![[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)
Rolling up to Bighorn National Forest, the sights of the lightly snow-capped mountains and miles upon miles of lodgepoles engrossed the rig as we traveled to our campsite. For this project, we had been lined out to build two turnpikes on an extremely wet part of the Battle Park Trail, a trail mainly used for stock. As we settled into camp and work life, we quickly realized, other than the stock and horse riders around us, we were not alone. Mosquitos, everywhere.
As time went on, our bodies became sorer and dotted with little red bites from our pollinator friends. In evening meeting, during conflict, Timmy proclaimed his one and only conflict was "the mosquitos infiltrating our lives!". To get to our worksite, we hiked two and a half miles in every day. Any time we stopped working or hiking meant the mosquitos resuming their harassment. The turnpikes, on the other hand, were slightly more forgiving. Tons of rock and dirt, hauled by hand, to create a more passable trail for the stock to come. While camping with the stock and horse riders, they complimented our work and said we were truly helping them. To help the community and be recognized and remembered for our work is nothing but rewarding, and all of us have hundreds of mosquito bites to prove it!
