Less Than A Month To Go!

Hello all!

I created this blog to keep in touch with folks back home while I'm away this summer. I want to be able to update everyone on my life without having to send a bajillion emails (because I have a bajillion friends). I'm hoping to post updates about what we're doing, what projects we're working on, mishaps and triumphs in the woods, and more.

For those that don't know, I will be spending this summer in the Berkshires working for the AMC as a Teen Volunteer Crew Leader doing trail maintenance and conservation projects. My future co-leader and I will lead and manage groups of up to ten teen volunteers on week long front and back country projects based out of AMC's outdoor center in Russell, MA. We will also be responsible for planning and cooking meals, making sure no one dies, and morphing into pack mules to carry 50-80+ pounds of gear to the work sites.

I applied for this job on a whim because I was bored at work one day. Wouldn't it be nice to be outside all summer? I thought. I didn't expect to hear anything back, but a few weeks later I got a request for an interview. Suddenly the prospects were much more real, especially after the interview went really well. When I was offered the job I was faced with a decision: give up two jobs here (one that I really like) and put life as I know it on hold for three months, or stay with the job security I currently had and continue on. I decided to take it to do something different. The weight of city living has been getting heavier and heavier since I graduated, so it was hard to say no to living in a tent all summer. On the flip side, I pushed back the opportunity to receive tuition assistance for grad school from REI short of my one year anniversary (you have to be there for a continuous year before applying). My decision comes with some consequences, like giving up my apartment, leaving my friends and family and Adam, and walking away from two jobs, but overall I'm happy I accepted.

Taking the new pack, Deva, for a spin

As for now, I'm working on solving the logistical jigsaw puzzle that moving out of my apartment and two hours west requires. I am also awaiting gear lists to see what I still need to buy. Thankfully for REI it should be manageable. I have been able to slowly accumulate gear over the past few weeks, but it is still stretching me pretty thin financially. Thank goodness I will not be paying for rent, utility bills, food, and other living expenses all summer, because gear is still expensive, even with our generous discount.

I was able to start breaking in my new boots and pack on a recent hiking trip with Adam. I only walked (limped) away from the trail with one blister! It was also entirely my fault, as I did not wear my usual sock liners.

My next big step is to (hopefully) slowly start moving my stuff into a storage unit, where it will live until I get back in September. I will not be returning to that apartment when I come back, so I'm also attempting to secure a new place to live before I come back. If I can't then it will be up to Adam to make sure I'm not homeless in the fall. Maybe him and I will just stay in the tent and become nomads. That's not a knock on his house-hunting abilities, but more of a wince at rejoining city life. A girl can dream, right?

Check back for updates as I prepare to leave on May 26th!