Reunion - Adam Tew

After a week of unendurable separation the field crew leaders of Northern Rockies returned to Kalispell for a reunion and a week of trails training in nearby Herron State Park. Adding to the significance of the occasion was the presence of Clifford Kipp, head honcho of the Northern Rockies region, who stepped away from the office for a brief moment to demonstrate, despite all other indication and popular belief, that he is able to swing a tool (and well?). Following a quick recovery from collective shock and succinct instruction by regional staff the field crew leaders quickly set to cutting new trail designed to replace an unsustainable user-created trail that had quadrupled in width in less than five years. Four day later after scarifying the soil and piling slash on the corridor the decommissioning of the old trail was finished and the overall reroute project met its final completion.
Our second week brought another round of separation as the other field crew leaders (Laurent, Sarah(s), Paul, Elaine, Casey) traveled to Glacier National Park for work in a greenhouse. While they were sheltered from the elements we returned to Herron Park for more trail construction under the leadership of Daniel “The Law” Ward and Hanna Hopkins, our co-leading pair of the week. Weather was inclement following a cloudy Monday, not truly breaking until Friday offered a reprieve from the precipitation and gusting wind. But accompanying us for the (not so) pleasant weather earlier in the week were the field crew leader from Central Divide, a quality group of guys and gals that helped us knock out the almost half-mile of newly constructed trail. The crew progressed well in terms of our trail building abilities despite the challenges presented by the muddy, sloppy conditions. Additionally, any slip in morale or crew productivity was quickly dashed against the rock that is Daniel “The Law” Ward. Frequently during our stint in Herron Park, users on the trails expressed an appreciation for our work that seemed almost disproportionate to the labor we provided, a poignant reminder of how contributory our work for the community can really be.