Back Again

Our second backcountry week has come and gone, which leaves us with two weeks of teen crews left for the season. It looks like they may be a rocky two weeks.

We met our crew on Sunday and hit the road on Monday to tackle work on Section 15 of the New England Scenic Trail, but we had no idea what the work was going to be. Are you sensing a theme here? Me, too. We arrived at Wendell State Forest to find that our lean-to was very near to the parking lot, which is not really the backcountry experience the volunteers wanted. We also had no tent platforms, so we had to stealth camp in the most LNT way possible. It worked out fine, though, and we were lucky to be nearby to a pond and privy that gave us some simple comforts during the week. Luckily we were also decently close to the ranger station which had clean water, because our water source was so heavily filled with sediment that it clogged our three pump water filters after filling half a water bottle.

Filtering water

On Tuesday I finally addressed a nagging pain in my knees and back that wouldn't quit. Trail work isn't easy, and it's normal to have aches and pains throughout the week. This kind of pain was a step above my average qualms (which there are many of), so I was advised to "sit and supervise" for the week. It's about the last thing I wanted to hear, but it was better than being pulled out of the field. Sitting and supervising is incredibly boring and makes the day pass ever so slowly. I decided to stay in the field and modify my work, which included a little less back breaking work and a little more delegation. It didn't address the fact that I carry many many pounds in my pack and tools every day, but it was something. I called all of our hikes my personal death marches (only slightly dramatic).

 

Digging in the mud

I may have been "modified", but the crew still took on pretty big projects involving installing a waterbar, nine step stones, clearing corridor, taking out blowdowns, and a day of tread work. It was Lumberjack and I's third straight week in thick mud, so I was happy to pass the digging and heavy lifting duties over to my crew. The waterbar in particular was a nightmare, as a natural spring in the hillside filled the hole with a foot of cold, murky mud water that was, at the very least, very annoying to work through.

Crew at the lookout

I was more engaged with the group this week, which made things vastly better than last week. Last week I was a grumpy old lady, this week I was just an injured old lady. I also got news this week that brightened my life up a bit; I was offered a position with AMC through AmeriCorps as a Community Outreach Coordinator in Boston. I gladly accepted the position on Friday once we left the field. I'm excited for a new opportunity, and I'm happy to be staying with the AMC when I return to Boston.

I knew by Friday without a doubt that my previous back issues were back again and it wasn't just any old ache. I few hours of my week were spent trying to coordinate a doctor's visit this weekend, but it turns out that small town doctors don't have many weekend options. I had to settle for a walk-in clinic outside of Great Barrington. I spent my Saturday morning at an "express care" clinic (basically a baby E.R.), and the outcome was exactly what I suspected. The doctor couldn't pinpoint exactly what the issue was, but she advised me to take two weeks off to let my back heal. I'm not to do any heavy lifting or carrying, so basically I am not to do my job. Thus sparks the logistical nightmare of trying to come up with a solution to give my back a break. Conflicting schedules are preventing me from just switching to an office week, and the only solution may to be have someone else carry my gear and have me truly "sit and supervise". It is nearly impossible for me to go into the field without carrying anything or using any tools, and if I did then I would just feel immensely guilty that I wasn't literally and figuratively pulling my weight. I'm happy that I've come this far through the season without any major mishaps, but it's frustrating to have such a clusterfuck pop up with only two weeks of teen crews left (and one week of "pro crew").

For now I'm going to continue lying down, as the only comfortable position for me is to be horizontal, and try to forget the frustrations for the rest of my day off. Only a month to go.