1st backcountry

4th day of our first truely backcountry trip. The sound of thunder, now familiar, in the distance. I have dreamed for many years of camping deep in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This trip is everything I hoped for. The mountains tower over our camp and although not always welcome, thunderstorms can be heard several times daily. First trip flying blood suckers haven't followed us. I guess they weren't up to the challenge. The biting flys are, however. The crews main concern at this point is for our wet and often miserable feet.

Nicole has been a delightful and knowledgable sponsor. We are all excited for our fellow crew members and other crews to arrive Monday. Sleep has become our best friend and wet feet our worst enemy. The vegetation is so thick in the forest we feel like we are in a rainforest. Spirits are high as laughter can often be heard on and off the trail. We all took a dip in the clear and chilly mountain stream running by camp after work.

Kelly Manos
Sat 25, 2009

Lessons in the Shelf Life of Food - Christina Wittich, WWCM

Working with the Missoula chapter of the Montana Conservation Corps has been a lifetime experience, both challenging and rewarding. The photos I have submitted are from our first hitch in the front country. This particular hitch we worked in the Williams Creek recreation area outside of Salmon, ID. The trails were designated for xcountry skiing and mountain biking. Most of our work consisted of lopping and pole sawing encroaching tree limbs. In addition, we dug a small section of rerouted tread for a mountain biking trail and everyone got a chance to fell a tree with a chainsaw when we put in a xcountry trail reroute. Each night, after work, someone makes dinner for the crew, someone is the helper, and everyone else hangs out. During this hitch we played a lot of cards, Frisbee and folf. This night, our crew leader, Adrienne, made us some gourmet grilled cheese with tomato soup. It was so delicious! One of the biggest surprises to me personally is how many foods keep without refrigeration. Cream cheese remains edible throughout the hitch! The best thing about cream cheese is that you can eat it on almost anything; crunchy granola bars, dried fruit, summer sausage, beef jerky… the list goes on and on. Dinner time has always been one of my favorite times, there is something special about coming together and sharing a meal. We never have trouble finding things to chat about and it is a great time to get to know each other better.

Adrienne Priess' Crew

Our first blog - Wil Raciot, CD Earth Crew

The earth crew has had a pretty sweet summer. it wasn't until two weeks ago that the work got tough. we had a rough start building water bars with bob and lol, then jumped into a couple weeks of weed spraying and and clipping trout fins. now finally into some physical labor building fences, and its HOT!!! but its a great experience, and my crew and i are developing our skills, physical strength, and work ethic more and more as the season goes on.

Check that off the list

Sorry the video is side ways. Hey, we're trail workers here... These go with the earlier post. Kevin Bissett Western Wildlands Wes and Keri's Crew

Cross that one off the list - Kevin Bissett WWCM

MCC is a constant challenge. From an outsiders perspective, you only get to see the final product. In the case of the MCC this is most likely going to be a trail though some celestial landscapes. But Mother Earth is a strong woman and she doesn't let us explore her beautiful expanses without putting in some sweat and toil. Just getting to a work site is a challenge in itself sometimes. The Welcome Creek Wilderness provided us an opportunity to visit an area blessed with a bountiful beargrass bloom but hiking in all our food and gear for 9 days of work took every bit of strength we had. For the rest of the week we worked on some steep terrain through blackened burn areas accented by a sea of white bear grass blossoms. 40 water bars, massive retread and brushing climaxed at the end of the week when we built a bridge. Being in a wilderness area, we could not use any mechanized instruments so we used 2 man cross cut saws and double bit axes to fell trees for sills and stringers. The stringers were almost 20 feet long and a foot in diameter. Taking down a tree, stripping it, flattening out a side of it and notching it with the old school tools is a rewarding feeling and instills a respect for the days of yore inside you. Meanwhile some crew dug out on each side of the creek and leveled it off. Next we placed the sills and pounded in the stringers. After that we buried the sills and we had ourselves a bridge. When I joined MCC one thing I didn't know much but I knew I wanted to build a bridge.
Now I can cross that one off the list.

Go Fell It On The Mountain: A Story of Saws, Rocks, and Raw Dogs - Kenneth Slocum, WWCM

In the beginning, there were crew members. Assembled from all across the U.S, said crew members had little to no idea where a six month commitment to the MCC would take them. For ten crew members and three crew leaders, this commitment meant diving headlong into the enticingly dangerous world of the chainsaw.

With apt enthusiasm, participants could be seen throughout the month of June hauling gasoline, bar oil, chainsaws, and a slew of other required chainsaw accessories up Feather Creek trail, just outside of Bovill, Idaho. Who would have thought, for a “conservation” corps it’d be so easy to find persons with the necessarily destructive attitude to fell tree after tree in an otherwise pristine forest, carving a corridor for less-than-experienced mountain bikers to enjoy?

The Joy of Saw was not lost on this set of sawyer newbies for the first two hitches. An increasing proficiency and appreciation of the chainsaw’s ability, the trees fell faster and faster and the larger ones garnered more and more hollers of joy as they fell precisely where the face cut dictated. Before long, all members gained an appropriate hatred of the cedar tree’s unnecessarily branchy lifestyle. 70+ foot larches became the sawyer equivalent of a nicotine fix; all enjoyed watching the Dr. Suess-esque giants slice through the thick canopy and land with a satisfying crash in the drainages and steep slopes we’d climbed through on all fours to find them.

After nearly three miles of forest had been cleared to make space for the mountain bike corridor, the time came to split the two crews (which had at this point become one large, unified crew, including a short powerful man perched on a tall chain-smoking man’s shoulders for higher work) and send them onward to new exploits. Team Raw Dog ended up with the opportunity to return to Feather Creek and dress up those three miles of felled trees, preparing it for genuine trail construction. The departure from the saw work we’d become comfortable with proved jarring. The feel of a McCloud handle totally threw off the group’s “work mojo,” leaving everyone uncomfortable with the prospect of genuine, non-mechanized trail work.

Some initial confusion gave way to motivation as the Raw Dogs found themselves within reach of their goal: making three miles of just sawed logs and pine needles into an obvious corridor, prime for the trail making. Seven days and over 30 collected wasp stings later, the corridor had been cleared of sticks, pine needles, and any branches lower than ten feet above the forest floor.

With newfound confidence regarding traditional trail work, team Raw Dog set out on their fourth hitch to the wilderness of Welcome Creek. After three hitches car camping, the task of backpacking (even a mere half mile into the trail) proved exceptionally daunting. Strike one: the bear hang. A cavalcade of failure, the crew learned the hard way that hanging nine days worth of six people’s food ten feet off the ground is, in fact, impossible. Between getting covered in ash, being eaten alive by mosquitos, and just generally lacking woodland skills, the whole thing could easily have been a sitcom story premise (if only it had taken a mere half an hour…).

After the foundations of wilderness living had been lain, the work could begin. Instructed to build trail through sections of large rock, the crew found themselves once again initially confused as to just how to go about the project. After a day or so of figuring out the Joy of Sledgehammer and Single jack, a definite pleasure emerged from the careful strategizing and heavy lifting of rock work. Massive stone after massive stone was moved in order to either make steps, or smash into tiny pieces (to the delight of the more destructive members) and fill in holes in the tread. A ten hour day making a five-stair section of trail provided a whole new perspective on the construction of the pyramids. Raw dogs everywhere also found themselves wondering if the Mayans and Egyptians got hammered regularly in the arms, shins, and face with shards of pointy rock. However bruised, lacerated, and exhausted, the crew maintained an adventurous spirit in making the best possible trail and loved every second.

Although challenging after growing accustomed to car camping, Raw Dog quickly gained a thorough appreciation of the wilderness. Spotting a rubber boa and a piliated woodpecker the first day served as reminders that all our noisy chain sawing in Idaho had prevented us from encountering any of the animal beauty present in the woods. Huckleberries, thimbleberries, wortleberries, and black currants served as reminders of just how delicious a forest can be in the summertime. Experience with the cross-cut saws and Ibuki blades served as reminders that, for all their pollution and noise and danger, mechanized cutting equipment is just way faster (though not quite as Zen). An abandoned miner cabin served as a reminder that as hard as any MCC crew works, their lives will never know the difficulty of true back country living. Vast scree and talus fields provided a phenomenal view not afforded by the closed-in canopy of Feather creek. All in all, the crew members (and leader) all found themselves appreciating Missoula’s back yard a great deal more from deep deep inside the heart of it.

Interview with Pulaskis Coach Doug Posdon - Jen Rusnak, State Office

Jen Rusnak: First, I’d like to congratulate you on a successful season. It’s not uncommon for a team to end with a losing record their first season, but you guys walked away with a .500 finish. What do you attribute the success to?

Doug Posdon: Well, you know, there’s lots of credit to pass around. Everyone deserves credit for helping us win a good number of games in our first year. Sure, we got beat up pretty good a few times, won a nail-biter or two, and blew a couple games we had in hand. If you really look at how we were able to have success, I think it’s because most players took time from their busy summers to practice. Can’t tell you how important practice is. Repetition. Swinging the bat over & over. Catching fly balls over & over. You’re never going to be very good if your team only shows up for games. You just can’t have real games serve as your practice time. That being said, if we had even more practice, we could have been a bit better. We’ll probably be looking to be having more practice early in the season next year……

JR: I know your game against the High Country Easy Riders was a nail-biter. What made the difference in you coming away with the W?

DP: Well, the game your referring to, in which we blew a 11-0 lead only to hold on & win 15-14, is probably the most exciting game in the Pulaski’s short team history. What a game that was. In terms of what was the difference - I’d have to credit the deep, strategic analysis that went into determining line-up and field position as the determining factor. The assistant coach of the Pulaskis is huge on analyzing match-ups and statistics, and she came forth with the winning formula for us – we’re sooo lucky she is skilled in that realm else or we’d have lost by a landslide. Had nothing to do with the clutch play of our first basegal, shortstop & catcher on that fateful final play of the game...

JR: The tournament schedule was just released. Your first game is against the High Country Easy Riders. What are your expectations for this game?

DP: It's gonna be a really good grudge match. I'm going to go even further to say that we have our first real rival. It's the 1st team we'll have played twice. We don't like them, they don't like us. Should be an evenly matched game.

JR: Your team has a history of temporarily falling apart mid-game. This has cost you. What is your strategy for recovering?

DP: You gotta just keep on keeping on. In recreational slow-pitch softball, every team is going to have what I call the “melt-down” innings. This is typically an inning where you make some bad plays in the field. An error or so. They snowball on each other. Next thing you know the opponent is feeling it and momentum builds in their favor. At this point, it’s of primary importance to focus only on what the next play is – let the rest of what has occurred go. I try to drill this in to our players. Of course, the other team is in all likelihood going to experience the same thing, so you just hope your meltdown inning is not as bad as theirs...whoever’s is less damaging, that’s usually who is going to win the game. It also is worth noting – the best teams in the league have the experience to make sure they minimize their meltdowns, in fact in most games they don’t even meltdown. That’s what we’re striving for and we’ll only ever achieve it by practice and time on the field together.It’s a long road.

JR: What are your chances for going all the way this year?

DP: I think if all of our team plays their A+ game we have a shot. It’s well known that there are like 3 teams that are pretty much head & shoulders above the rest of us, but you just never know. The score always starts at 0-0. You gotta play the game. Lots of intangibles come into play in the tournament – team spirit, how roudy your are, how much support you give each other – all these things work in your favor. We are really good in all of these areas, so even if we play teams who may possess a higher level of skill and experience at this point, we feel we can play with them, give them a run for their money. I’d have to say though, if we were to win the Bozeman District Tournament this weekend, it would go down as one of the greatest Cinderella stories in sports history!

JR: Can the team recover from Stober’s sidelining injury last game?

DP: We’re deep in all areas. We can recover. Stober, ever since coming off the DL from her horrible early season injury (that broken toe by the vacuum cleaner), has been a huge asset. Hopefully she’s ready to go and play a role for us. She’s a tough cookie, I expect her to be 100%.

JR: How will you handle your pitcher’s temper?

DP: I’m not exactly sure which pitcher you’re talking about. We’re fortunate enough to have 2 good pitchers. And actually both of them have a bit of a temper. I guess one of them is a bit more of a wise old sage type, whose not as likely to vent out temper and frustration on the field, plus the coach just can’t show that. Our other pitcher, he’s a competitor. I’m not sure there is anyone on the team who wants to win more than he does. I like that. I admire that. That’s the type of player you want, however there is a delicate balance between having that fire and knowing when to use it, and knowing when it may be a detriment to your team. He’s found that balance during the course of the season. He’ll be fine.

JR: There are rumors circulating that your job may be on the line if you don’t take home the district trophy. How do you deal with that?

DP: The press. I tell you, the press is always making a mountain out of a molehill. Yes, there’s been some pressure from the Pulaski front office to bring home the trophy, to win, but I think my job is safe for now...I’m sure both sides want to wait until after the tournament to discuss contract extensions.

JR: What will you do to advance your team to the next level?

DP: We need to practice. We need more time on the field together. We need to get to that zone where every player knows what their role is at any given time. We need to experience some success, to know what it tastes like, to want it more. We need to experience crushing defeat to know how we don’t want to experience that again. Next season, I’m pretty sure we’re going to take the next step and emerge as one of the league’s elite. You can quote me on that. It's like that famous quote by Ed Macauley, and I think this applies to all sports, "When you are not practicing, remember, someone somewhere is practicing, and when you meet him he will win."

JR: Alright coach, well thanks for your time. I look forward to following your progress at the District Championship. Good luck to you.

GY-Erin and Allen's crew!!

This is my crew, and here is the work we get to do! Pictures-Fan creek, YNP. We are doing this reroute because the beavers made a 6 foot waterfall in the old trail. Kirks Hill, Bozeman. We built a platform above some streams and muddy trail. Yellowstone River Trail- Donna's crew is working on the existing trail. Michael resorting to his hardhat for dinner use! Live for the moment!

Trail Runs Through It - Robyn Price NRCM

The Northern Rockies Recovery Crew of the Montana Conservation Corps worked on the construction of the Trail Runs Through It (www.trailrunsthroughit.org) outside of Whitefish for its first hitch in early June. The crew completed tasks such as drainage work, throwing slash, outsloping, thinning, and an overall restoration of the landscape. We worked on the trail with the Forestoration; Ecosystem Management crew, (www.forestoration.org), which is overseeing project management. The goal was to restore the landscape into a natural habitat for indigenous species and people to enjoy. The trail is still in construction but when completed the public can use the trail to bike, hike, and horseback ride. We appreciate the opportunity to work on the trail and look forward to the people enjoying their experience with the Trail Runs Through It.

Legacy

MCC "took home the hardware again," according to Jace Washburn, CD CL. As a CM Jace was recipient of the "Tallest Plant" award last year at the 4th Annual Teton Weed Pull outside of Choteau, MT, and is now co-leading the crew that once again brings a coveted award from the Zero Spread campaign. Jace tried for tallest plant again, but unfortunately "got beat by a little girl." Luckily Crew Member Chance Seliskar saved the day by wowing everyone with the size of his root.

Greetings from Team Funit - Matt Barham, GYCM

(Short for Fun Family Unit)! We had the pleasure of helping construct the new Dino Playground in Bozeman on June 10-12. Only because we had finished another project early were we able to join in the building efforts, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Working with various volunteer organizations proved to be a treat; meeting folks from different walks of life all laboring toward the same goal. Teachers and students, young and old, professionals and amateurs all lent a hand, and it was quite a sight.

As for our own efforts, Mike, Matt and Eric started out cutting wood for the various frames with table saws, while Ben and Charlsey moved mammoth support beams into position and Dani brought supplies and lumber to the saw stations. The next day Mike continued with saw work, while Matt joined the beam crew and Eric and Dani oversaw wood treatment and cutting. Once the beams were in place, Mike, Matt and Ben began fixing the lumber for the tire swing section and Charlsey, Eric and Dani went to work on the boundary fence. Those three made a game of filling in the fence ditch, using their feet to push gravel from the large rock pile into the trench below, and had quite a fun time while still working! Our final day on the grounds we got to see the park transform from a Stonehenge-like landscape of posts into a recognizable playground as the different platforms and guardrails went into place.

While we didn’t witness the finishing touches that weekend, we were able to visit the park recently and admire our own handiwork; discovering the beautiful (and fun) fruits of our labor. What we left as a skeleton had become a a living playground. Looking back, working on the dinosaur park was a bit like a paleontological dig in reverse: We analyzed all the pieces and parts first, put them in a hole in the ground, adding muscles and skin on top of that. Instead of digging up a skeleton, we buried one; instead of nature wearing away the accessories and superficial parts first, we affixed them last. But to breathe life into this park, it took the one ingredient we couldn’t provide ourselves: the laughter and play of children. And that's the reason we took on the project in the first place!

One Piece at a Time - Amanda Pfaff CLGY

When my crew and I arrived at the Dinosaur Playground on the Monday morning before it’s intended Sunday opening, I looked around at the open space, interrupted only by a few dozen Sono-tubes, set in deep beneath the ground to assist with structural support, and I couldn’t help but think to myself, how in the heck is this going to turn into a finished playground in seven days? I certainly had my doubts, but having no idea what to expect, my anticipation for the project’s completion was high and I couldn’t wait to see the transformation.

The bulk of the construction did not even begin until Wednesday morning when Justin and Lee arrived, the front-men on the project: most of Monday and Tuesday were spent putting up temporary fences, assembling the giant food tent, setting beams in the Sono-tubes, and doing other preparatory work. On Wednesday however, the volunteers started pouring in and work really started getting done.

Watching the daily progressions occur on site was amazing; piece by piece, screw by screw, one set of volunteers after another, the playground slowly took form. It’s remarkable for me to think about, that this huge project could not have been successful without the all volunteers who came to help, who gave up their evenings, their days, even their weekends. Every day I was able to work with new people, of all ages, of all backgrounds. I watched a pair of teenage siblings making a playful game out of hammering, seeing who could get the nail in with less swings. I watched a father and son go to grab 12’ long 2X4’s- the father started to pick up two boards, and the 10 year old boy said, Dad, I can carry more than that; fifteen minutes later I looked over and the pair was carrying five boards across the site, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt good to look up from the task at hand and see parents bringing their children out to volunteer, to see them laughing and working with one another. Volunteer turnout really said a great deal about the local community.

My appreciation for the week I spent at the playground also had a great deal to do with the nature of the work. Having told Lee and Justin that I’d had previous experience with carpentry, they entrusted me with leading many small group projects; I was able to work with my crew and other volunteers and help them learn and get things done, honestly it was empowering. There I was, a 23-year-old girl, and I was in charge of directing men and women of all ages, I loved it. Not only was I able to pass my own knowledge but I learned so many new things and mastered so many new tools. Justin put me in charge of putting together the small rubber suspension bridges on the playground, I was excited that he let me take lead on what I considered a pretty big project, and while I had dozens of questions on the first bridge, when it was time for the second, I was able to teach others. I think that’s one of the great things about volunteer builds such as this; people with little or no experience can come in and are given the ability to do things they’ve never done before, to contribute in ways they probably never imagined they could, and then they walk away not only having the rewards of giving their time, but also in acquiring new skills and a new sense of confidence, at least that’s how I feel.

My favorite experience at Dino Park came on Thursday afternoon; I’d just finished taking inventory of playground parts, and was asking Justin for my next assignment, he then asked me if I was at all creative. He probably couldn’t see my eyes light up behind my sunglasses, but he had just asked the million-dollar question. With a giant grin on my face I proceeded to tell him that I was an art major in college; his response- and you wait until now to tell me this? I then followed him across the site to where he said he had the perfect project waiting for me. As we approached a giant beam that would later be lofted to hold the tire swing, he asked me if I’d ever used a router, I said no, he said, you’ll learn. He then gave me a few sheets of paper, one of them listing the words that needed to be routed into the beam; he gave me a crash course in using a router and left me to have at it.

Part of me was scared to death, this was a huge deal, it wasn’t like an art project in college where if I messed up I could just get a new piece of paper- this was a 20 foot beam, and any error was permanent. The other part of me was experiencing an adrenaline rush, I was completely enticed by the challenge- yes, it was intimidating, but I felt an unusual confidence in my ability, and I was so excited to be trusted with such a high profile project. I jumped right in, learned as I went and immediately became obsessed with the routing process. I loved this task. It took me a long time to finish, and there are definitely some errors in my work, but when I stepped back to look at what I’d done, I felt proud. The day before I’d never even touched a router, and there I stood 24 hours later having finished the sign that would be displayed for all to see in the playground, it felt awesome.

I ended up putting in over 60 hours of work at the playground that week, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Though it was chaotic at times, it was great to see so many people work together to meet the deadline. For me it was a week full of fun work, great people, great food, and exciting challenges. It left me feeling proud of the contributions I made, confident in my ability to lead and to learn, and glad that this had been put on my project schedule for MCC…and it also led me to tell my parents that I now want a router for my birthday. All in all, it was an awesome experience and I’m grateful that I got to be a part of it.

Wolves, Bears, and Hail - Robyn Price NRCM

The Partly McCloudy crew, finished two nine day spikes this July. Our first adventure took us to Trout Ck. in the Cabinet mountains. We began our days at eight A.M with a stretch circle and a question followed by a hike to the work site on the trail where we did a variety of tasks. While on this hot hitch we ran a chain saw, lopped some trees limbs, did a little brush work, and did a ton of retread. On our breaks during the afternoon Kai, Aaron, and I would go cool off in the creek that ran nearby the trail.

Work was a joy and challenge. The weather was beautiful and the view was spectacular from the work site. As we walked the trail going to and from camp we came across traces of elk, deer, mountain lion and bear, but no sightings of them. One day on spike we heard a tree make a sound when it came crashing down by itself to the forest floor. That was really neat to experience.

After work around 6 P.M we start dinner. Everyone takes a turn to cook dinner for the crew each night. Evan made dank smokies, made from a deer he shot, which is a crew favorite. We eat real well when we work. Aaron especially likes to cook. While dinner is cooking we might play some frisbee. Kai is the ultimate frisbee guy. We went through 12 cubies while we were up there. The extra water and good eats definitely attributed to our steady work and the completion of the trail.

On our last nine day hitch we worked on trail number 56 on Caribou mountain. A quarter mile away from our campsite on our first day drive there we spotted grey wolf pups playing in the road. The very next night we heard more wolves howl. After the first two days we heard and saw no more of the wolves.

Trail 56 is about four to five miles and at a steep gradient for the first three and a half miles before hikers or horseback riders hit the meadows. We did a lot of work on the trail that ran through the meadows, because there was barely any trail due to all the Bear Grass overgrowth. While we were up there we mostly did retread making sure the trail was 24 inches or wider so we swung our pulaskis for eight days like champs and for the last day we took care of some blow downs, and did some rocking and rooting. One day we were up there it began to hail. The hail was nearly a 1/4 inch round and smaller. Boy does it sting when you get hit, but the helmets did a pretty good job deflecting these little balls of fury. The storm did not get us down and Jack, our crew leader, had an idea. What better way to spend the time then have a hail ball fight. Once it started Aaron disappeared and took cover in the trees while we played but we still got him a good shot. He was not down with that game but he sure got us later. He scared the jeepers out of Evan and me on our way down the trail the next day. Aaron got ahead on the trail, hid in the bushes waiting patiently and then surprise!... you're screaming your head off. It was all done in good fun but lucky for him no one was carrying bear spray. We were in heavy Grizzly territory, but the only bear sight was a black bear seen by Kai on one of the morning drives up to the work sight, and a pile of bear crap on the trail up in the meadows getting closer towards the peak of the mountain.

The sponsors told us it was a privilege to be up there since most of the time the trail is closed for the purpose of habitat security. This trail leads into Canada where a numbered obelisk was left as a reference to place and history on the Swath which runs between the U.S and Canada. The Swath is an amazing sight. It is a long clearing and a visual indication of the border between the two countries. The Swath runs as far as the eye can literally see with an occasional echo transmitting through the canyons of the airspace border patrol doing their job. Over the nine days we worked on Caribou there were thunderstorms and sunshine but overall the experience was etched in my brain as a good one. Who does not love clean air, fresh water, and the colorful green glow of the forest?

After work was especially fun. We played some new games like whiffle ball and , eucher, a card game. Paul is the master wiffle ball player but I am not so bad myself. We teamed up and annihilated the rest of the crew, but when it came to eucher Jack and Kai were nearly undefeated. I am for sure not betting on that game when I play.

On our way back to the Kalispell office most of us were disturbed by the noise and commotion of the city life for a minute. The solitude and the peaceful atmosphere found in the forest is a treasure that we're glad is there. As a crew we all had a good time and did a prime job on the trail maintenance we completed.

Fourth of July in the Woods - Emily Meineke NRCM

Fourth of July fell in the middle of our first ten-day hitch, and we were the only crew scheduled to work. While our crew stayed in good spirits—Cliff planned a cookout and a short workday—morale was a little low, and we were all bummed about missing out on the festivities in town. Instead of hanging out with our MCC friends and watching the fireworks from below, we planned a hike to the summit of Mount Aeneas. After the workday, our ascent was a little rough, and the hike lasted what felt an eternity.

When we reached the top, though, and all the land fell away, there was nothing but sunset and rock. We could see fireworks in all the towns surrounding the mountain from Whitefish to Polson. From below, I am sure the fireworks were spectacular, but from our point of view, everything around us was spectacular and the fireworks were just little specs of light across the landscape. It was amazing to see the festivities from such a different perspective, in a natural setting and, also, to see so many people celebrating our democracy in the same way at the same time from above. We all agreed, it was one of the best Fourth of Julys we ever experienced, and I, for one, am glad we had a job to do that day.

Reflections - Drew Crew, WW

Click on image to enlarge.

FMC

How is it that there's never been a name for the activity of tossing food into someone else's mouth? The CD Wind Crew pioneers of Food Mouth Catching, Kim and Jace, display their prowess. Check back for XFMC.

Youth in Elkhorn

Elkhorn, Montana is a quirky place. Home to a three-legged dog named Buff (who strolls freely down Main St.) and Montana’s smallest State Park (consisting of two adjacent buildings from the late 1800s), the “ghost town” of Elkhorn was our crew’s home for five days in June. Our task: to paint over the writing and graffiti on the walls of Fraternity Hall, a building that served as a community gathering place during Elkhorn’s heyday in the 1890s. During that time Elkhorn was a thriving mining town with a population of around 2,000 people and had schools, doctors, boarding houses, saloons, shops, a post office, and church. These days people come from all over the country to see the old buildings on Main Street, hike up to the cemetery, and sign their names on the walls of Fraternity Hall. We found names and dates from the 1950s, and also recognized the aunt of one crewmember who had added to the wall’s décor. There was some debate as to whether or not President Jimmy Carter had really visited Elkhorn, or if some other Jimmy Carter was the one to sign his name in 1976. While the “Shirley Winterson, Pennslyvania, 1957” type signatures in cursive writing were quaint and felt like a piece of history themselves, there were also many lewd suggestions written on the wall in big black marker that would not be appropriate to mention on this MCC blog. So with tarps, rollers, brushes and paint cans in hand, we painted the walls of Fraternity Hall a lovely vintage tan and “Cape Cod blue.”

On Thursday, the fourth day of our spike, forty kids from nearby Boulder, Montana came out to Elkhorn for the day on a field trip with their summer program, the 21st Century Community Learning Center. We were also joined by Amy and Ory from our Central Divide home base, and Jill and Josh from Bozeman. While the middle school aged kids went on a hike up to the cemetery, the younger group stayed back to explore Elkhorn. This was where our youth crew really shined. They became the leaders of small groups of Boulder kids, leading them on an scavenger hunt in which they searched for, among other things, “a door with a moon on it” and the old Elkhorn candy store. Our youth crewmembers were funny and patient as they walked the streets with their six and seven year olds, periodically counting heads and calling, “Levi’s group over here!” After the scavenger hunt they led the group in some rounds of “Bear, Salmon, Mosquito,” red rover, tag, and an epic game of “Duck, Duck, Goose.”

Thank you to Rochelle from 21st Century Community Learning Center for brining the Boulder group out and to Amy and Ory for organizing the day. Also thanks to our youth crew for playing games with the kids for hours and being excellent leaders themselves. If you do decide to check out Elkhorn bring your own refreshments (there is no store in town), and be sure to admire the fresh and clean walls of Fraternity Hall.

Twisting, bending, pulling clips
Around wire that sometimes whips.

It even slashed Chance in the wrist;
Better after by Jace it was kissed.

We caged trees so that they can get taller.
This restoration project was totally baller.

It rained a bit,
But no one threw a fit.

Then it was sunny for a few,
And we ended at DQ.

-Kim Appelson, Wind Crew, Central Divide

I Didn't Sign Up for This - Kirsten Vorreyer, WWCM

Last January was a low point for me, in fact the whole spring semester I felt like I had somehow slipped into a rut that had a hold on me. I was almost a college grad just one class to go (that wasn't offered that semester) and then wham bam just like that I would no longer be a student, I would be a real person. A real person with real responsibilities like a job that starts before 10:00am in order to single handily cover the bills, a person that remembers to pay the phone bill on time and check the oil. The reality that my cushy college years were over slapped me in the face and left me feeling stunned. My dad couldn't have been more pleased at last his 24-year-old daughter was on her own. When I talked to him on the phone he would exclaim in glee "Wow Kerde you are on your own now!" I had always been so optimistic during my college years, I felt like my diploma would put a job in my lap. You can imagine my disappointment when two months of job hunting didn't even get me an in at the school cafeteria. At last I did get a call to be a telemarketer and I cried, twice, first with relief and than again once the job started. Oh how I hated it. the cubicle, the repetition, the pointlessness of it all. All day I would call people who didn't want to hear from me, to try and get them to attend free talks in hopes of getting them to buy stuff they didn't need. Under the gloom of the Missoula inversion, cramped in my cubicle I could feel a restlessness stirring inside of me. I needed a change; I needed a boost of energy that could come only from an outside-in transformation. I needed a fresh path to get me to higher state of inner being. In the dark of my cubical I fumbled my way around the MCC website and grabbed onto it like a lifeboat.

The MCC started out like a good summer camp complete with games, light instruction, and most importantly a healthy energetic crowd, a real rarity around the office. I loved it. With the sun in my eyes I could feel my sprits were already lifting with anticipation. The following day we got assigned our crew, 5 dudes and two chicks (including me). It was a trip trying to imagine this odd mix of men plus girl as my new surrogate family. During my first interactions I felt like an anthropologist, trying to get the dirt on everyone. Words like yoga instructor and mediation lead me to visualize the whole lot of us as Zen masters waking early to chant to the gods in the morning. One could only guess what it would be like.

1st Hitch
What did I get myself into!? Oh the rain, no wait snow! This is summer!? I didn't sign up for this! Transformation, however necessary, is rarely easy and the first hitch was no exception. The first night was so cold Amanda and I stood under a tarp holding the big dinner pot sucking the last bits of heat out of it in a kind of survival mode desperation. It was a bit dramatic, but she is from Florida and I haven't been camping in awhile. After that I ran to my tent and in a fetal like position sandwiched myself into my sleeping bag all the while chanting like a mantra, “what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.” Looks like there would be chanting after all. The next day I woke to a damp fog and started rolling barbwire fence with my crew. There we were in the clouds making tight wire wreaths all with surprisingly high sprits. It was beautiful. The sun lifted that afternoon and dried me out so completely the rain seemed like a distant dream. It felt so refreshing to be doing something that mattered. With each wreath I rolled I pictured the animals running free and I felt a relief in myself.

Being surrounded by so much beauty and so much space lets one see beyond the rat race of traffic, shopping, standing in lines. Those daily frustrating parts of city life can’t touch you out in the sanctuary of the woods. Out here, if you forget to pack underwear (hypothetically speaking – well not really) you just deal with it you don’t have to endure the hell of Reserve Street. Frankly I think I would rather wear dirty underwear then go out there anytime soon. Life is simple out here, you have less clothes and less choices. In the evenings your options are basically reading, stretching, sitting, eating, and sleeping. Oh and of course hanging out with the crew, whom I must say I am becoming increasingly fond of. Our crew comes with a Zen master, a yoga instructor, two of the chilliest guys I have ever met, a witty upbeat leader, and a steady hard worker. I feel in good hands for the upcoming 5 week hitch. Today we bought more food than I have ever seen outside of a grocery store. It will be an adventure to remember – so I better go finish packing.

First Hitch of a New Beginning - Paul Twedt WWCM

The mornings were chilly and Carhartts were downright cold, but fresh coffee and a stretch circle do wonders to wake us up and get us ready for the day. The mountains surrounding our camp are a phenomenal backdrop for our viewing pleasure throughout the work days. Working hard to remove brush from an overgrown trail has been tough, but fun at the same time because we get to use tools (brush-cutters and chainsaws) that we would probably not be using if we weren’t here with the MCC. We have rotated duties each workday so that our crewmembers have gotten a variety of work including digging trail re-routes, falling and bucking trees with chainsaws, and clearing brush. Our crew is comprised of a very broad spectrum of people, but we all seem to communicate well because we are all open to new ideas and differing points of view. Our crew leaders gave us a very thorough demonstration of how to properly and safely fall a large tree at the end of one of the first days. They had a very funny teaching point about remembering to always use a sharp saw to drop a big tree. Rain plagued us for a few days mid-hitch, but didn’t slow down our work. We were even able to enjoy a night around a fire despite the rainy weather. Evening hikes around the surrounding mountains really enable my crewmembers and I to experience the beauty of our location and appreciate the work we are doing here at Grizzly Creek. We are able to expand our sense of place by gaining knowledge of the area by navigating with topographical maps on our hikes. By seeing and experiencing the area, we learn more about it and begin to feel “at home”. On our last day of the hitch we were surprised to find moose tracks following the trail we were working so hard to clear. It was really exciting to follow the tracks down the trail we were working even though we didn’t see the moose itself. It’s great to see that while we are benefitting the human trails users, we are also not disturbing the wildlife. With the excellent crew dynamics we have shown each other, I am excited to see what this summer’s experiences will bring us.

OVH Trail - Charlsey Thornton GYCL

On Monday the meteorology crew from the Greater Yellowstone region ventured up telephone ridge in the Gallatin National Forest to begin work on a new OHV trail with the Bozeman Ranger District. The journey up was a long and bumpy one with astonishing views of the Gallatin Mountain Range. As I drove our white suburban, Casper, up the old logging road, I heard sounds of satisfaction and excitement coming from the members behind me. Unable to take my eyes off the rough road to enjoy our surroundings, I continued to feed off the positive energy coming from the crew. We finally made it to the ridgeline where the old road ended and the new OHV trail began. Immediately we jumped out and began searching for the perfect tent sites in our new paradise. As I walked around, I heard one of the Forest Service employees shout, “Hey! Continue walking up the ridgeline and you will find some great spots!” I did as he said and continued to hike up further and further away from the crew. Just when I thought I had wondered a little too far away from everyone, I stopped and took a good look around me for the first time. I realized that I had stumbled just far enough. To my right was a lush canyon surrounded by tree covered peaks and wildflowers, and to my left was the same, yet each canyon was unique to the creeks that carved it(Smith Creek and French Creek). I took the time to take a picture of my view to the right and I knew I wanted my new tent to be housed here for the next few days. My eyes immediately searched the land looking for any sign of a rock-free flat spot. As my eyes scanned the ridgeline it didn't look promising, but then something orange caught my eye. Could it be what I think it is? I hurried over to check it out and sure enough it was a small patch of Indian Paintbrush! Wow, I thought, I wish someone could be here to share this moment with me, my first Indian Paintbrush sighting of the year! I decided a picture would be the only attempt of capturing the moment, so I whipped out my camera, took the second picture of the hitch, and then my camera died. Distracted by my failing technology and unable to review my only chance at capturing the moment, I glanced away from the flowers and the canyons for a moment just in time to see the most incredibly perfect tent site of my life! The site literally sat no more than two feet away from my favorite flower. I began assembling my squeaky new tent and I felt welcomed to the neighborhood by my neighbors, the intriguingly beautiful Indian Paintbrush and the friendly peaks and ridgelines of the Gallatins. I was greeted by their liveliness and comforted by their warmth. I thought to myself, this moment is as close to perfect as perfect gets. And for once in my life I knew how the moment could be perfected, with the smiles of satisfaction from those I care about complimenting my smile of accomplishment. I knew that next time I would drag the crew up with me when I knew I was on to something like that. I look forward to experiencing moments like these with my crew for the next four months as we continue to get things done for America!