Youth Program

TOUCHDOWN!! I celebrated in the endzone by spiking the football and running around high-fiving all my teammates. Despite finishing a tough day of trail work, we wrapped up our evening with a fun game of 3v3 flag football. As a crew lead with MCC this summer, I was tasked with leading youth throughout the Bitterroot Valley to discover nature, learn lifelong skills, and form meaningful friendships. We braved thunderstorms and hail, roasted marshmallows around a campfire, and embraced trail spice. This summer was full of challenges, but it gave me the opportunity to grow as a leader, mentor, and explorer. On one hitch, we had to repair a flooded and eroded area with a trail turnpike. It involved hiking 3 miles into a rocky wilderness area, moving heavy rocks, and digging a ditch to reroute a spring. The work was tough, but we got through it together as a team. Each day, we celebrated the small wins with 25-cent ice cream cones from Super 1, dipping our sore feet in the creek, and evening games of football. The Super 1 staff must have been so confused by the sixth day in a row. We lined the ditch with boulders for trail support, crushed rocks onto the tread for drainage, and cleared brush for access. By the end, we stood looking back at our completed project with immense pride and satisfaction. I recommend MCC wholeheartedly to anyone, both as a crew lead or member. It is an incredibly unique experience that will create memories for a lifetime.