This hitch we traveled back to the San Luis Valley. We worked and camped on the Baca Wildlife Refuge just outside Crestone. This refuge spans over 92,000 acres.We knew this would most likely be our final chainsaw hitch, though now we have learned that we may have one more. We camped on the edge of our project site near an old farm house. There were several houses and barns on the property that date back hundreds of years.
As we found out our first night, the wildlife in the area are prosperous. Around sunset each night we would listen to the coyotes and elk and owls, talking among themselves just outside our camp. The owls would talk on and off throughout the night, in the trees right over our camp.
Our project for this hitch was to clear the dead cottonwood trees along two creeks. We did this by bucking logs and hauling branches into large piles that will later be used for firewood or burned. Each creek was about a mile long and we worked on both sides of each creek. In all we completed the work on one creek and about half on the second creek. Due to the wood being dead our saws began overheating a lot. Once again our saws had various issues but we were able to work hard and make good progress.
We had the fortune of having another crew camp with us for a few days. They were working at a separate site, so we only saw each other from supper until breakfast. We were also lucky enough to have a campfire each night. So our two crews would gather around the fire each night, playing games and singing songs. The night sky was an amazing site as well. Due to the lack of interfering light and a new moon, the stars filled the sky and the Milky Way was visible.
Our project partners were one of the most amazing parts of this hitch. Andy, who does fire management on the refuge, came out to our work site every day and talked to us about his job and gave us tips on getting a job with the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife. For the first time in my life I could finally see a full time job that I would like to pursue. We were given the contact info for Andy and told to call him anytime with questions or resume help.
The last full day of our hitch we woke up to overcast skies and rain clouds. We ended up working only until 10 am when the rain began. But we had already made plans to take a tour of the refuge, so we stowed our saws and went on a ride. During this time we learned so much about the refuge and it's purpose. We saw great horned owls, hawks, elk, endangered frogs and toads, and one very cute sheep dog. After our tour the storms had returned so we took an educational tour of Crestone.
This hitch was unique in that we have a surplus of education, but it was invaluable knowledge. We went above and beyond what our partners expected of our in our work. We had excellent food and company, having several visitors from the SCC office come to our site. One other amazing thing about this hitch was that on day two I received a phone call from a job that I had applied to and had an interview with the previous week. I called them back and was given a job offer, to which I later accepted. So I am the first one of my crew to know exactly where I'm headed next. Luckily I have two months between SCC and my new job with the NH Corps, which will be spent at home in TN.
We know that our next hitch is planned to be a fencing project. The are is supposed to be beautiful, as most are right now with the glowing aspens. We will be installing and removing barbed wire fence. As we have yet to do this type of project, I am excited to see what the work will entail. Only two hitches left, 18 work days.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Hitch #7
This hitch began a few days early with orientation for the 2 month fall crews. This means that we met roughly 50 new crew members and a few new crew leaders. We spent a weekend a Raspberry Gulch introducing them to SCC and giving a brief overview of camp life. Because my crew had already been through orientation in June we were given the chance to help facilitate this orientation and work on leadership skills.
After the weekend each crew once again split into our separate hitches. My crew had the unique opportunity to return to a previous site, Zapata Falls HOA where we were on hitch #4. Our project partner had been so happy with our work he requested we return. So we camped on the same beautiful ranch and got back to work with our chainsaws. We also got to visit the sand dunes once more.
Over the course of our hitch we had various issues with our saws, ranging from incorrectly mixed fuel to saws making sounds that we just could not figure out. At one point only 2 of our 6 saws were running. For a team of 8 we can have up to 4 saw running and so this created lag in our project. But sometimes saws just need to be cleaned and cool down and they run like new. By the end of the week we had more than finished our project and had began widening the greenbelt that we were cutting.
On the last couple days before our hitch ended we had a surprise visit from a very friendly dog named Bud. He belongs to someone in the community but enjoyed spending his days at our work site. One evening he decided to follow us home and stayed the night and most of the next day. Eventually we had to let him return home but it was nice to have a trail dog for awhile.
On the last night of our hitch, just like the first time we were in Zapata Falls, our hosts Wayne and Nancy invited us to their home for supper. They cooked bison burgers and wonderful creme brulee. Needless to say we felt quite spoiled. Our next hitch will also be on chainsaws but outside Crestone this time. I'm looking forward to what I've been told will be an interesting hitch.
After the weekend each crew once again split into our separate hitches. My crew had the unique opportunity to return to a previous site, Zapata Falls HOA where we were on hitch #4. Our project partner had been so happy with our work he requested we return. So we camped on the same beautiful ranch and got back to work with our chainsaws. We also got to visit the sand dunes once more.
Over the course of our hitch we had various issues with our saws, ranging from incorrectly mixed fuel to saws making sounds that we just could not figure out. At one point only 2 of our 6 saws were running. For a team of 8 we can have up to 4 saw running and so this created lag in our project. But sometimes saws just need to be cleaned and cool down and they run like new. By the end of the week we had more than finished our project and had began widening the greenbelt that we were cutting.
On the last couple days before our hitch ended we had a surprise visit from a very friendly dog named Bud. He belongs to someone in the community but enjoyed spending his days at our work site. One evening he decided to follow us home and stayed the night and most of the next day. Eventually we had to let him return home but it was nice to have a trail dog for awhile.
On the last night of our hitch, just like the first time we were in Zapata Falls, our hosts Wayne and Nancy invited us to their home for supper. They cooked bison burgers and wonderful creme brulee. Needless to say we felt quite spoiled. Our next hitch will also be on chainsaws but outside Crestone this time. I'm looking forward to what I've been told will be an interesting hitch.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Hitch #6
It seems that each hitch is more challenging then the one before, and this hitch was no exception. We returned to the La Garita Wilderness, where we were last hitch. But this time our site was on the opposite side of a mountain from last time. We also had the added complication of sickness. One of our crew was sick from day one, and subsequently each of us came down with various levels of illness.
On day one we had the first, and luckily only severe, rain of the week. This led to setting up our bear hang in the cold and wet before a late night getting to bed. Due to the fact that we would be working above tree line our crew leaders decided to start our days early. This meant 5 am breakfast and hitting the trail by 6:30 am. If you know me you know that I'm anything but a morning person. I had to put aside my exhaustion each morning, or at least try to stay awake. But by the time we began hiking the sun was starting to rise, adding warmth to our hike.
By the time we hiked about a mile uphill to our first stop on the trail we were all ready to stop and work. On day two we did some work on that section of the trail but then we began our real work. Our project sponsor told us we had about 3/4 mile hike to our final work site; we estimated nearly 2 miles. As we soon found out these 2 miles were steadily uphill followed by a steep final climb to nearly 13,000 ft. This hike was made more difficult by each of us carrying an apx 4 ft log. Needless to say, this was my most difficult part of the work day. We did this for three mornings before we had placed the required number of check steps.
Now of course our hitch was not without its rewards. When we reach our final work site we were rewarded with the most amazing view of our trail winding down into the valley. We were working in an alpine meadow, well above tree line. On Sunday morning we were given time off to continue up our trail, which ended atop San Luis Peak at 14,014 ft. We were able to summit my first 14er as a crew, and the experience was one I'll never forget.
The rest of the hitch we were able to sleep in a little more each day, due to the fact that we'd be working below tree line and wouldn't need to worry as much about afternoon storms. Sleeping in meant breakfast wasn't until 6:30 am, which I'm amazed at how happy I was to hear. We put in a total of 47 log check steps and 20 rock check steps by the end of the week.
Our hitch ended a day earlier than usual, with us driving back on Wednesday. This is because we spent from Wednesday night thru Friday morning at Raspberry Gulch just outside Salida. This was the final hitch for our summer crews and we spent the time camping together and completing exit paperwork and joining in celebration of all we'd accomplished together. Friday was a super de-rig were we cleaned all our gear, vehicles, dishes, and tools to the best of our ability. We said our goodbyes and most people went their seperate ways. My crew, along with one other five month crew, have one extra day off before returning on Friday August 29 to help plan the orientation for the new crews that will come in for the remaining two months.
These next four hitches will be filled with new adventures. One of our crew leaders has been chosen to lead a post 9/11 veterans crew for the fall. Because of this we will have a new co-leader. Luckily we have already met her as she was a crew leader for the past three months. This new dynamic will be our first obstacle, hopefully one we'll quickly overcome and we'll grow closer because of it. For now, enjoying my time off and preparing gear for the colder weather ahead.
On day one we had the first, and luckily only severe, rain of the week. This led to setting up our bear hang in the cold and wet before a late night getting to bed. Due to the fact that we would be working above tree line our crew leaders decided to start our days early. This meant 5 am breakfast and hitting the trail by 6:30 am. If you know me you know that I'm anything but a morning person. I had to put aside my exhaustion each morning, or at least try to stay awake. But by the time we began hiking the sun was starting to rise, adding warmth to our hike.
By the time we hiked about a mile uphill to our first stop on the trail we were all ready to stop and work. On day two we did some work on that section of the trail but then we began our real work. Our project sponsor told us we had about 3/4 mile hike to our final work site; we estimated nearly 2 miles. As we soon found out these 2 miles were steadily uphill followed by a steep final climb to nearly 13,000 ft. This hike was made more difficult by each of us carrying an apx 4 ft log. Needless to say, this was my most difficult part of the work day. We did this for three mornings before we had placed the required number of check steps.
Now of course our hitch was not without its rewards. When we reach our final work site we were rewarded with the most amazing view of our trail winding down into the valley. We were working in an alpine meadow, well above tree line. On Sunday morning we were given time off to continue up our trail, which ended atop San Luis Peak at 14,014 ft. We were able to summit my first 14er as a crew, and the experience was one I'll never forget.
The rest of the hitch we were able to sleep in a little more each day, due to the fact that we'd be working below tree line and wouldn't need to worry as much about afternoon storms. Sleeping in meant breakfast wasn't until 6:30 am, which I'm amazed at how happy I was to hear. We put in a total of 47 log check steps and 20 rock check steps by the end of the week.
Our hitch ended a day earlier than usual, with us driving back on Wednesday. This is because we spent from Wednesday night thru Friday morning at Raspberry Gulch just outside Salida. This was the final hitch for our summer crews and we spent the time camping together and completing exit paperwork and joining in celebration of all we'd accomplished together. Friday was a super de-rig were we cleaned all our gear, vehicles, dishes, and tools to the best of our ability. We said our goodbyes and most people went their seperate ways. My crew, along with one other five month crew, have one extra day off before returning on Friday August 29 to help plan the orientation for the new crews that will come in for the remaining two months.
These next four hitches will be filled with new adventures. One of our crew leaders has been chosen to lead a post 9/11 veterans crew for the fall. Because of this we will have a new co-leader. Luckily we have already met her as she was a crew leader for the past three months. This new dynamic will be our first obstacle, hopefully one we'll quickly overcome and we'll grow closer because of it. For now, enjoying my time off and preparing gear for the colder weather ahead.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
From a Best Friend
There are people in this world who we only meet in passing. There are others who remain in our lives for only a portion of it. Then there are those who will be ingrained in our future from the moment we first meet. And then there are best friends. They fall into a different category entirely because they are not only a part of our everyday existence, but from my experience they have the ability to become involved in every aspect of our lives. We can tell them more secrets than we can our parents, they tend to have personalities as similar to us as can be, and sometimes, only once in my life, we can meet a best friend who is so entwined with who you are they are practically family. I'm lucky enough to have a "sister" such as this in my life.
Over the past five years there have been ups and downs, we've laughed and cried, and cried from laughing so hard. We've have late night, into early morning, Disney movie marathons and Minecraft sessions while acting as immature as possible. We met new people along the way and others have gone. We've explored underground caverns, maneuvered various rope obstacles like skilled tight rope walkers, climbed to high peaks, raced down rushing rapids, hiked endless miles, and a million other adventures that would take too long to explain. You've overcome fears of a raging river by getting back on it, I've been on it only to get ejected in the river. I've fished in the last frontier, you've survived an RV trip across the desert.
Yes we've come a long way, you and I. I've become more adventurous in my pursuit of thrills and dragged you along for the ride. You've tried to use your teacher mentality on me and I have been the worst possible student (but really, what kid is gonna sit still while you read a book when they're waiting for a movie to start?). We've worked in the sweltering heat of summer, singing Disney and Country songs at the top of our lungs. We've worked in bitter cold of 3 degrees, with a wind chill, until we were sure our fingers and toes no longer existed. We've bonded over a shared love of books, and shared how much we love certain things. You with your penguins, all things orange, hippie and Hawaii. Of course we also love our cats.
We both tried, but in the end had to succumb to the inevitable fact of being super seniors. But looking back, it just wouldn't be right with the universe if we graduated at separate times. We've grown so much as friends, as young women, in our career pursuits, and in independence. I've gone on several wild adventures, but now, for really the first time, you have also left the comfort of home in pursuit of your dreams. For the first time, neither of us knows when we'll be together again. But in a way, this is the true test of a friendship. Being together while we're apart may be hard, but I know that we'll meet again and it will be as though no time has passed.
And so, while I could write on forever, I shall add my final remarks. Buddy, my special friend, yo-yo, Yoda, and whatever other nicknames I can't remember; I so look forward to hearing everything about your new adventure. I have seen you work towards this since the moment we met. This is only the beginning for you, and me. Seize the day. I know you'll do wonderful things, but remember who your best-est buddy is and always will be. -D
Over the past five years there have been ups and downs, we've laughed and cried, and cried from laughing so hard. We've have late night, into early morning, Disney movie marathons and Minecraft sessions while acting as immature as possible. We met new people along the way and others have gone. We've explored underground caverns, maneuvered various rope obstacles like skilled tight rope walkers, climbed to high peaks, raced down rushing rapids, hiked endless miles, and a million other adventures that would take too long to explain. You've overcome fears of a raging river by getting back on it, I've been on it only to get ejected in the river. I've fished in the last frontier, you've survived an RV trip across the desert.
Yes we've come a long way, you and I. I've become more adventurous in my pursuit of thrills and dragged you along for the ride. You've tried to use your teacher mentality on me and I have been the worst possible student (but really, what kid is gonna sit still while you read a book when they're waiting for a movie to start?). We've worked in the sweltering heat of summer, singing Disney and Country songs at the top of our lungs. We've worked in bitter cold of 3 degrees, with a wind chill, until we were sure our fingers and toes no longer existed. We've bonded over a shared love of books, and shared how much we love certain things. You with your penguins, all things orange, hippie and Hawaii. Of course we also love our cats.
We both tried, but in the end had to succumb to the inevitable fact of being super seniors. But looking back, it just wouldn't be right with the universe if we graduated at separate times. We've grown so much as friends, as young women, in our career pursuits, and in independence. I've gone on several wild adventures, but now, for really the first time, you have also left the comfort of home in pursuit of your dreams. For the first time, neither of us knows when we'll be together again. But in a way, this is the true test of a friendship. Being together while we're apart may be hard, but I know that we'll meet again and it will be as though no time has passed.
And so, while I could write on forever, I shall add my final remarks. Buddy, my special friend, yo-yo, Yoda, and whatever other nicknames I can't remember; I so look forward to hearing everything about your new adventure. I have seen you work towards this since the moment we met. This is only the beginning for you, and me. Seize the day. I know you'll do wonderful things, but remember who your best-est buddy is and always will be. -D
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Hitch #5
This was our first back country hitch. This means that we did not have our vehicle easily accessible and everything we brought with us had to be packed in on our backs. We were in the La Garita Wilderness, working on the Colorado Trail and the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. On Wednesday we drove the roughly three hours to the trail head and met our project partners. For the first four days we worked alongside two Forest Service rangers.
On our first afternoon we hiked the 1/2 mile to our first campsite. We stayed there until Monday morning. Each day we walked to our work site, crossing a stream twice a day. Our main job for this hitch was building structures on the trail to route the flow of water off the trail. This meant many heavy rocks that had to be dug into the ground and even more logs. Being that this is a National Forest no machines can be used. This means that instead of chainsaws we used cross cut saws. That was a tiring yet exciting opportunity. To use a saw that has existed for decades longer than I've been alive, it feels historic and a bit nostalgic.
On Monday morning we packed up camp and hiked another 4 1/2 miles to our next site. This was done with packs that easily weighed 50 lbs or more, plus the addition of carrying all our tools. But the view was worth the exhaustion. At this point we were close to 12,000 feet and we were surrounded by mountains were the tree line was just above us. We camped in a small valley where we could have a 360 degree view. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my camera so I could capture the beauty.
Monday afternoon, about an hour after we reached our site, I was in the group setting up our bear hang. At this time the rain began. Being that I was a ways from camp I did not have my rain pants on me. The rain quickly escalated into a lightning drill and by the end of the hour of sitting in the rain, I was soaked. Along with everyone on my crew we changed what we could and went back to work in boots that were so wet we were standing in small puddles.
Luckily for us by the time we began work on Tuesday the sun had come out, and continue to stay out for the day and the next day. It's a true testament to the attitudes and skill of our crew that throughout the entire process we were able to be positive and even joke about how wrinkly our feet were at the end of the day. Eventually all our socks dried and work continued as normal.
We made the decision that if we could finish our work Wednesday morning we would pack camp and hike out that afternoon, rather than waking up before dawn on Thursday. We were able to accomplish all our tasks and by 3 pm on Wednesday we had begun our five mile hike back. This took about three hours, even though our packs felt substantially heavier. This is an interesting phenomenon, given that we had eaten 99% of the food we had packed in. I won't go into detail about our meals, but basically breakfast but oatmeal, lunch/snacks was trail mix and one tortilla with pb & j, and supper consisted mostly of some sort of grain and curry flavoring. Needless to say I was excited when we stopped for lunch on our way back Thursday.
Overall this hitch was the most tiring yet, but it also gave us the chance to get even closer as a crew. Our next hitch will also be back country, in the same general area. But next time we will be camping close to tree line and working above tree line. This means higher elevation and more possibly for severe lightning storms. We are now halfway through our season, and after next hitch the summer crews will be finished. We'll be camping as a big group one more time before saying goodbye. Then a week later we'll receive about 40 new staff. I'm looking forward to seeing how the season progresses as the weather starts to cool.
On our first afternoon we hiked the 1/2 mile to our first campsite. We stayed there until Monday morning. Each day we walked to our work site, crossing a stream twice a day. Our main job for this hitch was building structures on the trail to route the flow of water off the trail. This meant many heavy rocks that had to be dug into the ground and even more logs. Being that this is a National Forest no machines can be used. This means that instead of chainsaws we used cross cut saws. That was a tiring yet exciting opportunity. To use a saw that has existed for decades longer than I've been alive, it feels historic and a bit nostalgic.
On Monday morning we packed up camp and hiked another 4 1/2 miles to our next site. This was done with packs that easily weighed 50 lbs or more, plus the addition of carrying all our tools. But the view was worth the exhaustion. At this point we were close to 12,000 feet and we were surrounded by mountains were the tree line was just above us. We camped in a small valley where we could have a 360 degree view. My only regret is that I forgot to bring my camera so I could capture the beauty.
Monday afternoon, about an hour after we reached our site, I was in the group setting up our bear hang. At this time the rain began. Being that I was a ways from camp I did not have my rain pants on me. The rain quickly escalated into a lightning drill and by the end of the hour of sitting in the rain, I was soaked. Along with everyone on my crew we changed what we could and went back to work in boots that were so wet we were standing in small puddles.
Luckily for us by the time we began work on Tuesday the sun had come out, and continue to stay out for the day and the next day. It's a true testament to the attitudes and skill of our crew that throughout the entire process we were able to be positive and even joke about how wrinkly our feet were at the end of the day. Eventually all our socks dried and work continued as normal.
We made the decision that if we could finish our work Wednesday morning we would pack camp and hike out that afternoon, rather than waking up before dawn on Thursday. We were able to accomplish all our tasks and by 3 pm on Wednesday we had begun our five mile hike back. This took about three hours, even though our packs felt substantially heavier. This is an interesting phenomenon, given that we had eaten 99% of the food we had packed in. I won't go into detail about our meals, but basically breakfast but oatmeal, lunch/snacks was trail mix and one tortilla with pb & j, and supper consisted mostly of some sort of grain and curry flavoring. Needless to say I was excited when we stopped for lunch on our way back Thursday.
Overall this hitch was the most tiring yet, but it also gave us the chance to get even closer as a crew. Our next hitch will also be back country, in the same general area. But next time we will be camping close to tree line and working above tree line. This means higher elevation and more possibly for severe lightning storms. We are now halfway through our season, and after next hitch the summer crews will be finished. We'll be camping as a big group one more time before saying goodbye. Then a week later we'll receive about 40 new staff. I'm looking forward to seeing how the season progresses as the weather starts to cool.
Saturday, July 26, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Hitch #3
My third hitch began Wednesday July 2. From the beginning I knew the next 10 days would be quite different from our previous work. Our crew, along with "Mountain" crew, took a 9 hour drive to Oak Creek Canyon outside Flagstaff, Arizona. Wednesday night we camped in Mesa Verde National Park, before continuing on to Arizona in the morning.
We spent the next 6 days stacking sandbags throughout different properties and businesses in the canyon. Due to a fire last month the area is highly susceptible to flash flooding. The soil is unable to soak in the majority of the rain and instead it sheets downhill, in most cases directly towards houses. And being the start of monsoon season, we had to finish the sandbag walls quickly.
During our time we had two large and fast moving afternoon monsoons, both creating hail, lightning, and flash flooding. These afternoons we had to stop work early and evacuate the canyon. Due to these storms we were able to witness our work in progress. We could go back the next day and see where our sandbag wall had diverted water away from homes.
The appreciation from the community and our project partners was amazing. Being able to see the people who live in the area we were working to protect made all the hard work worth every minute. And we did work very hard. We moved about 30,000 sandbags in 8 days, with 15 people for all but the last 2 days.
We left on Wednesday July 9 before lunch to begin our drive back to Salida. That afternoon we had the opportunity to visit Grand Canyon National Park. I could hardly fathom the enormity of it, even while standing on the edge looking out. Watching the sunset over the northern Arizona desert was also an incredible site. During our time our two crews bonded and worked as one. It was great to see how another crew functions and the leadership styles, while making some amazing new friends.
Our break between this hitch and our next is being cut short by two days for more chainsaw training. We will being working with saws on Wednesday July 16. This is what each of the members of our crew was brought here to do. I'm looking forward to the new challenges ahead of us.
We spent the next 6 days stacking sandbags throughout different properties and businesses in the canyon. Due to a fire last month the area is highly susceptible to flash flooding. The soil is unable to soak in the majority of the rain and instead it sheets downhill, in most cases directly towards houses. And being the start of monsoon season, we had to finish the sandbag walls quickly.
During our time we had two large and fast moving afternoon monsoons, both creating hail, lightning, and flash flooding. These afternoons we had to stop work early and evacuate the canyon. Due to these storms we were able to witness our work in progress. We could go back the next day and see where our sandbag wall had diverted water away from homes.
The appreciation from the community and our project partners was amazing. Being able to see the people who live in the area we were working to protect made all the hard work worth every minute. And we did work very hard. We moved about 30,000 sandbags in 8 days, with 15 people for all but the last 2 days.
We left on Wednesday July 9 before lunch to begin our drive back to Salida. That afternoon we had the opportunity to visit Grand Canyon National Park. I could hardly fathom the enormity of it, even while standing on the edge looking out. Watching the sunset over the northern Arizona desert was also an incredible site. During our time our two crews bonded and worked as one. It was great to see how another crew functions and the leadership styles, while making some amazing new friends.
Our break between this hitch and our next is being cut short by two days for more chainsaw training. We will being working with saws on Wednesday July 16. This is what each of the members of our crew was brought here to do. I'm looking forward to the new challenges ahead of us.
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