How much wood could a wood chuck chuck?

Some time in September my husband's tree care company lost an employee. Reasons are irrelevant. What matters is that I was the only warm body available. And I hadn't worked on the crew in 7 years and that was only for a day or so when absolutely necessary.
The day after I drove the chip truck (a 1997 GMC 5500 with a dump box) for the first time, about 500 yards, I suddenly had to drive it from Cross Village to Walloon towing the chipper. Yeah, it's a 5-speed. When I look in the door the driver's seat is at eye level. I'm 5'10 in my work boots. After those first 2 days in Walloon I was fairly certain all of my toes were broken and my ankles, too. My hips, arms, knees and head hurt like no ones business. Those damn boots were murder! I've since broken them in so they're actually comfy, but on the job break-ins are not a good idea.
And did I mention those first 2 days in Walloon I was carrying, not dragging or hauling, brush along a 140' path uphill to the chipper? And then chipping it. I felt like Ben was mad at me and forcing me to condition for some unknown event.
But I made it through. And on to the next 15 jobs.
I drive the chip truck pretty much every day now, whether it's just over to a job on the shore or into Boyne City, it doesn't matter. I've only stalled it 2 times, but unfortunately those 2 times were not at stop lights...
Have you ever driven UP Page Hill Road behind the airport? Well I have. And when I was driving up Page Hill Road I missed a gear. About 2/3 of the way up. With a ton of chips in the back and towing the chipper. And I missed it again. And I started to sweat and get that little tingle of adrenaline you get when something bad has just passed or is looming straight ahead. And I sat and took 3 deep breaths, look in my rear view and went for first from a dead stop going up a steep hill and around a corner. And I stalled.
REally? This bites. I wanted to cry. My tolerance for stupid situations is very low and this ranked about at the top. Oh, back down? Sorry, not so good at backing the chipper, especially with a pintle hitch that is a little sloppier than the old ball. I HAD to make it work.
Of course on try #2 I did. That 2 minutes felt like a lifetime. I did learn it takes a lot more than I thought to burn out the clutch and that the e-brake works quite well. Chalk it up as a learning experience, I guess.
That was about 6 weeks ago, and since then I've been through a lot on the little crew. I have bruises all up and down my thighs from using them to help me carry heavy things. I have calloused over blisters on the bottoms of and in between  most of my toes. I have cuts, bruises and scrapes all up and down my arms and even a few assorted bruises on my torso. Really? WTH?? I finally ran a chainsaw one time. I know a lot of knots and how to gas and oil saws, put together pulleys and pole sections, load logs with the forks, run the skidsteer with the grapple bucket and I follow directions quite well.
I can tell what type of wood I'm chipping by the smell, and let me tell you, after being whipped in the face by a sugar maple branch, I'd chip 100 white pines instead of 1 sugar maple any day.
I have found I can do most anything I need to strength wise, though I have also found that finding a place to pee on a job site isn't always easy. I've learned which long johns work best for different weather conditions and which ones stay pulled up under a pair of jeans. I know which notch to put my helmet on when I have to wear my hat underneath and not have it be too tight.
I know - invaluable information, right?
In short, working on the crew has been a weird, exhausting, liberating sort of experience. I look forward to it and dread it all at the same time. It is sooooo tiring but at the same time it feels good. I cannot say I wouldn't trade it because I most certainly would, but it'd have to be for the right thing.
Who knows? Maybe next I'll learn to run the bucket?
In the mean time, I'll be out the door at 8, taking down trees until 5, then coming home to fix dinner, do laundry, read to my daughter and go for a run, only to fall into bed, crawl out the next morning and hit it all over again.