop.

It was fun, talking about logging, jumping off the trail as the skidder pulled hitches by us in it's own lumbering way. As we got closer to the whirring sound of the feller buncher, the skies started to open up. When I say "open up" I mean, "Open up WIDE".

I left my raincoat in the truck, don't know why....maybe because it was on the warmer side, but things cooled off fast. My shirt was drenched, my hair was dripping, and my jeans were clinging to my legs and caked with mud. The only part of my body that was warm and dry were my feet thanks to my RedWing Logger's Boots, unlike Caroline's black leather reporter shoes, which were collecting moisture and mud all along the way.

As we worked our way back to the landing, the danger of Caroline falling increased. I latched onto her hand so that we could both benefit from my boots.
The was an air of adventure and spirit from our new Channel 6 friends that made me think of reporters around the world. This is their job, and they love it. They have a passion for bringing the world into your living room, and like loggers they can't always get the perfect weather.

Zach came by in his skidder and rescued the camera and Caroline. So not only did she experience the elements that loggers face in the woods, but she got to ride in a skidder!

I was moved by her determination to experience the whole shoot even though she was so clearly stricken by the elements. I have never thought about what it takes to be a great reporter, but I am sure that it's that determination Caroline exhibited that would place her in that category.

We finished the story with a few shots of the crew on the landing and then it was time to bid our soggy friends goodbye.

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