I left lots of things in oregon.
It's been a long time and my adventures spent in Oregon already seem like a wacked out epic dream. As a crew leader with the youth conservation corps, the Northwest Youth Corps, you give up every part of yourself to your work, to ensuring your crew is safe, happy and having fun and that things are happening the way they should, regardless of whatever crazy stretch of trail lay ahead or if it's fucking raining and you can't tie your shoes or you're sweating off 110 degrees in the high desert. Apart from the sheer physical exhaustion of working 8-10 hours a day, mentally challenging yourself to motivate a crew of 10 highschool kids to pull weeds for 2 weeks is enough to make anyone go bananas. The disconnect with culture, civilization and society is unsettling and needless to say, you lose contact with what you left behind and things change.
Regardless, the experience was amazing. My other crew leaders were family, cause without them you are nothing. I worked in some incredible areas of the country, saw some beautiful sunsets and sunrises and got paid to do it. At one point I didn't bath for 18 days and that was in a heat wave with black flies that found there way into EVERY orifice on top of Mount Hood. When all was said and done though, the feeling of getting into a cozy, yet odorous, sleeping bag at the end of a long day was awesome. It is odd how the little things that you look forward to in a day can truly make or break your attitude in an experience like this; the next tree I can chop down, the pb and j at lunch, my nalgene full of instant coffee, stretching next to newton creek after work, reading to the kids before bed, watching the sun set, the stars come out and the sky turn dark.
What I learned in Oregon:
pronounced Or-gun.
Mini busses aren't just for the special kids. Maybe
Iodine water can disinfect anything. Including your entire colon.
Good conversation is awesome.
Never underestimate little things. They make you happy, even in the most shitty conditions.
Overalls are not a good option when hiking. More like a sweat bag.
Using a chainsaw makes you feel like a badass, regardless of what you are doing.
I am a good cook: my dutch oven repertoire includes:
Bread pudding
Breakfast Rice Crispies
Coffee Cake
Lasagna
Cornbread
Tofu Stir Fry (awesome)
Only you truly have control over yourself and where you are going. Nobody can take that away from you and you can't be afraid to realize it.
Fake it til you make it.
I can grow a pretty full beard.
There can still be snow in August, and you can also fall on your ass in it.
Some kids are just horrible kids. You really can't do anything about it.
Mediocrity is bullshit. Make a difference.
I made/have some really awesome friends.
And that is what I learned.
> song of this summer >>> Wagon Wheel
