![[Image Description: Two MCC members taking a brief break; one is sitting on a rock, the other is standing nearby. They are both in their uniforms, looking out at the expansive, mountain view surrounding them.]](https://cdn.firespring.com/images/c3f85e97-43a9-4810-8081-e8e6338173d0.jpeg)
For the last night of this first hitch camping at Lake Sylvia, we killed a pot of jambalaya that called for a stick and a half of butter, so if this pen still ain't lubricated then I'm hopeless. Someone was talking about the multi-step process for a crew becoming a well-oiled machine, and it goes something like forming then storming then norming, and eventually performing. I don't know if that chronology is locked in or if there are possible cyclical progressions. Go directly to storming, do not pass GO, do not collect your ten dollar per diem. This four-day front country hitch is a little too comfortable to reach the storming phase. Or maybe we skipped straight to performing. Famous last words. Sam's opening up, Piper's getting stronger, and Laken looks like he was born in that hard hat and tinted safety glasses. And me? Strongly reconsidering the move to filterless cigarettes. I we're doing a little forming; now let's see where that gets us.
