After.
Drew bucking the fallen Ponderosas.
Cleaning up the carnage to clear way for the new fence.
About 80 years old. That Pondo lived a great life.
LT lost a paper airplane contest...pink pants was the consequence.
Mt. Adams halo prevails.
Good day mates!
Well just about a week and a half in the books here at Americorps and I will do my best to explain the atmosphere and energy that has been created here in Trout Lake.
Trout Lake is swarmed with organic farms, class 3-5 rapids with beautiful falls, a glorious view of 12,000 ft Mt. Adams, bike trails, endangered frogs, coyotes, bald eagles, and some very pleasant live music at the local community center. It is a small town that is well connected and families support each other with their farming and local industries.
There are about 45 members/leaders here at the MAC (Mt. Adams Center) and we are a part of the Northwest Service Academy. It has been days filled with the best organic food I have every tasted and paired with a slew of genuine friends with a common goal of serving our country with fantastic personalities of unity, selflessness, and hard work.
The aspect of the program that has been so fantastic is the organization of each day with our orientation. Each morning at 6am there is an activity conducted by one of the team leaders; the activities have been disc golf, yoga, bike rides through Trout Lake, or a run down by the water. Then a designated team is put on breakfast at 7 and our training begins at 8am and runs to approx. 5pm.
There have been so many useful skills that I have gained each day such as sharpening blades of our tools, putting up barb wire fencing, backing up a trailer, cooking for vegetarian and protein rich foods, and proper safety procedures for every possible trail work activity you could imagine. I also created a nice journal at arts and crafts night which I decided to list the different things that I have learned throughout my term.
Mt. Adams Center is 4 different dorms with 2 people to a room. There is a volleyball court, horseshoes, disc golf course, ping pong, and so many walking trails you don't know what to do with yourself. It's been great with my hyper-active personality because there is always something for me to do.
It is such an honor to be a part of a organization where the team is truly larger than any individual. My team is absolutely fantastic and I don't exaggerate one ounce because the mixture of personalities seems like a great fit for the type of work that we will be doing. Our leaders are Marguerite from PA and Drew from North CA. The other members in our team are Tom from NJ, Tanya from WA, L.T. from OR, and Jackie from KS. We truly bonded on our first hitch when we traveled to nearby town to remove three ponderosas that fell on a barb wire fence. We had a day of brush removal, chainsaw bucking, and re-wiring of barb wire. It was great to finally get out and work as a team to set up a fence that will keep cattle out a stream that needs to be preserved for the salmon of the area.
Oh the food! Holy shit! I can see why people eat organic. The flavor of everything is a party in your mouth and everyone is invited. It is going to be a pleasure learning to cook from my members because Tanya is vegan and Marguerite/Drew are fine cooks as well.
Off to Portland tonight for some good ole' fashioned fun!
Cheers,
Luke Davis
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