Backcountry Busy

I write this from the comforts of a leather couch in Double Cottage, enjoying my last few hours of peace before our next group arrives. Ah, life is tough here in the wilderness. 

This past week was our first backcountry excursion. I was not very excited for it, because originally it seemed like the only work we could do was corridor clearing (bonafied weed whacking) and painting blazes on trees. Hell. No. It was going to be a huge waste of manpower, and not to mention very boring. Thankfully we got approved to do work within the existing tread with some minor restrictions. 

So, we headed 1.5 hours north to section 17 on Mt. grace on the New England Scenic Trail. We had hopes to set up camp and at least scout out work, but those hopes were squashed. It took nearly two hours to find and do a decent bear hang. Food for 11 people for four days weighs a LOT, and we were in a particularly shady area that didn't have many low branches. There were a lot of other things to go over (camp setup, water filtration, sanitation, cooking, etc.), and it took us the whole work day to do. 

We almost went into Monday blind, meaning we had no idea what we would be doing. It seemed pretty standard us. Luckily, though, I hiked up to the top of Mt. Grace with a group and found some work to do along the way. We were rewarded with a 360 degree view from the top of the fire tower at the summit. I was pleasantly surprised to see Mt. Monadnock, my old friend, in the distance. 

My group started a large stepping stone segment on Tuesday, and we were able to get two set on the first day. The other group joined up with us to complete the project, which needed 15 stones in all. I was excited at the potential to finish a big project in a short amount of time, but back pain and general weariness got the better of me. I felt worn out and in need of a vacation all week. My patience was wearing thinner every day. Friday felt so far away. 

Despite my grumpiness, the week came and went as it always does. It felt long, but in reality we did a lot in a much shorter time than we usually have. I was proud to have done the amount of work that we did, but I was so ready for the weekend. 

We only have 3 weeks of teen crews left (then one week that's just us), so I feel as though I just need to suck it up and ignore my longing for time off. Put on my happy face and keep on keeping on.