Spring Hitch and Spring Break

Three weeks ago I was preparing for my first hitch of conservation season. I and five other crew members spent almost two weeks clearing campsites and preparing three different state parks for opening day Memorial weekend. We started at White Lake State Park, where we cleared nearly 200 sites.

From White Lake we could see Mount Chocorua (the peak on the right in the photo above), which we were told we had to hike. So on the Saturday of our hitch we took the day off to hike. The view from the top was absolutely incredible.

After our day off we worked for one more day at White Lake State Park before heading to Wentworth State Park. We worked there for one day and then spent three days at Ellacoya State Park on Lake Winnipesaukee. We were lucky to be working near or on three different lakes during our time.

We returned on Friday May 22 and once we completed our "pack in" day we were officially on spring break, which wraps up once we start work tomorrow morning. I, along with many of the other member, decided to go home for my break. I flew to Tennessee the first full day of break and was home for six days. Over the course of my time I was able to enjoy many of the parts of home that I had been missing. I got to see various family members and friends, had so much amazing food, listened to lots of country music and had the opportunity to recharge before heading back to NH.

My return trip to NH was probably the most adventure of the entire trip. After waking up at 7 am the Friday of my flight and making the 3 hour drive to Nashville I made my way North. With the exception of a very short layover in Detroit, my flights were uneventful. While I knew that my flight landed in Boston just after 11 pm and that I was meeting a friend there who flew in around midnight, neither of us had any idea how long our night would be. We had planned to take a bus just before 7 am that would drop us in Concord. But the 7 hours in between were sleepless and noisy and by the time the bus arrived I had been awake for nearly 24 hours straight. Needless to say once we finally arrived at Bear Brook around 10 am we both went to our cabins and slept the majority of the day.

Now after getting caught up on sleep I can relax for the rest of today and await the return of the rest of the members. Right now about 1/3 of the people have returned and most of them will come in today. Ahead of us we have training for a couple weeks before going into hitch one, which I am co-leading. I'm looking forward to the many adventures that are sure to come and working alongside my other crew members on various projects.

Living in the Moment

This week I began prepping for conservation season by spending two days in Bear Brook camping and doing Leave No Trace skills training. I also camped for two nights at Pawtuckaway State Park to do camp skills training and prepare for my first hitch next week. In the past six days I have had the opportunity to get to know my fellow crew members better and have begun spending the majority of my time outdoors. Each day I know that I am making memories and learning lessons that guide each new step in my life.

I've always been a supporter of living life to the fullest and being in the moment. We will never have yesterday back, no one knows what tomorrow will hold, we only ever have today, right now. While I do my best to be fully engaged in the moments as they're happening, it's usually hard to appreciate the moment without either stepping back and soaking it in or looking back on it once it's over. But maybe that's part of being in the moment; not having to think, just doing. This week I had various times when I was able to stop thinking about the past or the future and just be. I watched the full moon rise over the treetops in an astounding shade of orange while listening to frogs all around me. I swam across a clear yet chilly lake and lay air drying on warm rocks while listening to the wind create waves that lapped the shore. I sat on a huge boulder and watched the sun set over a lake while listening to loons. I lay in my tent and my hammock unable to sleep because I was staring up at the bright moon and stars in the clear sky. I was awed by the beauty of bright green leaves springing from buds on trees that have been bare all winter.

Now, more than ever, I want to take in every moment I can. I never want to leave words unsaid or put off doing something because I assume I can just do it another time. If there's one thing I've taken away from this week, it's that life is too short for us to wait to start living. The big lifelong goals are good, they give us something to work towards. But anytime I'm asked what I what to do with my life, I say that all I want is to wake up each day excited about what I'm doing. I think about what the future holds and I do my best to be prepared. But sometimes looking ahead two weeks, one week, even to tomorrow seems so far away. I can only live in the right now and when the tomorrow's become today's I will take each moment as it unfolds.

So take the time to sit and relax and just be. Stop waiting for someday, either make it today or accept that the "someday" is a long term goal. There are many moments that are worth focusing on now because they'll be over and gone before "someday" arrives. Appreciate the best things in life each moment you have them. Above all, appreciate the people in your life the moments shared with loved ones are the best moments of all.

Changing Seasons

As of two weeks ago I finished my final day working with my students. Our hard work on our projects ended with a beautiful mural and an awesome interpretative field day. We received many thank you cards and notes from our teachers and students. I already miss them so much I want to go back to school on my time off just to visit. After a few days to finish paperwork and give our final remarks we began the transition from education season to conservation season.

The day before yesterday we completed a 9 day WFR (Wilderness First Responder) course. We had three of the most incredible instructors to teach us. While the days were long and chilly (we even had snow one day), the class was fun and I'm constantly amazed by how much I can learn in such a short time. We had various scenarios to test our skills, including two longer scenarios which lasted two and three hours. The longer was a night scenario and finished about 10:30 pm. Needless to say that was the most tiring part of the course, not only the lack of sleep but working with a combative "patient" for three hours while trying to remember my training. On our last day we took our final exam and said goodbye to our instructors, whom we had grown fond of and didn't want to leave. Yesterday and today are our days off before beginning the rest of our training for the season.

While spring has officially been here for weeks, the days have been cooler than I expected. Although the upcoming days are forecast to be in the high 70's, which is a huge change. So far I'm not tired of the morning chill but needing to wear a jacket and be cuddled with a blanket indoors is getting old. I'm hoping that the long winter and cool spring will lead to a cooler and hopefully shorter summer. The days above 80 and especially above 90 are a bit too hot for me.

I've often based where I want to live one day off the desire for a cooler summer, but I've yet to find a place with cold but not frigid winters (I had no issues with my first New England winter and wanted more snow so that's not out of the question), warm but not too hot summers, all four seasons, decent snowfall, preferably a state bordering the ocean and close enough to home to visit on weekends. That last one seems to rule out most of the rest, especially the not too warm summers. As of now I know that my heart is on the East Coast. With all these factors I have determined that my ideal location is Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland or possibly Tennessee. But my requirement is that I want to be in the mountains to have a bit cooler weather, specifically the Great Smoky Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains.

So for now I've only just started applying for jobs but I'm keeping those locations in mind. While I'm still very much enjoying New England, I know my heart lies in the south surrounded by family, the home cooked food I know and love, and the mountains that still take my breath away.