Asylum on a sea of rock: - The Mountaineers

stewardship
by Megan durham
Annik Wolfe photo
Tools are usually
provided; all
you bring is
enthusiasm for
trails
A vacation that endures long
after you return home
One of the curses of the modern world is that it is sometimes incredibly difficult
to find time for all the things we would like to do. Between work, the family and all the mundane
details of everyday life, it is tough to find time to just relax and recharge, let alone give back to
the community.
unless you could somehow find a way to do both at the same time.
That’s where volunteer vacations come in, offering a chance for participants to travel to interesting
locations and work to make the world around them a little bit better at the same time.
if you have a hankering for the great outdoors and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, there
are several opportunities to work with a group of other like-minded folk on much needed trail
maintenance projects.
“it really is a cheap, good vacation,” explains Bob Adler, who
has been volunteering on Washington Trails Association (WTA)
work parties for over ten years now. The eight-day projects range
from rebuilding trails to logging out fallen trees with cross-cut
saws and setting a day aside in between for rest and relaxation.
He insists that, despite the work, participants have plenty of
time to sleep, eat, relax and socialize with other crew members.
“There isn’t anyone out there with a whip making you kill
yourself with work. The priorities are—in order—be safe, have
fun and get some work done.” He adds, “i work in the city usually,
so i really enjoy the chance to get out into the woods and get my
hands dirty.”
And there is more than just free time to look forward to. Brad
Davies started going on volunteer vacations two years ago after a
bout with cancer and he was amazed by two things: the beautiful
scenery he was working in and the sheer amount of food that was
provided.
“i was overwhelmed by the food they have. The sheer amount
of it was intense,” he says. Meal options range from fresh salads
and breakfast burritos to Thai food and huckleberry pancakes. With such a variety and the volume
of the cuisine, Davies was happy that he was burning so many calories working every day.
“i was like, this is what you guys eat every night? They eat like kings.”
Not having to carry food, stove and other cooking gear frees up your baggage for extras
that make your free time all the more enjoyable, like cards, musical instruments or chairs. Brad
brought a camera and, among others, took a picture every day at lunch break.
“it was beautiful country. i show the pictures to people and say, ‘this was my lunch break—
imagine, where else can you have a lunch break with a view like this?’”
All tools and trainings are provided by the trail organizations. Participants aren’t asked to operate
potentially dangerous tools like chainsaws (they’re verboten in several wilderness areas).
Whether it is WTA, Earthcorps, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) or American Hiking society,
(AHs), they take their tools and your safety seriously. No prior experience is necessary, but they
are careful to evenly mix experienced participants with newbies to ensure that there are always
plenty of crew leaders and assistant crew leaders to go around.
Continued on page 16
www.mountaineers.org
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