Hitch #9

This hitch we were at Eleven Mile State Park in Park County, almost two hours North of Salida. From day one I knew that this hitch would be different from any hitch before. Firstly all the mountains in view were covered in snow. Secondly we were on our first fencing project. We arrived to our campsite on day one and as we unpacked the rain became steadily stronger and lightning rolled in. Before we set up our personal gear we were met by a park ranger who brought us to the office to discuss our project and answer any questions. It was during this time that he had to take off to deal with an emergency call that had unforeseen results for us. Long story short we ended up not staying at our original campsite and instead we were moved to a bunkhouse in a different park of the park.

This turned out to be a wonderful change. Rather than camping outside in the below freezing weather at night, we each had beds to sleep on and a warm house to go back to. I think the best part of this was having a fridge to keep our food from going bad, which usually happens by half way through our hitch. The weather was chilly and windy, especially when we were working near the lake. At night there was a possibility of snow but it never materialized.

On day two our work began. The week consisted of taking out old barbed wire fence and replacing it. Overall we worked on nearly two miles of fence. There were various small injuries from this work, including but not limited to scratches, smashed fingers, sunburn, and wind chilled faces. I think I was the person with the most scratches; apparently I was not as careful with the barbed wire as others.

This hitch gave me the opportunity to learn new skills in a little over a week. Just knowing that I have those skills gives me new confidence. As I prepare for my 10th and final hitch I am looking forward to gaining even more skills. The plan for this hitch is a split hitch; first half back country in the La Garita wilderness and second half working alongside our fellow five month crew on Stone Quarry Trail outside Del Norte. I am very much looking forward to this hitch, especially because our final site will be the same as our very first hitch.