I can only hope that the insane amount of driving miles I've managed to rack up over the last month or so will eventually even out with mileage under my feet and on my legs. Time will tell. Still, it's been quite the adventure to drive across and over and around the country, seeing some places I've never experienced before, and others I haven't seen for many years. I had to laugh at myself, as I drove steadily on, that the names that popped out at me were those I associate with ultramarathons I've only dreamed of racing, but have never been able to travel to: Massanutten, JFK, Frozen Head, to name a few. Someday, if I find myself relocated to the Northeast (which I fell in love with) I will happily revisit these sites...and RUN!
But, for now I have been preparing for the summer season of leading crews of high school students on work projects in our National Park system with the
Student Conservation Association. I'm currently here in San Antonio, Texas, the eve before my crew arrives, and ready to do some work at the
San Antonio Missions National Historic Park.
However, I'm getting ahead of myself, let me attempt to re-cap some of the weeks that have preceded this moment...
I made it to New Hampshire and it was beautiful. I spent many days putting in 12 hours or more, attending workshops, teaching work shops, and eventually participating as a Workskills instructor. The workskills bit...this was an unexpected and amazing turn of events. I had not intended to stay for this portion of our National Crew leader training, and I most certainly had not expected to be an instructor. This was (in my most humble opinion) a huge honor and privilege, and I do very much hope to do it again.
As the next few months will promise to do...I have many things to share and very little time to do it. So, in an attempt to get some of it out into the world, I'll add pictures below and brief comments to some, and from there you can use your imagination. Just know that, I'm mostly outside, I'm back to doing work that is challenging, fulfilling, and what I am truly passionate about. Really, what more could a person ask for? (except, perhaps, a little more time for running.)
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| home sweet home. |
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| the beginning of the tent city |
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| raddest water fountain ever, it counts how many plastic bottles we've NOT used by re-using our own bottles and filling them here. |
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| do you need me to explain the cuteness of baby goats? |
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| gender neutral bathrooms. yay. |
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| the best kind of tent city- voluntary |
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| Pegged carhart overalls. Just say no to ticks. |
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| base camp set-up/workskills |
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| tick-resistant fashion |
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| the beautiful Connecticut River, backdrop to my worksite |
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| workskills, teaching folks how to make awesome stuff with rough timber |
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| rough timber crib steps |
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| the sickest vest i've ever had the honor of wearing. |
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| yeah, two pics, it's that awesome. |
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| do you need me to explain the cuteness of sweet cats? |
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| yeah, i sodded that. |
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| and then i sodded it some more...awesome to reconnect with old friends in Austin, and to make some new ones along the way. |
That's all I've got for now. I'll try and update again after my San Antonio Missions crew is done and before I head up to Washington to work in the
North Cascades National Park. Enjoy the summer, enjoy being outside, enjoy everything that the world has to offer us, and do your best to be a positive force within the universe...really, that's all we can strive to do, right?
