Most of us walk into this “occupation” with little to no expectation. There in our arrival, to the MCC, lie one hundred different ideas of what our daily routine is going to be like. While, most of the time, this adds to the fun and excitement of the experience it also calls for a bit of a rude awakening ….on those rare occasions. “Those days” – you know what I’m talking about here…and we’ve all had them.
Allow me to share with you one of “those days…”- (and by those days I mean five of them-)
a day (ahem)…week in the life of team Rowdy Yekoms:
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The wonder is to see these trees and not wonder more.” Ahh, yes….I would have to agree. But, you know…there are some moments in life when you just don’t have much patience for mother nature… and you start wondering about things like…”why is it snowing in the middle of June?” or…”do they really expect us to set up camp in a snowy field filled with mules and land mines?” (note: “land mines”- a term used to describe what animals leave behind after digestion.)
Our trip to Hungry Horse Ranger District was much anticipated- seeing as it was going to be our first “real” spike complete with a week full of “real” work. Our projects included; planting trees and shrubs around various location in the Flathead- near all three forks…and the destruction (oh, yes!) and reconstruction (also fun) of a small bridge – a project we were most excited about.
Now …I will lay out the week…
Day One: Monday 6/9/08
We load up the rig and set sail for Hungry Horse. Upon our arrival we are welcomed by the crew we will be working with. We are also questioned about our work attire… I start to question myself…”Oh, no! Did I remember my boots?! -look down. See boots- Check! Next, we follow the forest service to the trail, but before we barely make it five feet down the road our rig, Airforce One (or- not so #1 Dad) , starts to sputter and we lost all momentum- we have just broken down- for the second time this season. Welcome back, Gramps! (He is always there for us.) So when we finally make it to the site it starts to rain. We continue to work …and our boots continue to get soaked. It has been a long day. Needless to say….we look forward to setting up camp and cooking up some hot grub. On our way back…we loose a couple items from top of Gramps…a tarp and a lid to one of our boxes…but we are so tired at this point that we really only care about setting up camp and getting into warm clothes. Then we enter the pasture... Obviously, there was a communication breakdown, because we are now stuck in a traffic jam of mules. The whole field is full of mules and land mines. (you know what those are now…) We leave the pasture of inevitable doom and head back to the ranger station were we set up camp in a square patch of grass in the middle of the ranger station property. We now resemble a bunch of homeless people. At least we are settled in- time to cook… As we start to put the pieces back together- we notice we are missing one very important piece- one that belongs to our Coleman stove!- Not to worry- we make by and Cole hooks us up with amazing quesadillas. Day one is over now and we are read for whatever day two has in store for use…we think….
Crew Morale: two points
Day Two: Tuesday 6/10/08
I wake up with a nasty head cold- hooray for me. I can tell we are all having a rough time adjusting to the unpredictable weather- especially with cold, wet boots and socks. Oh, well, we’ll get over it- today can’t be as bad as yesterday…right? Wrong. (Cue: snow.)
Highlights of the day include: Blisters from wet socks/boots; fighting back my tears because I have a horrible cold and my frozen fingers can barely grip my spade; and half of the crew had some issues- which are better left unwritten- that involved large amounts of Gold Bond….oh!...and lots and lots of snow!
Crew Morale: one point
Day Three: Wednesday 6/11/08
(I wish I could add in sound effects in between days- kind of like Law and Order…sorry…back to the story.)
We spend the day planting shrubs and bushwacking down a mountain. This leaves most of the crew soaking wet..( seeing as rain gear was only applied to the top half for some…) This calls for a very wet, very sad crew with-what felt like- ninety pound Carhartts on. I guess the ranger district felt bad for use because later that night we ended up in the luxury suite AKA the helibase. Very nice. We are excited and I’d say the crew moral went up a couple points.
Day Four: Thursday 6/12/08
We wake up inside this time. We are much warmer and much happier now, because we know today we get to work on the bridge! Yay! The rest of the day was very comical. We get into some- very stylish- thigh high waiters and start the demolition. So there I am….standing in a creek bed…snowing pouring down on top of me…waiters- up to my thighs- praying that I stop sinking in the mud before water nearly flows over the top of my boots…thinking…”*$&#!*$!”
Highlights include: mini mud fight with B; BIG mud fight with B; Joe’s boot rot; ripping apart pieces of the bridge out of a freezing cold creek; OH!! And how could I forget the very first time we met our team mascot…LADIES AND GENTS….please welcome.. “Rowdy”- the one hundred and fifty pound golden retriever.
Crew Morale: 4 points
Day Five: Friday 6/13/08
We wake up VERY warm in the helibase. We are thankful for this as we reflect back on our past week. I think I speak for the crew when I say that the completion of the bridge really made everything that happened previously well worth it. Without a doubt THIS day was the highlight of, not only our week, but our entire season…..so far…
Crew Morale: …off the charts…
On a serious note….
This whole experience has given me more than I could ever need….even though, sometimes, I may not think so. It is a test, a collaboration of positive, experimental efforts…a time to break down things and then build them back up again. I am beginning to see that light at the end of the tunnel…by choosing to volunteer with the MCC we also choose to make a little sacrifice. We have taken the “road less traveled by”…. We are making a huge difference here…. ”and that has made all the difference!”
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