I’m not back to my computer yet, which has been sitting in my bedroom in Wisconsin since May, but we’ll be reunited in less than two weeks. So as I prepare to transition back into a regular blogging routine, and to give you a taste of what the past six months with Rocky Mountain Youth Corps were like for me, here are a few posts written by myself and fellow corps members:

 

Barbed Wire, a Month in Dinosaur National Monument by Nate Ventura – Long Walks and Dirty Socks
We began our summer season with a month-long fencing project in Dinosaur National Monument. In this post, Nate explores the struggle of being tasked with building something so controversial for many of us, the intriguing history of barbed wire, and he closes with a fantastic description of our desert surroundings in Dino.

LNT on Colorado’s 14ers by Conlan Olson
After our month in the sun and dust, we spent our remaining six weeks working on Mt. Evans with CFI (Colorado Fourteener’s Initiative). This post is a nice introduction to fourteeners (mountains that are 14,000-some feet in elevation) and why we must be extra careful to Leave No Trace (LNT) in the alpine environment.

Wagging in the Wind: A Memoir by Eric McSwan – CFI’s Blog
To piggy-back the previous post, here’s a quick read and video from CFI which explains what a “wag bag” is.

Kesha: A Soundtrack for Conservation by Nate Ventura
Nate had us rocking out to Kesha all summer and fall, so in this epic, entertaining post he explains why Kesha’s music is ideal for conservation crews.

The Importance of Being Beginners as Adults by Rebecca Thering
I wrote this post after painting portraits of my 5-person fall crew and reflecting on similarities between taking up watercolor painting and joining the conservation world.

This Is the Real World, Muchachos by CJ LeCluyse
CJ, a member of our summer crew, wrote this beautiful piece at the end of the season. She examines the feelings that arise when transitioning out of crew life and shares what the “real world” now means to her.

 

There’s really great writing in these posts–I hope you enjoy it!