Happy Independence Day

For the fourth year in a row I'm in different state for the 4th of July. I've had the opportunity to travel and meet a variety of people from various backgrounds. We've celebrated the 4th with fireworks and cookouts, and this year I'm fortunate to have the day off from work. But among the festivities it's important to remember the significance of July 4th. Freedom. It's the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It's the day our country became the United States of America.



I can't imagine living any else in the world. I believe in the American dream, that a person who works hard can make a life for themselves regardless of their background. I'm proud to have religious freedom and to not have to be afraid to speak my mind. I feel pride when I see an American flag freely waving. I feel my heart swell with pride and get teary eyed whenever I hear the National Anthem. I watch in awe whenever I see an eagle soaring through the sky. I'm extremely proud to honor those who fought for independence, and all those who have fought since and continue to today.



So as I sit here writing on this chilly July 4th morning, I'm thinking about all the reasons why I'm celebrating today. Those listed above are the most significant, but the list goes on. I plan to spend today with good friends, good food, and pride to be an American.

History In The Making

History is made every day. Yesterday history was made when a horse won the Triple Crown, a feat which has only ever been done 11 times and the last time was 37 years ago. Each day events happen around the world that will be forever documented for generations to look back on. In my nearly 2 1/2 decades of life I have witnessed many events that will not only be remembered but will likely be in history books due to their significance. Even in the midst of life changing events, it's difficult to imagine the impact it will have on the future.

Jamestown, the first English settlement was 408 years ago. Compared to world history, four centuries pales in comparison. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the end of the American Civil War. Our grandparents or great-grandparents may have heard stories from their grandparents, who were likely alive during the Civil War. These events are documented in history books and have been studied and retold countless times. While I know the information, I feel disconnected from those events due to the years since then and the fact that no person alive today was alive then. 

The Civilian Conservation Corps was established 82 years ago during the Great Depression. While it was disbanded after eight years, it set the foundation for most of the conservation agencies existing today. The programs that I have worked for over the past 2 years are directly descended from a time in history that I feel completely disconnected from. I live in buildings that were built by the CCC but it's still hard to fathom the significance of the places I see every day.

I've always been fascinated by history, especially the time between Jamestown and the Civil War. My parents were alive when Neil Armstrong first walked on the moon, yet it seems so long ago to me that my mind just sets it in the context of events that happened long before my lifetime. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that some of the events that I've witnessed in my lifetime are already history for the younger generation. Many of the things I do each day may be significant history in my life but it's sometimes hard to stop and realize the moments that will be remembered forever. I like to think that the trails I work on will still exist for generations to come. Just as I walk trails built by the CCC I hope my work is one way of leaving a lasting history.

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.

Spring?

It's been awhile since my last blog post. Over the past month I've been crazy busy teaching lessons and working on school projects. This week is our final week in schools. In one of our schools we have been working on a mural and will be finishing that this week. In our 3rd grade classes we are planning a field day on April 17th. The preparation for this day has gone beyond my expectations. We have been putting in overtime in our classes to get them ready.

Aside from planning lessons and teaching, I have been working on preparations for Earth Day, which was yesterday. Our Earth Day Festival was at the Audubon center. We were lucky to have sunny warm weather, which brought out a large crowd. We volunteered at various stations throughout the day. I helped visitors build birdhouses and paint a mural on a large poster. Other stations included live animals, disc golf, an SCA table, animal pelts and skulls, a nature walk and many more. We invited all our students and teachers as well and were excited to see many of them.

Our weather has been very interesting over the past month. While there has been a warming trend we have also had cold snaps. On Wednesday we had nearly three inches of snow and today was 60 and sunny. We walked to one of our ponds today and sat in the sand for a few hours to enjoy the warmth. It finally feels like Spring and while I'm going to miss the snow I'm excited to see everything turning green.

Tomorrow is our teacher appreciation dinner and then we go into our final teaching week. Next week begins training for field season. I'm amazed that I have been at Bear Brook for over three months now and I can see how October will arrive before I know it.

It's beginning to feel a lot like spring

I can hardly believe I've been at Bear Brook for over two months. We just finished week four in our classrooms, so we're almost half way done with education season. Schools were out for the final week of February so instead of teaching we did training and had a few guest speakers. All in all it was good to have a break out of schools but I'm glad to be getting back into it.

I also am having trouble believing that winter is nearly over. While we still have over two feet of snow on the ground, it's quickly melting due to temperatures above freezing every day this week. I started off March by spending a weekend in Montreal, Canada. That was an amazing, yet fairly chilly experience. We spent Friday night at a friend's house in Vermont and then drove into Montreal Saturday. We spent the day exploring the city and waiting for the reason for our travel, the Nuit Blanche festival. In a nutshell this event incorporates art, music, games, food, and sight seeing into an all night adventure. Most of the activities stayed open til 3 am. I stayed up til nearly 2 am and then walked back to our hostel for the night. I look forward to seeing the city again when I'm not shivering every time I walk outside.

So back to the spring weather. While days here have been increasingly warm, the nights are still quite cold. This has been causing our roads to thaw during the day and re freeze overnight. It's a good thing we have a sander to keep our roads safe. It amazes me that I have yet to see any bit of the ground. The night before I arrived here a snow storm came through and there has been almost no melting since then. With the warmer temperatures also will come a thaw of our frozen ponds. Last week we measured the thickness of the ice at 22 inches, but I suspect that will rapidly decrease. While I'm looking forward to spring and slightly warmer temperatures, I'm not looking forward to a hot and humid summer. I'm sure soon enough I'll be wishing for single digits again so I'm cool enough to sleep by the fire.

For now that's all my updates. Right now I'm enjoying a lazy afternoon in the lodge. Some people are out in town and others are staying in camp. As per usual, I won't see everyone again until Monday morning. But sometimes the quiet is a nice change.