Hitch #4

Our 4th hitch began two days earlier than expected. We had one day of classroom training for our chainsaw work and one day of field training. Then we headed out on our first chainsaw hitch. We were lucky enough to be able to camp in a beautiful meadow surrounded by huge Cottonwood trees. This meadow is a part of Star Lazy R Ranch; which is a ranch owned by a lovely couple who we had the great fortune of meeting.

In all we had eight day of chainsaw work. We worked on a stretch of road, clearing trees to allow for a 40 foot corridor of space in the event of a fire. Mostly we removed small Junipers and Cottonwoods; many of which were already dead and posed a great fire hazard. As this was my first time working with chainsaws I was especially nervous. But I quickly gained confidence (and muscle) as the week went on.

We also had the opportunity to visit Sand Dunes National Park twice during our hitch. Though I thoroughly enjoyed our hard work, this was the highlight of the week. The dunes are an incredible natural phenomenon, surrounded by creeks that flow from snow melt off the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The mountain peaks jut up just behind the dunes, and on the other side grassy fields stretch into the horizon. Being able to walk barefoot through the sand after a hard day was a joy in and of itself.

On our last night we were invited to the home of the ranch owners, Wayne and Nancy. They treated us to locally raised Bison burgers and homemade potato salad. Needless to say we thoroughly enjoyed that meal and the amazing company. One of the greatest joys of this job is the people we meet and the appreciation we receive. Our project partner was so pleased with our work he asked our director if we could return in September for another hitch. If we do so we would be able to see the dunes surrounded by fall colors in the Aspens and Cottonwoods.

I now have five days to rest before beginning our next hitch. It will be our first back country hitch and we will be using cross cut saws. I'm excited and nervous about the challenges ahead, but so far I have found the best solution is just to take it one moment at a time.