Mt. Adams Institute Mt. Adams Institute
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • VetsWork
      • VetsWork Fire
      • Land Stewards
      • Education Programs
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • DEI Commitment
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Interns
      • VetsWork Interns
      • Fire Interns
      • Land Stewards Interns
    • Contact Us
      • Reach HQ
      • Live & Social
      • Staff Employment
  • Internships
    • VetsWork
    • VetsWork Fire
    • Land Stewards
    • HIRED!
  • Summer Camps
  • Sense of Place
    • Season 13
    • Sense of Place Sponsorship
    • Sense of Place Archive
    • Hear in the Gorge
    • Donate to Sense of Place
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Sense of Place Lecture Series Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
  • Blog
Close
  • About Us
    • Programs
      • VetsWork
      • VetsWork Fire
      • Land Stewards
      • Education Programs
    • About
      • Our Mission
      • Our Impact
      • Our Staff
      • The Board
      • DEI Commitment
      • Lodging
      • Program Partners
    • Our Interns
      • VetsWork Interns
      • Fire Interns
      • Land Stewards Interns
    • Contact Us
      • Reach HQ
      • Live & Social
      • Staff Employment
  • Internships
    • VetsWork
    • VetsWork Fire
    • Land Stewards
    • HIRED!
  • Summer Camps
  • Sense of Place
    • Season 13
    • Sense of Place Sponsorship
    • Sense of Place Archive
    • Hear in the Gorge
    • Donate to Sense of Place
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Gift A Scholarship
    • Sense of Place Lecture Series Sponsorship
    • Capital Campaign
    • Volunteer
  • Blog

The words of wilderness ranger Ryan Lawrence:

Washington is home to one of the most charming towns in America: Trout Lake, a name befitting the porch swing leisure and down-to-dirt recreation to be had there. For a week I soaked up instruction from some truly great people, the staff of Mt. Adams Institute and members of the US Forest Service. They’re a colorful group living beneath a volcano, with bark under their nails, working in and for something they love.

004.1

That’s the thing, a place is only as great as the people in it. The ones I worked with ranked right at the top, but the local Trout Lakers made an equally great impression. I felt welcome, which is really all a Southern boy like me needs. I’m not gonna lie, Trout Lake’s a hard place to shed and I suspect it’ll call out to me for some time.

 

I’ve since come north to the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, a place I’ll also be spending some words on. My first overnight excursion into the backcountry was quite an adventure, as I got to meet Jasmine Rice, who was not having a good time, not at all. She’d tripped on a root and broke her femur, a potentially life-threatening injury. Earlier I’d made a route-taking choice that allowed me to be at the scene pretty quick. As I rushed there, though, I had some doubts and wondered if I could actually help at all. Expertise in trauma and radio communication I didn’t have, but I did know how to empathize and listen, so that’s what I focused on. I’ve got to give her credit: she’s 17 and about as tough as one of the Ponderosas she was lying under. “I felt a whole lot better when I saw your Forest Service badge,” she told me.

 

She fell in a somewhat remote section of the county, four miles from a trailhead, so it took about eight hours to get an emergency response team mobilized and to get her out of the woods and into an ambulance. Thanks to a group of local equestrians (Fred, Patrick, Skippy, and Ralph), who also provided levity and good cheer, the medic was able to arrive much sooner on horseback. If you can arrive anywhere by horse, you should, because it’s always cool. It’s especially cool, though, if you’re the doc.

 

As a consequence of all this, my ranger partner, Andrew, and I weren’t able to contact Mason, our direct supervisor, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Ewan MacGregor. “I thought you guys either flaked, were dead, or were being heroes,” he said.

 

This was a good reminder to be extra careful in the woods, but it also shows how everyone’s capable of working together for one cause, to help one person.

012.1

I can’t quite put into words how incredible this forest has been so far, trees 300-400 years old, alpine lakes and meadows — I’m speechless. Though stunning, these places have a fragility that’s apparent, that’s in the air and underfoot. I know that if they were less remote, they wouldn’t exist as they are and as they’re meant to be. I feel lucky to be able to witness such spots, and I’m excited to realize that the summer’s just started.

011.1

Share

FacebookTwitterGoogle +Pinterest

1 Comment

  1. Tina Domino
    July 8, 2013 at 8:54 pm /

    Wow it is truly beautiful there. Thank you for sharing Ryan! I look forward to following along your adventure. The pictures are breathtaking. Be safe and keep us updated on your journey.

Comments are closed.

Join Our Mailing List

Be sure to add your name to the roster, so we can send you latest news, jobs, events and resources.

Make a Donation

Make a Donation

Recent Posts

  • Field Notes: Devin Newman
  • Field Notes: Alexander Golman
  • Field Notes: Jacob Boak
  • Field Notes: Caelan Vielbig
  • Field Notes: Omeed Pourboghrat

Categories

  • Bulletin
  • Fun & Miscellaneous
  • Lands Stewards
  • Mountain Talk
  • Sense Of Place
  • Summer Camp
  • VetsWork
  • VetsWork FireCorps

Check Out Instagram

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
Error: There are no business accounts connected.
  • Back to Blog
  • Prev
  • Next



© Copyright 2021 Mt. Adams Institute. All rights reserved.
Mt. Adams Institute is an equal opportunity employer.
contact us | partnership inquiries | site by Greta Rose Agency