Echo Crew 2023
Author: Ella
This week crew Echo ventured into the Wyoming wilderness to help improve the trails around the remote and tranquil boulder campground. In said expedition we encountered man and moose alike. On free nights, smelly members wandered around through the local town of Pinedale, eating their body weight in burgers and chicken tendies. Throughout the hitch we each learned more about ourselves and each other. The work wasn’t always simple and the hike to the worksite was steep but the view of the surrounding mountains and unique geology was breathtaking. Overall the crew had a week full of learning both on and off the trail.
In my personal experience with this week of trail work I have found significant meaning in the connections it makes to both local communities and my own education staying in boulder campground, we got to meet some of the trail users. One of these people was the campground’s Tui (pronounced Tooey). Tui brought us fresh trout from the lake for dinner and plenty of interesting conversation throughout the week. Making personal connections like these adds to the meaning of the work since I get to see how and why people enjoy using the trail. Tui will use the trail in the warmer months to hike to his favorite fishing spot. Other campground guests and hikers will enjoy work in the seasons to come and they will get to use the same view as we did. In addition to connecting to the community, the same view as we did. In addition to connecting to the community, this work applies to what I’m learning back at school. I plan on getting a minor in outdoor recreation and I have gotten to see real life examples of theories and concepts covered in my most recent semester.
Crew Echo will soon be heading to the backcountry for the remainder of our hitches. This means we will be hiking into our worksite instead of driving and we will be camping in more remote areas. This hitch has been good prep for the upcoming challenges we will face; just like the highs and lows of high school football. As we left the campsite Tui wished us a special farewell (he mooned us). All in all this hitch wasn’t just good, it was
good enough.
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