Two Weeks

Today marks two weeks since I arrived at Bear Brook State Park. In this time I have met my leaders and fellow members (except for two who have yet to arrive) and begun to make amazing friendships. For the first week we mainly did orientation talks and activities. This week we began learning about what our education season will look like. We will have two more weeks of education training before heading into the schools. We have had guest speakers, many activities, and hours of basic knowledge.

Tomorrow is MLK Day, where we will be doing various service projects throughout the community. At the end of the day we will learn who our teaching partners are. We will be put in groups of two or three people, and these will be our partners through April. As teams we will be assigned certain schools where we will teach lessons related to NH environment and wildlife. I'm very excited to find out who I will be working with; we are assigned partners instead of choosing them for ourselves. The past two weeks have also been observation for our leader so she can decide who to pair together.

The natural environment surrounding our cabins is as beautiful as anything I've ever seen. So far everything has constantly been blanketed in several inches of snow. We've had a few days were more snow has fallen but so far very little has melted. Today is the warmest day we've had so far, with temperatures near 40. While it will be a nice change from negatives at night (or sometimes during the day) I don't want to see the snow disappear. I'm sure that we will receive plenty more as winter continues. I'm hoping for at least one big blizzard.

As has become routine for our weekends, we spent the last two nights staying up well past midnight and sleeping in. So far the weekends are ours to do what we want. I tend to choose the path that keeps my inside to rest and prepare for the week ahead. However in this gorgeous environment it's hard to stay inside for too long. Last night sometime after 10 we got a small group together and took a short hike to one of the larger ponds near our camp. The new moon gives an amazing opportunity to have a very dark night. We walked to the middle of the snow dusted frozen pond, turned off our lights and watched the night sky. The stars were incredible and luckily I've adjusted to the cold enough to not be freezing even in the single digit temperature.

After a bit of a turn around in direction we made it back to our cabin. In our cabin there are eight people, each with a twin bed in the form of four bunk beds. We have a wood stove as our only heat and when properly managed throughout the night, it keeps us very warm. Although most of us don't naturally wake up in the middle of the night to put more wood on and therefore we have had the problem of waking up to a very cold cabin. As has become routine, when we returned just after midnight last night the four of us who were there stayed up til nearly 2 am talking and sharing stories. Every cabin will say that they have the best cabin, but I wouldn't want to change any of my cabin mates.

It's hard to believe that two weeks has already passed. 1/20th of our time has passed. 10 months still seems a long way off, but we've been warned that once the end nears we'll look back and wonder where the time went. I know this feeling all too well. For now I'm doing my best to stay in the moment, but it's hard not to wonder about all the things that tomorrow holds, and this week, and so on. I hope to keep up this blog regularly, although it depends on our internet capabilities. For now, I look forward to a relaxing afternoon inside, watching the rain fall.

Catching Up

Welcome 2015! It's been a while since my last post. I was home in TN for two months between jobs. I am so thankful to have been able to spend the holidays with friends and family. I had a lot of time to relax, catch up on reading, catch up on sleep, and eat amazing food. But as usual, I came home with one foot already out the door.

New Year's day me and my parents packed up the car and headed north. On the 4th I began my new job with SCA NH Corps; which will last through October of this year. Since arriving it has been basically non-stop. The night before coming here the area received apx. four inches of snow, which quickly became ice. So all our packing, moving, site tours, etc have been through the crunch and slush. This week is supposed to be the coldest yet for this winter.

Throughout the afternoon yesterday my fellow corps members arrived. I along with a group of apx 10 others decided to go on a hike to try to find a pond. Throughout the two hours of walking we were unable to find the pond but we had a good time getting to know each other. That night we had our first supper together and spent the night in the main lodge. That in and of itself was an adventure. 26 virtual strangers in one room with a wide variation of board games. It took a while to decide how late everyone should stay awake but we eventually found ourselves in a comfortable sleeping arrangement. Just before falling asleep our 27th member arrived and now there are only two more to come.

Today we had a tour of the lodge and all the mechanics of how the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room work. Then we took tours of the five cabins and decided among ourselves who would be in which cabin. Then we moved in and started our first fire in our wood stove. We have yet to decided on a cabin name but probably will tonight. Tomorrow is another day of orientation; more time outside in the increasingly cold weather. By Thursday the high temperature is supposed to be 6 degrees with a wind chill of -20. I'm not yet sure how I'll respond to this but hopefully I can adjust quickly.

For now that's all the news I have. I'm enjoying getting to know everyone here and settling into a rhythm. Our two more crew members should arrive this week or next week.

That's All Folks

I'm writing this latest blog from my home in Tennessee. I have seen my last of the Colorado mountains for now and have said my goodbyes to my new friends. We concluded our season on Oct. 22 after hitch #10. For this final hitch "Constellation" went to La Garita once more to work on an existing trail. At this campsite we were surrounded by mountains, which caused the sun to be blocked out shortly after 4 pm. The cold mornings were the hardest part of these days, with frost on our tents and ice in our drinking water. But luckily we were able to have campfires and keep ourselves warm.

We had planned to spend three nights working on this trail before moving sites. But when we returned to camp on our last day we found that our rig had a dead battery. Long story short, we ended up spending one extra night and had a member of the office drive up to give us a jump start. Then we drove on to Del Norte and Stone Quarry Trail, the site of our very first hitch. This was Friday morning.

We worked on this trail alongside "Tree" crew, building new tread for a mountain bike trail and a few structures. Each night we shared meals between our two crews and enjoyed time around our campfire. This was a special opportunity for the two five month crews to spend a few last days together. On Monday afternoon we finished our work and headed back to Salida for graduation.

We spent Monday night thru Wednesday morning at Salida Fire Camp, enjoying time with the entire fall crew and staff. We had wonderful potluck meals and shared many memories. On Wednesday we all returned to the office to do a final de-rig, which took most of the day. Then we had a final debrief, said our goodbyes and shared many hugs and tears.

I spent my last few days in Colorado with my parents in Manitou Springs. As much as I enjoyed my summer and fall, I was anxious to return East. The friends I've made and the memories I hold are a strong reminder of the amazing community that SCC offers. In January I start my next job in New Hampshire; where I will have the great fortune of reuniting with a member of "Tree" crew as we work alongside each other for 10 months. For now I will be enjoying two months at home.

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.

Hitch #8

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.

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.

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.