I attended school at Portland State University with the intent of becoming a teacher. My degree in child, youth and family studies gave me a broad lens when looking at education and youth work. I found that I was eager to combine my knowledge of working with children and getting outdoors. That is what brought me to the Public Lands Stewards program. I am really looking forward to joining a program that allows me to facilitate teaching the importance of the outdoors and being stewards to our land with kids in the community. I can’t wait to see all that the kids have to teach me, too!

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I thought about writing about my impressions of Entiat Ranger District, and life working for the Forest Service, but presumably that’s been written many times already, and honestly, I’d rather let any future intern reading this form their own impression, unadulterated by my perspective. Also, and again honestly, I’m arrogant enough to think my reflections on this matter are worth reading.

With very few exceptions, no human spends a protracted period of time in the wilderness, and doesn’t come back feeling “better” than they did prior. The sights are lovely, breathtaking even, the sounds are simple and sweet, and you’re given the solitude for reflection that’s so hard to achieve in contemporary society…but those conditions can be met strolling through an art gallery with a pair of headphones and YouTube search for “Bach cello suite” or “nature noises” or even just “white noise.” While that certainly can be rejuvenating for some, the effect doesn’t seem to be nearly as universal as time in wilderness.

Conditions can be harsh, and even in the best weather, walking for miles, perhaps with thousands of feet of elevation gained in a day, it can provide a fairly strong source of accomplishment to spend time out there, and return unscathed. But that too can be achieved through other means. Working on a craft, completing a project, reaching any goal, but that can still feel hollow at times. Not this though. I’ve never felt hollow out here, and I don’t know a single soul who has.

The language found in the wilderness act even reflects the point I’m trying to get at, however clumsily and verbose my attempt may be. “Solitude,” “unconfined recreation,” and “primitive” are just some of the seemingly banal terms that pepper the legislation, which I’d say hint at the authors of it having had profound insight into the human condition. While attending a wilderness management seminar in the Methow Valley a few weeks ago, a discussion occurred about the use of chainsaws in wilderness. I didn’t understand the ardent objections to brief and limited use of chainsaws to accomplish in days what could take weeks or months with a crosscut and hand tools. I know what the law says, but the law does give authority to certain agents to allow things like that, so what’s the big deal?

Remember that book I mentioned at the beginning? That’s what the big deal is. Wilderness is the only place on the planet where not only are you allowed to cast off the yoke of technology, culture, and a million other things that shape our thoughts, you’re literally required by law to. It’s one of the late vestiges where we can try to at least get a taste of the primordial and untainted human spirit inside all of us. There’s no roads, no walls, no cities, heck there are even limits on party size so there can’t even be enough people present to constitute a village. As the wilderness act states, wilderness is a place where “man and his works” do not dominate the landscape. This is the place where you’re assaulted by the humbling and beautiful fact that you’re just an animal trying to stay warm, and free from mosquito bites.

The more tangible environmental impact of wilderness stewardship is no doubt of incredible importance as well, and I don’t want to diminish that fact, but wilderness constitutes such a small percentage of our nation’s land, keeping it “clean” isn’t going to slow the increasing speed at which humans impact this planet. However, the uphill battle to preserve these lands, and keep them as unspoiled and free from the devices we’ve used to subjugate this planet, can hopefully provide a place where people can learn or be reminded of what it truly is to be human, and that might be enough to slow the steam engine of “development.”

I don’t know, ignore all the ostentatious words and narcissistic attempt at profundity, I guess I’m just trying to say, speaking directly to future land stewards, what you’re doing is important. Not “presenting a sales pitch for the Stevenson account, gonna get paid big” kind of important, but…man I’ve used enough big words for one day, you get what I’m saying. Just think of it this way, I’ve never heard ANYONE say “ew gross that job must suck.” I’ve heard “that must be hard,” “that must be scary,” “you go out in the middle of nowhere?!” but usually the refrain of this song is “wow I wish I had your job.” People value what you’re going to be doing, almost ubiquitously (there are a few detractors of course), and that’s because it is in fact, supremely valuable….also it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

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Winter has come… It is now October; the grass is icy and the air crisp. Our last month has come and I still remember the first time I drove up the long winding roads across the Columbia River and the sketchy metal Hood River bridge (not actually that sketchy anymore), past Husum Falls, past the dairy farms and the agricultural fields, past the forests, and lastly arrived here at the Conboy National Wildlife Refuge to a serene and quiet place that I have enjoyed very much.

In reference to my last blog post I successfully combat rolled my kayak in the White Salmon River and even took on the middle part of it from BZ down to Husum. I failed to try kiteboarding- but I did go skydiving on my birthday. I caught two Coho salmon and I have gone horseback riding around Mt. Adams’ base. The frogs have mostly disappeared in this cool spell, leaving us with much work to do at other organizations. In that light, we have worked at the Spring Creek Fish Hatchery working with the Fall Chinook return, gone electrofishing with members of USGS and the Yakama tribe in Rock Creek, visited Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge where we collected and planted Wapato seeds, and visited Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge where we took airboats out on the Columbia and planted trees on Sand Island.

I am excited for what is next and have come to appreciate this place and all it has to offer; staying in a place this long is a wonderful way to explore new territory and truly get used to it and integrate yourself. If I were staying the year I would be excited to go skiing once snow blankets come, but I will most likely head back to California shortly after the program ends and figure out what comes next for myself and my ambitions moving forward.

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With AmeriCorps graduation approaching, I’ve been wrapping up my work with WREN and filling out end of term paperwork. One of the questions on my Member Exit Survey asked if I felt I had an impact on anyone in my community during my position. I answered yes, knowing the nature of my job has brought me into contact with plenty of people. After filling out the survey I decided to look into what my impact really has been, and even I was surprised by the numbers. Over the course of six months, I have worked with 2,100 students in the Eugene area and nearly 500 adults. These numbers come from a wide array of educational scenarios, in which I:

–       tabled and led activities at big community events

–       guided students around the West Eugene Wetlands for field trips

–       taught and worked alongside teenage Youth Corps workers

–       brought programs to classrooms, libraries, community centers, and assisted living facilities

–       gave a presentation at the Oregon Science Teachers Association conference*

Though my interaction with each of these individuals may have been brief, I believe the sum of these interactions amounts to something significant. Because of these field trips, presentations, and even quick crafts at busy events, I have helped nearly 2,600 people connect to nature in some way. In my AmeriCorps motivational statement, part of my application for this position, I described what moves me to pursue a career in environmental education: “I would like to join AmeriCorps to improve lives; I want to make the world a better place for all living things, and I want to dedicate more of my time and energy to community service. I am passionate about connecting people to nature and promoting environmental conservation. There is so much to learn from spending time outdoors, and I believe everyone should have access to the psychological and physical benefits of healthy natural spaces.” Through this position, I have been able to directly address elements of this goal by working with learners of all ages to teach about my local public lands and their value to people and wildlife alike.

I want to thank Mt. Adams Institute and Willamette Resources & Educational Network for providing such a positive experience for me during this term. It has been a joy and an inspiration to be around so many people with not only a love for the outdoors, but also the drive to conserve natural spaces and make them an even greater and more accessible asset to our communities. These shared values help shape the true strength of this program; across a range of jobs and work settings, we are all putting our skills and experience to use towards a common objective.

*To learn more about this, visit:  http://wewwild.blogspot.com/2019/10/osta-conference-splash.html

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By this point in the summer, I think I have a good grasp of how the flow of each day goes. Wake up, get ready for camp, drink a lot of tea, set out materials, wait for the shuttle to show up with the kids. However, for my last week of camp I actually had an overnight MacGyver camp, which meant that our campers were engineering/making gondolas to use on a zip line. The object of their challenge is to shuttle an endangered species, (stuffed animal) across Trout Lake Creek safely to the other side. I was immediately impressed by how smart the kids were, already asking so many good questions and throwing themselves into the challenge head on.

I had worked at overnight camps before so I was really looking forward to doing activities that the day campers never got to do. The kids helped me bake really misshapen pancakes in the morning, they helped cook every meal and dessert too. Before lights out in the bunks, me and the girls did typical camp things like building forts and making friendship bracelets, it was pretty classic. I even talked them into doing a mini “campout” under the stars in the field.

I wish that I had gone to this camp as a kid. It seemed really empowering to them to be able to come up with their own ideas and test things out, change if they had to, work together, and actually build functional containers. They even got to do some programming songs and measured the speed and tilt of the shuttles. They built scales and gained some confidence using power tools. I think I would have really enjoyed being trusted with that amount of creativity and problem solving on my own.

It was a great balance of typical camp fun and engineering. I had fun leaning into the overnight camp schedule, playing really intense kickball and playing in the creek. It was a good way to end the summer, and I can’t believe how fast it all flew by. It seemed like yesterday that the camp season started.

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The following are potential hazards that a wilderness backcountry ranger on the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest might face on a daily basis. This is not an attempt to scare anyone away from spending a season in this position, but serves as a list of some of the challenges that make this job remarkable. Working as a wilderness ranger is not dangerous as long as you plan ahead, prepare, and use common sense. I would argue that statistically, it is more dangerous working at a restaurant than as a wilderness ranger, although you are less likely to get hypothermia or attacked by an animal bussing tables (both have happened).

1. Falling Trees

You will never be sent out to work on a fire, although you may discover one burning and be obligated to call it in. You will work in burn areas, which are sections of forest that fire ran through, but have long been cool to the touch. The most devilish hazard here is falling trees. Wind certainly helps, but snags (dead trees) can come down at any time for no reason. If camping in a burn area, look up before you lay out your tent. Early in the season, we were planting trees at a developed campground surrounded by burn, and the wind came up. Snags were coming down all around us (we were safely out of reach with hard hats on). In one strong gust about 20 charred poles came down with what sounded like a burst of machine gun fire. But don’t be fooled, green trees fall too. A group of us from Entiat and Chelan Ranger Districts were camping in the Methow Valley, attending a wilderness management training. Everyone had just gone to bed when a massive tree fell less than 50 yards from our site. Again, mind where you camp, and always be ready to dodge a falling tree when working in the woods.

2. Weather

Weather is to be taken seriously in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest. The elevation of the Forest ranges from around 1000ft to over 9000ft, and the weather in any given week has a similar range. At the end of June, my partner and I were assigned to patrol the Upper Mad River dirt bike area, a large, flat basin that sits at about 5500 ft. The temperature was cool and dark clouds blocked the sun as we started on the 10 mile hike in via North Tommy Trail. Rain and thunder began midday. Already soaked to the bone, there was a sudden temperature drop and the rain turned to sleet and snow in the late afternoon. Feeling advanced hypothermia lurking, we decided to make camp on trail and ride it out. An hour in the tent and 22 degree bag was better than a sip from the fountain of youth. On the opposite side of the spectrum, it gets hot in the East Cascades. Exposure is very real in a shadeless burn area. We were lucky this year with a near record snow pack, and a wet, cool summer. But some years the streams run dry and the temperatures hit 95+ above 6000 ft. Carrying 6 liters of water is usually not the beginning to an adventure story. Also, lightning can be benign, and if you are accustomed to storms you know when it is safe. But if ever in doubt, pull out. Getting your toe nails blown off (at the very least) is a steep price to pay for a volunteer position.

3. Animals

I saw a cougar on our Upper Mad River redemption trip in mid-July. The dirt bike trails had just been opened a day prior. I left camp at the blue creek guard station at 830, and a half hour later I was face to face with a large cat. Ten feet off the trail between a stand of adolescent lodge pole pines, an angry face on a buff body starred me down. I froze in deep fear as a blur took off across a meadow and out of site. The blur must have fallen into the creek in the meadow because the tension was broken by a large splash. Feeling relieved that the cats are as afraid as me, I continued hiking. Black bears are around too, but just as skittish as the cats, and both are well fed. Driving up to North Fork trailhead we scared the scat out of a 250 pound Bear, and it was gone before his dust settled. My partner walked up on one on the lake creek trail 10 yards ahead of me and I only heard the brush it displaced as it disappeared. Cougars and black bears can be extremely dangerous if you catch them at the wrong time, but that is unlikely. It’s the deer and goats you need to be concerned about. First, don’t urinate 100 ft from where you are sleeping unless you want a deer party keeping you awake. Herbivores are salt deprived in the cascades, and will eat your urine and enjoy it. Rodents have been known to chew the cork from trekking poles for the sodium (much to posh hiker’s dismay). Never urinate in front of a mountain goat. Never stomp your feet at a mountain goat. Stay away from mountain goats, especially in the enchantments. Two hours into my first venture to the Middle Alpine Lakes, I was pushed off trail by a father protecting his son, although they seemed to be posing for a photo rather than threatening me. Nevertheless, I gave them a wide lane, for an adult goat could push a strong hiker off a cliff face without effort (especially where I met them, the most technical section of the enchantments trail, and it was covered in snow). The area also hosts Rattle Snakes, but as long as you watch where you step and don’t provoke them, the chances of a bite are very low.

4. Trail

Most of the trails that I patrol are breathtakingly beautiful. Steep climbs over passes and up to alpine lakes, ridge lines with 360 degrees of big sky mountains, and old growth treks crossing countless streams. One false step could prove fatal; tumbling down a scree field, free falling off a 1500 foot cliff, slipping into swift, chilly waters. My partner slipped off a log and plunged into Cow Creek in June. Had he not been wearing his hard hat he could have sustained head trauma from the rock that caught him. Smaller hazards such as roots, rocks and rutted out tread can handicap your lower half. Watch your footing and step with purpose. A sprained ankle is a serious situation 15 miles from the trail head.

5. Tools

The tools we use can incite bloody injuries if not used correctly or maintained to standard. Silky and katana hand saws are effective ways to remove logs from trails and are small compared to their cutting power. They make up for their size in the sharpness of their teeth. When the hinges on these saws become loose (as they frequently do), opening and closing becomes a finger-Russian-roulette type game. After cutting a log in late May, I began to close my katana and the blade swung down with the full force of gravity and closed on my left index finger. Had I not been wearing leather gloves, it might have been more (or less) than a bloody mess. The act of removing logs from the trail can also be sketchy business with logs under bind and working on steep terrain. After a log is cut and free, gravity can send it your way with force and vengeance. Always abide by the principles taught in cross cut training. Swinging tools are a danger to yourself and those around you. When swinging, make sure to control the area that the tool is moving through (the blood bubble). Heads of axes and Pulaski’s shatter and fly off in random directions. Always check the soundness of the tool before working with it. Although not as commonly used, working with chainsaws is statistically dangerous as it gets. For all tools, especially saws: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required along with a confident understanding of what you are using and why you are using it. Use the right tool for the right job and always size up the scene. My favorite of the cardinal rules of trail work is “a dull tool is a dangerous tool”.

6. Wear and Tear

Carrying a 50+ pound pack and trail tools over long distances in rugged terrain will destroy your body. Always move at a comfortable pace, use proper body mechanics, and stretch as much as you can. Use your off days to relax and recuperate. If you are like me and need an exercise fix every day, do low impact workouts like cycling or swimming. I’ve also found that abdominal workouts paired with pushups are great for increasing endurance and strength for work. Listen to your body. If you charge too hard your ability to work in the future will be affected.

Being a backcountry ranger through Mt. Adams Institute’s Public Lands Stewards program is the most invigorating thing I have ever done. To successfully complete the season, you must have situational awareness at every moment. Circumstances change, things go south, and adventures begin. I hope to soon start a career with similar and exciting new occupational hazards.

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The purpose of this blog is to inspire anyone who is interested in a Public Lands Stewards AmeriCorps position with the Mt. Adams Institute (MAI), but has yet to fully commit. This specific blog is oriented towards the Wilderness Ranger position in the Methow Valley Ranger District (the best district in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest).

The lifestyle. During your time as an AmeriCorps member in the Methow Valley, you’ll be living and working on a 6/8 schedule. That is, you’ll have six consecutive days off followed by eight days on. This work schedule gives you amble amount of time both in the field and on off days to explore. This past season the other MAI intern serving with me on the Methow and I both worked independent in the wilderness throughout the season. Due to the large size of the districts wilderness areas, the more boots on the ground the better. You’ll also be provided housing in a great little area called Mazama. There isn’t much to do around here other then recreating. I spent my off days hanging down by the river (which is right behind the house), biking the local trails, getting after it in the backcountry and bagging peaks, and sport climbing at the local crag called Fun Rock.

The work. The primary tasks of a wilderness ranger include making public contacts, which typically consists of saying hello, chatting with recreators about Leave No Trace ethics, where they’re headed, and any other pertinent information you can offer to better their experience in the backcountry. Another significant responsibility is data collection. You’ll be using a tablet or your smart phone to record the status of campsites, signs, or any other significant findings in the wilderness. Other duties will vary day to day depending on where you are in the wilderness, but could consist of installing signs and or pit toilets, working on a log out with the trail crew, packing stock and many other odds and ends.

Skills, certifications, and the future. The Methow Valley Ranger District and my supervisors have been fantastic at helping my get all the certificates and trainings I can get as an AmeriCorps intern. An extremely unique opportunity in the district is the Horsemanship and Packing certificate which is a week long training where you develop horsemanship skills and learn how to properly pack and use mules and horses. I was also able to receive my Class B Bucker Crosscut certificate and go on a few logout hitches with the trail crew. Lastly, I also received all the classroom portions of guard school (the process of receiving a red card to fight wildland fires), the S-130 and S-190. In the case I am hired by any federal agency I simply have to perform a pack test and attend a brief field day and I’ll receive my red card. This position will also give you ultimate networking opportunities with the Forest Service, specifically in the district. The opportunity with MAI and the Forest Service can and will act as a stepping stone to a job with a federal agency whether you’re looking to become a wilderness ranger, a member on a trail crew, or a wildland fire fighter. Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this district is that everyone you’ll be working with is interested in helping you learn and grow and has your success in mind. It’s what this internship is all about and this district has done an excellent job in preparing me for the next step towards a federal position.

If you’re interested in a career or even just a few seasons as a federal employee the Public Lands Stewards program is a fantastic way to get your foot in the door, gain experience, and have the season of your life. I’m currently trying figure out my next step and it is difficult knowing there is nothing else like this out there. The lifestyle of living and growing in wilderness has been an unforgettable experience and I feel strong mentally and physically, independent, and more capable then ever after spending the summer solo in the wilderness. I feel pride in helping manage one of the most beautiful places in the country and feel so much a part of a community.

So I say do it. You’ve only got but one life so live it.

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While writing this post I was able to reflect on the last four months and all the experiences therein. This season seems like it has flown by, but so many things have happened in this tiny amount of time.

I spent many happy days at the south coast native plant nursery, which was one of the best experiences of this season. It takes an army to get things going when thousands of plants are involved, so it was a boon to have a couple of interns come down to help complete several projects. One project involved plants that the nursery supplies to the Big Creek Restoration Area to preserve an endangered species, The Oregon silverspot butterfly. There are a variety of different plant species, and they fall into two categories.

The survival of the species hinges on whether or not there are early blue violets (EBV). The silverspot caterpillars will only eat the leaves of this plant, and so the presence of these violets is tantamount to whether the species will be able to sustain and grow their population or not. The EBV is a diminutive little plant that gets crowded out by  more vigorous and aggressive (and often invasive) plants. The management provided  by the natural resource specialist that allows the EBV to flourish at this site is incredibly important.

The other category of plants provide nectar, and shelter from the salty breeze, for the adults. This is where the progeny of many of the seeds I collect along the Oregon coast trail go, so I was able to see the journey of those seeds from beginning to end. Being able to help with preserving a species that would otherwise go extinct was incredibly  fulfilling.

Working for Oregon State Parks has been a good fit, not only in that it allows me to be outside, exploring the coast, but also in that it aligns with how I think we should  manage our parks, specifically preservation. I got a chance to go out and count Lilium occidentale, another endangered species, at Floras Lake State Park. The lilies are now  starting to come back because other species of plants, including gorse, are being removed. Management is so important for some plant species that are adapted to ecosystems that have for the most part been lost, and would not exist without human intervention and conservancy efforts.

While my everyday is not spent working on big projects that have a specific goal in mind, I do think that every time I remove an invasive plant or plot the location of a rare species it makes a big difference. I am so grateful for the chance to work for Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and Mt. Adams Institute. This program has helped me to focus on what it is I really  want to do, and the sort of impression whatever I choose to do will leave on the world.

-Rachel Carlson

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Going into this field season with previous experience in plant monitoring, I thought I knew what to expect. But my time as a Public Lands Steward at the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge has far surpassed any expectations I had; I have found a renewed sense of wonder and awe for the natural world, and was constantly reminded every day of not only the beauty found in plants, but in the ecological connectedness and dependencies that exist in nature.

I have loved plants since plant field study day at Outdoor School in the sixth grade. To be honest, out of the four field studies it was the one I was looking forward to the least. But as soon as we went on the plant walk and identified the plants around us, something clicked and I have loved plants since. I have since come to acknowledge that my connection to the outdoors is due in large part to my connection to plants. It has also led me on the career path I am on today, and I know that it will continue to shape my future. There is so much to explore in the natural world and on our public lands, and I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to reconnect with that aspect of myself. I sometimes feel that I have become so focused in on studying plants, but my time at Tualatin River has reminded me of what it felt like to be excited about the salmon in the Sandy River or the soil layers that lay beneath us.

This season was a chance to branch out and learn about so many other components of wetlands and learning I have built many new connections and understandings. I have re-awakened my enthusiasm for rocks and minerals, salamanders, bird calls, and animal scat, among so much more.

I have seen more Great Blue Herons than I can count, but I still stop to marvel at their prehistoric and ancient nature.

I learned that some people can in fact hear bats screeching, but if you are able to hear them, it is most likely coming from a bat in the largest size classification.

I have watched as the waters went down for the summer and have risen since the beginning of fall.

I learned that some species of waterfowl will embark on a molt migration if they lose their young.

I saw wapato for the first time this summer and have been collecting seeds for restoration.

I got to look for the endangered Nelson’s checkermallow plant and collected seeds from other endangered/threatened/rare plants on the refuge.

I still love plants, if not even more than when I started this position, but my experience at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge has reminded me of sixth grade Natalie and the beginnings of a lifelong connection to the natural world.

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Turn and Fall

Fog hangs heavy

In the valley

Animals find solace

In their hiding places

I wonder how the three-legged elk is faring

Fall is Coming

Bull’s bugle

After a long summers absence

Three points and five points

Sparing for practice

Cranes congregate

Tucking away last bits of energy

Before riding the thermals

To the sunshine state

Life is growing up, and slowing down

Subtly changing

In preparation for the next season

We should too, we should too

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My one person tent and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness have become my home and I am not ready to let either of them go. These past few months have been a whirlwind of adventures. There are only a dozen or so lakes that I have yet to visit and only a few trails that I have not hiked and worked on. I am going to miss talking with PCT hikers who’s cups are almost always full of positive energy and gratitude towards my cohorts and me. I will miss getting stuck in rain storms and even digging the occasional pit toilet. I’ve been blessed this summer and am thankful for our forests and the opportunities I’m having while working as a wilderness ranger. I am going to miss having the forest as my office and pray that I can make it my office again someday.

Instead of watching the blue angels fly overhead and hydroplanes race across Lake Washington on Seafair weekend I got to summit Mount St. Helens in search of native mountain goats for the annual Mount St. Helens Institute training and survey. Ten groups of surveyors spread out across the Mount St Helens monument with binoculars and telescopes. Each group was given three plots where they’d search far and near for goats. All the groups searched for goats at the same time for an hour at each plot to avoid double counting goats. Plot one was at 7 am, plot two at 9am and plot 3 at 11am. Unfortunately, my group and I had no luck in finding goats but we were able to summit the volcano and peer down into the crater. Crazy to think that Mount St. Helens was the most destructive volcano in US history and is still an active volcano.  I might not have found any goats but the people in my group were awesome, goofy and full of fun facts about Helens and many other things, like goats. Did you know that mountain goats are not actually goats? They are in the goat-antelope subfamily. Their hooves are cloven with soft pads in the middle and sharp outer edges that allow them to stand on tiny ledges. If you haven’t seen what they can climb I’d recommend you look up a video of them scrambling up rock faces as gracefully as Spiderman can climb buildings. Mountain goats have white wooly double coats that allow them to withstand -50 degree Fahrenheit weather and 100 mph winds and also camouflage in with the snow. Sadly their wooly coats were unable to protect them from the eruption in 1980 that ended up being the most destructive volcano in US history, wiping out the entire mountain goat population in the area taking the lives of 57 people. Luckily the mountain goats have been making a comeback after being reintroduced to Mount St. Helens and there are now over 250 goats roaming around the monument.

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Upper Lyman lakes in the Glacier Peak Wilderness area is a truly sublime glimpse into Washington’s high alpine. As little as one hundred years ago, these lakes were nonexistent, and instead were covered by the Lyman glacier, now almost completely receded onto the side of Red Mountain. Accessing these lakes proves challenging, the only routes being a long hike and glacier crossing via Lake Wenatchee, or the scenic and more popular Lyman Lake trail from Holden Village.

In the summer of 2018, a crucial log bridge crossing was washed out just below Upper Lyman and forced a reroute trail through highly sensitive alpine meadows and watersheds. As a Public Lands Steward AmeriCorps member through Mt. Adams Institute, partnered with the U.S. Forest Service, I had the unique opportunity to assist in the replacement of this log bridge in an effort to protect this beautiful area.

While the higher-ups we’re working on engineering the log bridge itself, I was tasked with preparing the bridge site for a successful installation. On a three day trip to Lower Lyman with my supervisor and another intern, we installed a bridge stabilization rod and removed a hazardous dead tree from the bridge site. This was vital, as the bridge log was to be airlifted via a helicopter, and strong winds could cause the tree to fall during the installation itself. Because there was no safe crossing yet in place, we used an inflatable raft (dubbed the SS Lyman) to ferry across the lake.

On July 10^th (two surprising days ahead of schedule…) we once again scrambled up to Lyman Lake with a couple of helicopter technicians to install the bridge. The weather held just long enough, and after an hour of building excitement and anxiety, the helicopter appeared over the trees, bridge suspended by over one hundred feet of cable.

After much swinging, bouncing and scraping, the log was set “close enough” to our desired resting place, necessitating the use of rigging equipment for the final install. Alas, we were forced to return days later for a third time with a come along (cable puller) and bottle jack, painstakingly lugged up the nine-mile trail, to finally put the project to rest. Two days of rigging, repositioning and tiny incremental movements of the log and we were ready to install the cable handrail and cut the ribbon! Just moments later, hikers began to show up, and became the first to cross the 2019 Lyman Lake bridge.

This was an amazing project to be a part of, as there are only a handful of bridges left in the wilderness, only needing replaced every 60 odd years or so. I learned a ton about installation and engineering of log bridges, as well as factors that play in depending on the location of the bridge. So far, my AmeriCorps Public Land Stewards internship has taken me to some of the most beautiful environments I have seen, and allowed me to help protect those environments for future generations. I’m looking forward to what the rest of the summer has in store!

Cheers,

Zach Barton

The post Public Lands Stewards: Bridge Project in the Wilderness appeared first on Mt. Adams Institute.

Water is Life

May, water is abundant
Meandering through channels and
Man-made ditches
It comes up to your chest
Don’t top!

July, water is disappearing
Forced to a stop
By the disputes of men
Mud and duck tracks are reminders
Of what once was
Some strongholds remain
Seeping hope, under the hot summer sun

As most often is the case
The fate of a species
Rests in human hands
It is a fitful slumber

Golden Hour

Sky ablaze
Clouds the glorious spectators
The dry grass illuminated by the golden hour

Insect wings, and aspen leaves
Infused with the radiance of the golden hour

Oh brilliant beams!
Fill me up!
With your invigorating light, in this golden hour

Every day of my life

Mt. Adams

Serene and beautiful, she stands alone

Clouds pass by
Giving a gentle embrace
Sometimes showering her with white gifts

Clouds move on
White dissipates

And she remains
Nothing to phase her
But time himself

Follow Your Mother

Follow your mother
Across the black road
She jumps the barbed-wire fence
Not big enough yet, you sneak under

Follow you mother
Across the marshy grasslands
From aspen grove to wooded forest
Peak above the tall grass
Stay well hidden underneath
One day, your spots will blend together
And you’ll have your mother’s beautiful coat

Follow your mother
From ditch bank to canary grass
You must keep up, stick with the pack
Already a clone of your mother,
One day you’ll be as strong as her

You have no mother to follow
She left you ready with the tools necessary to survive

Stay close to your siblings
You know what to

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It has been barely over a month since I began the internship with Mt. Adams Institute. After spending a winter in Bozeman, MT, I became accustomed to so many luxuries that I didn’t realize how detached I was becoming to the natural world around me. I slept in a comfy bed every night in my own room. I had a little house that I was able to turn into my hideout from the world. It had a kitchen, sofas, Internet connection, running water, heat, and virtually everything I could ever want. Not that there’s anything wrong with any of these things, I still value them greatly, but I had no reason to leave. No reason to lay out under the stars, talk to strangers, go to a new place, or put myself in any kind of uncomfortable situation. The greatest thing I have gained through the Mt. Adams Institute internship over this past month was a reintroduction to being in dynamic and challenging environments.

Some rough statistics from my experience as a volunteer wilderness ranger thus far:

• Days into the program – 34
• Nights spent under a roof – 8
• Shooting stars seen – 20+
• Miles of trail hiked – 80+
• Trees cut with a crosscut saw – 19
• Bears seen – 3

I find these stats profoundly comforting. A bed has become a foreign comfort. Camping has just become the norm and so many aspects of life have been drastically simplified. Finding a place to sleep, pulling out the sleeping bag, and turning what some folks call “roughing it” into a homey, thoughtless regime is now an entirely stress-free experience. I am more comfortable looking up at the unconcealed night sky atop a couple of roots and rocks, than being sucked into a feathery bed by 800-threadcount sheets. I have reassessed my own ability to handle difficult situations, I remembered what it’s like to act on the fly and it’s exhilarating and hard to not enjoy. No place to sleep tonight? No problem. Need to hike 20 miles to get to where I’m going? No problem. Need to remove this 2-ton, 60-foot tree from the trail? No problem. It’s funny to think how so much has changed since I began this AmeriCorps program a month ago.

So beyond my own selfish gains from this experience, I have found great satisfaction in the work that I am doing with the Forest Service in Chelan. My work involves clearing fallen trees from the trail, removing rocks, brushing overgrown trails, maintaining campsites, and especially talking with visitors about the very special wilderness that we are experiencing together. It takes no effort to make these interactions educational and enjoyable because of the natural curiosity and excitement that develops when out in the woods with nothing, but minimal necessities and untrammeled (mostly) lands.

There has been one project that I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of. A log bridge crossing a hard-to-cross creek was washed out during a major event near the Sawtooth Wilderness. To deter dangerous crossings for visitors, the Forest Service decided to replace the bridge and I was lucky enough to be a part of it. Coincidentally, I have a degree in civil engineering and had a decent amount of experience in designing and implementing bridge projects in hard to access areas. My supervisor went over all the design plans with me and we were able to discuss the nitty-gritty difficulties that come with implementing a bridge in the wilderness, since the practices become a bit old fashioned. It was incredible to tie in my past experiences to what I am currently doing; I was not expecting that when I signed up for this.

We went to the field and began work on the bridge abutments. The goal was to assess both sides of the planned bridge site, excavate the area, build Gabion walls as supports, and install them in order for the log to be flown in (which will happen a couple weeks from now). The work was equally challenging mentally as it was physically. For two days we did nothing, except move hundreds of rocks ranging from five to five hundred pounds. The engineering process initiated as we installed the Gabion walls. Using rope, levels, precise measurements, quick sketches in the dirt to convey ideas, and notepad calculations we were able to construct a bridge support on both sides of the heavy flowing creek that was almost perfectly level with each other (we were off by just barely an inch). I was astounded with how efficiently and effectively out team was able to take on such a challenging task.

After the work was done, I was able to reflect on the project as a whole. I was a part of building this log bridge that will hopefully remain in this forest for decades to come. Hundreds of people will use it to access the beauty that this area has to offer. Whether or not I come back to this area years from now, I will know that I have had a lasting touch that contributes to peoples’ enjoyment of the outdoors.

At the end of the day, I am just profoundly grateful to Mt. Adams Institute, the Forest Service, and the great outdoors itself for giving me such an important experience. I reopened myself to the world around me and feel returned to the earth. I have an expanded capacity in dealing with any challenge that confronts me. I no longer respond to difficulties with stress, but with excitement and an open mind. I am happy, healthy, and reinvigorated.

Cheers!

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