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ORDER OF THE SPYGLASS

Expeditions

An expedition is any deliberate departure from the known for the purpose of observation. It may last an afternoon or a month. It may cover one mile or one thousand. Distance is not the measure. Intention is.

What follows is the record. No analysis beyond what the data supports. Confidence ratings accompany measurements where uncertainty exists. The researcher was present. These are the conditions that were found.

2025-08-02 / 2025-08-12

OVERLAND — BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TX

COMPLETE

Ten-day overland expedition. Four national parks. Back trails, backcountry camping, natural history observation, drone mapping of selected terrain features. Primary focus: desert geological and biological survey.

FIELD CONDITIONS — BIG BEND, TX — CHIHUAHUAN DESERT
TEMPERATURE HIGH 114°F CONFIDENCE: HIGH
TEMPERATURE LOW 81°F CONFIDENCE: HIGH
HUMIDITY 8–14% CONFIDENCE: HIGH
UV INDEX EXTREME CONFIDENCE: MODERATE — estimated from exposure response
HUMAN HEALTH RISK SEVERE unshaded exposure >20 min not recommended
TRAIL CONDITIONS DRY / LOOSE SURFACE CONFIDENCE: HIGH — direct observation
WATER SOURCES SCARCE carry minimum 4L per person per day
WILDLIFE OBSERVED JAVELINA, ROADRUNNER, VARIED RAPTOR CONFIDENCE: HIGH — direct observation
UNKNOWN OBJECTS FLAGGED 3 logged internally — pending identification
TIME SOURCE GPS-LINKED CONFIDENCE: 99%
DATA COLLECTED: 2025-08-02 THROUGH 2025-08-12  |  RESEARCHER: J.R. YOUNG  |  METHOD: DIRECT FIELD OBSERVATION, HANDHELD INSTRUMENTS  |  NO INTERPRETATION — RAW FIELD DATA ONLY

Full field logs: see log entries 2025-08-02 series

2023

OUT WEST — LANDSCAPE OBSERVATION SERIES

COMPLETE

Western United States landscape observation. Photography, video documentation, geological survey by observation. Full field log available. Video records partially corrupted — noted in log.

FIELD CONDITIONS — WESTERN US, GENERAL
TERRAIN TYPES HIGH DESERT / CANYON / GRASSLAND CONFIDENCE: HIGH
CONDITIONS SUMMARY VARIABLE CONFIDENCE: MODERATE — multi-region traverse
VIDEO RECORD PARTIAL FILE CORRUPTION AT 60% — noted in log
DATA COLLECTED: 2023  |  RESEARCHER: J.R. YOUNG  |  METHOD: DIRECT FIELD OBSERVATION  |  DETAILED LOG ENTRY PENDING TRANSCRIPTION
2022

RIVERINE SURVEY — CATFISH BOTTOM

COMPLETE

Inland river survey. Biological and geological observation. Water conditions, species identification, river morphology. Video record: 1 minute runtime, intact.

FIELD CONDITIONS — INLAND RIVER, SOUTHEASTERN US
WATER CLARITY LOW-MODERATE CONFIDENCE: HIGH — direct observation
CURRENT SLOW / POOL CONDITIONS CONFIDENCE: HIGH
SPECIES OBSERVED CATFISH, VARIED INVERTEBRATE CONFIDENCE: HIGH — direct observation
DATA COLLECTED: 2022  |  RESEARCHER: J.R. YOUNG  |  METHOD: DIRECT FIELD OBSERVATION, WADING SURVEY  |  FULL LOG ENTRY IN ARCHIVE
PLANNED

EVERGLADES CHALLENGE — PREPARATION SERIES

PLANNING

300-mile unsupported small boat endurance traverse. Pre-race training and equipment evaluation expeditions ongoing. Entry target: 2026 season.