![[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)
Our second full hitch as a WRT crew started off pretty easy. We met up with the Forestry Service and did an orientation with them. We went over fire safety, bear safety, people safety, and much more. We all enjoyed the breakfast and lunch provided to us. The next day was all about spraying weeds. We started off by pulling weeds until the dew dried up. After a short period of time, we began spraying. We targeted any weed species that Milestone would be effective on. This included St. John's ort, Oxeye daisy, Orange hawkweed, Russian knapweed, Spotted knapweed, and Canada thistle. We covered about a mile total but did way more walking than that. With three gallons of herbicide on your back, it’s safe to say we were all sore.
The next day is what really puts into perspective how hard this job can be. We woke up to cold rain that would go on for the entire day. Since we can’t spray (because the herbicide won’t stick to the plant), we pulled weeds for most of the day in the freezing rain and mud. That being said, we did manage to pull around three large trash bags full of weeds. We spent part of the day surveying trails that we would spray in the future, which was a nice break from spraying. Luckily, the last day was sunny and bright and we were able to spray out our packs and then triple-rinse them. Alone, that job would have felt impossible, but together, we managed to push each other and get through what felt like the longest day of pulling weeds.
