i put on my crew leader hat again for this one, hoping that there wouldn't be as many logistical challenges as there were on my previous crew leading experience (remember the envirothon??). in the end, there were quite possibly more logistical challenges, but it was a great time!
we headed out on monday morning, the van packed up and the trailer loaded. our course brought us on a dirt road that was completely rutted out. not exactly ideal when you're towing a heavy trailer full of tools, food and camping equipment. at one point i saw a sign that said "road closed" and was really hoping that sign was referring to another road. i still don't know what the sign meant, but we eventually made it to the mountain.
we ended up scoring the best campsite i've had all summer. it was certainly an eventful drive up the mountain though. we drove up a windy, but paved, road until the turn-off for the campsites. the campground was recently turned into a hike-in only facility, so folks can park in a side parking lot and hike everything in. we were able to drive in since we had so much stuff, but this meant that the road we traveled on was not entirely in the best shape. we had to drive about 2 miles on yet another rutted out, windy dirt road to get to stony ledge, our group site for the week. about a mile in, and after lots of times having the trailer hitch hit rocks and bumps, we hear a BOOM! POP! hiss.....which signaled a flat tire. not the best thing to have happen on the first day of a project that requires commuting to a site. after looking all around the van and the trailer looking for the flat, we realize that we must have popped the spare tire living below the trunk of the van. i was relieved at not having to change a tire, but then i stressed out all week about getting a flat tire. oh well!
i don't know it i can quite capture in words the feeling i had when we drove up to that campsite every day. after what seemed like endless driving on the dirt road, we camp to a pull around with the most beautiful view i've had in massachusetts.
the place we stayed was called stony ledge, and it literally was a stony ledge. the group camp site was about 50 yards into the woods and came complete with a very nice lean-to, a few picnic tables, fire pit, composting toilet and a bear box big enough to fit all of our food. oh, did i talk about the view? so, i guess you could argue that the best view at the state reservation should be on top of mt. greylock because you can see everything around you, but the view from our site was even better because you could see mt. greylock and the rest of the range tumbling off in the distance.
every moment at that campsite felt epic. our conversations, molly's guitar plucking, eating meals. everything felt monumental. at the same time, being there and seeing these majestic, tree topped mountains made me feel so small and insignificant. i really like that about nature. i noticed for the first time that different types of trees grow on different slopes of the mountains. i think i've learned that in a class or had it explained to me, but it doesn't really compare to sitting on a ledge and actually seeing the patches of pine trees clinging steep slopes while other deciduous trees grace the rest of the peaks.
the project was great. we built 10 dimensional lumber bog bridges along about 2 miles of trail and also constructed a 12 ft boardwalk along a really muddy area. here are some photos!
we definitely had our fair share of challenges with injuries, thunderstorms, and being separated along a 2 mile stretch of trail, but all in all, i had a great time! on our last morning, we decided to wake up early for the sunrise, go back to sleep for a few hours and then take a trip up to the summit at mt. greylock. quite a majestic way to end trail season...
No comments:
Post a Comment