Aliens: Part One

ALIENS
Part One, Duh, Duh, Duh!

In many ways the Montana Conservation Corps’ Crews share many similarities with our friends (Hopefully) in the sky. We have came to Idaho a land which we are aliens: We dressed all in green [For the most part anyways], wear clear eye pro which make our eyes seem buggy, our vehicle shoots headlight beams that can make our SUV appear like a flying saucer when it is foggy, we can spread poisonous gas (Meaning: Our farts] that kills acres and acres of crops and we have come in peace.
We are the Green Team or if one will have it; The Green Machine! We have ascended to the Blue Ridge Mountain Trail of Idaho and soon to be entering the Gospel for the entire summer. In our first hitch out of nine we took on adversity with rainy and cold conditions however punctured with a warm welcome. Rainy and cold conditions in the weather including a strike of hail that seized us one afternoon the moment we sat down our tools for the day. Warm however in the welcome that was given to us by the Forest Service Crew of Idaho.
On Tuesday June 8th, 2010 (Two days after the anniversary of D-Day) The Green Machine met in the morning with Forest Service Crew’s boss of bosses; Josh in a stretch circle. Josh is what every man wants to be and what every woman looks for in a man. Josh’s appearance is that of Brad Pitt from Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards but bulkier. Josh has smooth blue eyes, a wisdom and sureness to his voice that internalize anyone around him where they can feel safe and are assured that they are in for a good day’s labor. As a part of Josh’s safety monologue he incorporated, “If you get to cold and too wet, let me know and I’ll get a fire started for you; keep you warm.”
The evening before Wednesday Josh welcomed us with the best gift you can ever give an MCC crew; a flat bed of refined wood logs to carry a half mile up a mountain. “I thought about getting some horses together to haul up these logs but then I thought manual labor builds good character, now get to work.”
The following day in our first real day of work the Green Machine set out to plant water bars. We dug up a quarter foot of dirt to rest in the logs so they could still remain firm in the trail and dug drains around the water bars (At a 90 degree angle) so water would have a place to run off.
Everyday was a challenge. Most of our crew caught terrible colds making the psychical work tougher.
For the bulk of the work, the crew constructed a rock wall. The crew dug heavy rocks out of the ground and sometimes hauled the works across great distances to meet up with Paul (MCC Crew Leader), Noel (Forest Service Technical Advisor) and Peter (Forest Service Crew Leader) so they could construct they’re rock wall. The crew’s other half (Jen and Ashton) constructed a crib wall which is similar to a rock wall only made from wood.
At night time the crew shared hearty warm meals and good company amongst one another, never a dispute however never a dull moment. Ever now and then a few or more crew member would walk a few feet away form our camp site to the forest service crew’s camp to join and enjoy the fire that they would welcome us to.
The crew also accomplished building new trail and rehabbing old trail. We left the Blue Ridge Mountain trail just as the weather had turned to heavy snow fall.
For this hitch the crew learned they’re own personal endurances and they’re own limits. We hope to push our standards next time to not only make us better crew members but as better people in general.
-Trevor Lyons Dietz
June 17th, 2010.