Thursday Morning - 5:30 am
Nomi and Chris wake up early to prepare breakfast for the others. Exchanging few words, the two retrieve food from the van and get some water boiling. Gradually, the other crew members emerge from their tents and begin to prepare for the work day. Doubling up on breakfast has become standard for most of the crew- two bowls of loaded oatmeal or the oatmeal-breakfast sandwich combo.
The workday begins at 7:00am- backpacks are packed, food is put away, water vessels are full and the crew begins to pass out tools. Together the crew takes to a grassy meadow at the base of the trail that they have been working on all week and circles up for "stretch and safety." This morning, we discuss the "close calls" we have had throughout the week and how we can avoid those hazards in the future. As we discuss project safety, the crew members trade off leading the group in stretches to work out the previous day's kinks and warm up for the long hours of manual labor ahead.
Our project this week involves maintaining two trails in order to make them handicap accessible. This task involves removing overgrown vegetation along with imposing rocks. Furthermore, the crew must consider "flow" - both the flow of water over the trail to mitigate erosion as well as the flow and continuity required for a fun and safe biking experience.
At the end of the day we gather our tools and head back to camp, stopping at the creek on the way back to rinse off all the accumulated sweat and dirt. When we get back, Jessica and Chris whip out a note pad and take our orders for personalized tuna melts; I order a toasted sandwich with mustard, mayo, peppers, lettuce, tomato, and cheddar cheese. When dinner is ready, we all circle up and decide on a thought of the day - "if you can do cheese, you can do it all."
As we eat dinner around the fire it begins to get dark and we begin to play "if you really know me, you would know...." - a game where each individual takes turns sharing brief facts about themselves. The facts range from funny childhood stories to deeper, personal anecdotes and reflections. Before we know it we have gone around the circle seven times and it has gotten late. We decide it would be best to save the dishes for the morning and call it a night. We quickly shuttle the food coolers back into the van, wipe down the table and retire to our tents, anticipating the delicious reward of a relaxed morning....
-Nomi Sherman
Crew BRAVO
June 7, 201
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