Pathways Newsletter

It was night seven of our eight-day hitch when my crew member Lucy ran away from our Hacky Sack circle in tears, peeing herself from laughter. I was laying on the ground, debilitated by the silliness that a week of hard work brought to our crew. Laughter tried to sneak out of my mouth, but nothing came out. It was the first real hitch of our Summer season with MCC, and I was reminded why I fell in love with conservation corps in the first place.

I had been itching to get back to the conservation corps world after my first term in the summer of 2021 with the Utah Conservation Corps. A summer filled with hard work, new adventures, the birth of life-long friendships, and the feeling of wanting more. So, when I heard great things about the Montana Conservation Corps, I decided it was time again to start a new adventure. I can’t deny I was scared that MCC wouldn’t live up to my prior experience. But after this first hitch, I realized yes, it would be different. But it would be just as fantastic, as our first hitch with MCC reminded me of all the things I had learned about serving with a conservation corps.

1.) The work can be really difficult.

Our first project this season was outside of beautiful Ketchum, Idaho. It included stapling MCH packets onto Douglas Fir trees in order to trick the beetles into not infecting the tree. It doesn’t sound too difficult until you add the fact that we were placed on a steep mountain slope with dead logs and branches covering the forest floor. Soon, our aching feet were covered in blisters and we were red-faced and out of breath. Our bodies were not yet adjusted to the vigorous toll of this laborious work. But the stunning views, positive affirmations, love for the health of the forest, and good snacks helped us prevail.

Strenuous work is such a big part of working for a conservation corps. It is not all sunshine and rainbows, and purposely so. At the end of the hitch, we reflected back on our week and could all agree how much we grew as a crew after that hard first day. We all gained a huge sense of accomplishment and learned we could do hard things. We knew that we made a positive effect in that forest and we knew we could lean on each other when times get rough without judgment.

2.) The relationships you make are so special.

Later that hitch, when we left the campsite that we shared with BLM workers Glen and Mark, we were gifted Idaho Spuds: a “Welcome to Idaho” parting gift. We had grown a nice relationship with Glen and Mark as they worked alongside us. They even showed us how to use a hypsometer to measure tree height and an increment borer to count rings to see how old the tree was.

You find relationships in the strangest of places in conservation corps. With people double your age, from entirely different backgrounds from you, and varied life experiences. With seemingly not much in common, it is crazy to see how fast and deep your relationships can go while sharing laughter and eating Idaho Spuds on a mountain. Not only did I get to learn such unique skills from Glen and Mark, but I also got to hear some awesome life stories that made me realize we are all a little more connected than we think we are.

3.) It’s when you have little, that you appreciate so much

Sitting underneath our tarp while we watched the rain downpour around us, grins covered our faces as we inhaled Naan bread pizzas and shared a stack of Biscoff cookies. We hadn’t showered in days. We lived in the same clothes for over a week. We had little service. But we had Biscoff cookies, and those were more than enough to make our day.

4.) The little moments are what make up a season

The second part of our hitch was spent in a stunning sagebrush habitat where we worked to cut junipers in order to protect the keystone species of sage grouse. We worked as a unit, spaced out 30 feet from each other in order grid the area. While this task might become tedious to others, I think back on it now with so many little memories to smile on. Our crew singing “The Climb” together while we were on our last hour of work. My crew member Jack hitting the Griddy (a ridiculous dance move) when we would remind each other to grid out. My crew member Lucy (an incredible birder) spotting Meadowlark and Lark Sparrows from invisible places. These were all small moments, but are what I will remember most at the end of our season when I think back on the hours spent cutting junipers in the hot Idaho sun.

5.) The Natural World is amazing and worth protecting

As I unzipped my tent early in the morning to boil our crew’s breakfast water, I was given a “Good Morning” by the most beautiful splashes of orange, pink, and blue dancing along the mountains. I felt embraced by the day, and I recalled the coyotes and night hawks that sang me to sleep the night prior. After breakfast and stretch circle, our crew was surprised by a badger on our way to the worksite. As we started walking to the work site, we were startled by a sage grouse flapping away from the trail. While we were working, we watched a pronghorn from a distance sprint over the hillside. The world is full of so many natural wonders big and small. The more you look, the more you will find.

Working in a conservation corps where you spend all of your time outside, you get the opportunity to experience the outdoors like no other. You get to learn what it’s like to become a part of that world as you are constantly in it. From the minute you wake up to the minute you go to sleep, you are learning from the natural world in the way that the trees grow to the different types of flowers to the songs of the birds. You realize the importance of protecting the natural world for future generations.

As I recall how I felt at the end of my summer season with the Utah Conservation Corps, I try to take that feeling into every day with the Montana Conservation Corps. I aim to embrace all the difficult work, relationships I make, simplistic living, little moments, and time spent with the natural world that makes this kind of work undeniably special. I can’t wait to see what the rest of this season has in store.