Au Revoir

I write this from a hot, humid, loud, crowded, chaotic existence known as "Boston during moving week". It's been quite the transition from living in a peaceful, quiet tent for the past three months. Sounds of birds and wind and rain and grass rustling have been replaced with car horns, ambulance sirens, the hum of the fan, and noisy neighbors.

I reread my entire blog from the beginning out of curiosity. I wanted to see what my thoughts were when I started this journey until now. You may not think three months is a long time, and it isn't, but a lot can happen in that time. And it did.

Uprooting your life to go to a new place and a new job and a new life for a summer isn't easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about what I lost, what I was missing out on. I had been in Boston for 6 years with the exception of one summer at home. I spent the last year and a half out of college working, and a year of that working an average of 50 hours a week. As draining as it was, it was my life.

Giving up two jobs and saying "seeya soon" to my family and friends was stressful. In the beginning I thought about things in terms of what I would be losing or missing out on. I would miss out on the things I love most about summer. I wouldn't get to spend precious time with my family and my niece, I would miss out on three months of her growing up. I would miss BBQs, boat rides, camping trips. I would miss all of the simple joys that come from living day-to-day with the people you love. I was losing the ability to plan little day trips, go on hikes, go to my favorite swimming holes. It hurt to leave, even though I was excited for what was to come.

Now instead of thinking of what I missed out on this summer, I think of all the things I gained.

What started as curious anticipation about who I would be paired with all summer ended in a solid partnership. I gained a friend in my fearless co-leader, Lumberjack. We lived together day in and day out for three months, we learned each others quirks, passions, pet peeves, and many other things. We gained the ability to work together without words.

End of Season Beers

I gained even more knowledge and appreciation for the environment. I learned how much work it takes to construct and maintain trails, and I learned how to do so from some great teachers. Speaking of which, I learned more about trees, plants, and animals than I anticipated, especially birds thanks to Collin. I was able to cash in on my love for the outdoors for three whole months.

Sunset atop Mt. Grace

I gained an appreciation for truly difficult work, I had pride in what we did. Trail work is not easy. It's physically demanding, it's muddy, it's mentally taxing, but it's really fucking fun.

You Got GOOD BOOTS

I got to do something I'm truly passionate about; getting people outdoors and providing an experience that fosters learning and growth. Teenagers can be a really difficult age group to work with. Some kids didn't want to be there, some would have rather been inside playing video games than ever pick up a tool in their lives. We weren't successful every time, but most often we were able to get those that hated it to have fun for the week. On the other end of the spectrum, we had superstars that were just amazing. I was blown away by the energy, perseverance, endurance, and maturity of some our kids. Some kids loved it, some kids hated it, but in the end we got them outdoors and doing meaningful, difficult, and rewarding work while teaching them about teamwork, about nature, and the value or preserving the wild lands that we have left.

Nature Walk

I gained a love for the quiet moments. In the beginning of the season the quiet moments were hard for me. It was then that I really missed home, my family, my friends. By the end I cherished those quiet moments, either by myself or with friends. It's not often these days that you can truly sit in silence without the noise of modern life bugging you. It's not often you can get a group of teenagers to quiet down long enough to enjoy their surroundings in nature. It carries a weight and a sense of freedom at the same time.

Quiet moments atop a mountain

Last but not least, I gained a love for the Berkshires and for our little trail system at Noble View. We were the first to ever take trail crews on the trail system, and we did a massive overhaul of the system itself. We also made vast improvements to sections that needed it. It may not have carried the grandeur, allure, or high number of users like some other trails our crews worked on, but it was ours.

What a summer it has been!