Jessica Rodriguez shares her recent journal entry in which she reflects on the transformative experiences that have reshaped her connection to the outdoors and inspired a new career path as an MAI intern at Mt. Hood.
“ This season has sprouted new leaves in every color, watered a thirst for the outdoors, and completely altered the route of my career trajectory.” – Jessica Rodriguez
Mt. Hood Journal Entry #26 09/22/2024
A Jack of All Leaves
As the seasons shift from summer to fall and I see an orange tinge in the leaves of the Bigleaf Maples, I reflect on how this summer has transformed me, how it’s changed my leaves. From being someone who’d never even held a power tool to becoming someone wielding a chainsaw (and being certified to do it!), and from not being eager to do manual labor to becoming excited to learn about primitive tools, the season has changed me without a doubt. From a week of fire training in guard school to learning how to preserve the history of the mountain with our archaeologist, I can honestly say I’ve done a little bit of everything with every department on Mt. Hood.
My main job is managing volunteers and coordinating the tours up at Timberline Lodge, but as long as everything is in order there, I have free rein to join other departments in trainings, hitches, and outreach, and I’ve taken full advantage of that. I have loved every opportunity and learned an abundance from each department, but my favorite experience by far has got to be the week I spent at guard school to get my Firefighter Type 2 certification. I took hours of classes every day to learn the basics of wildland firefighting. Everything from vocabulary to tool maintenance and beyond was taught to us by firefighters with years of experience. And once they drilled the lingo and procedures into our heads, it was time for hands-on experience. We had a field day where we learned how to use the tools, hose, drip torch, fire shelters, and learned the ins and outs of a fire rig. After only four days in the classroom and one day actually handling the tools, it was time to fight a live fire (a prescribed burn, of course). I didn’t get to actively participate in lighting the fire, but it was still an incredible experience to be so close to the fire, and I learned so much! And although I had such a short and limited experience with the fire crew, it awakened an intense interest in fire ecology within me and has led me to pursue a fire internship.
I’ve also had the pleasure of training and working with the recreation and development crew in multiple tree felling operations. I got to be a swamper and bucker on a project to get Shellrock Creek Campground open, and I had so much fun getting more trigger time on the chainsaw.
Even though there’s only about a month left in the internship, my training and experiences are far from over—I have days of work lined up with other departments and will be helping with their projects right up until the last day. I’m even going to get to join the trail crew on a week-long hitch and help build a trail!
This season has changed me. This season has sprouted new leaves in every color, watered a thirst for the outdoors, and completely altered the route of my career trajectory. This season has grown roots that will lead me back to Mt. Hood time and time again as the years pass. This season has made me a jack of all trades.
A Note From Mt. Adams Institute
Jessica’s story is just one example of how your generosity helps shape lives and careers. Your support makes it possible for young adults like Jessica to gain the skills, confidence, and connections they need to make a lasting impact on our natural world.
🍂 This Giving Season, let’s grow even more roots together. Join us in building a stronger connection between people and the environment by donating to our End of Year Giving Campaign.