Gopher Peavey 1986 - Department of Forest Resources - University ...

Forest Service
Volunteer
by Dan Groen
I spent last summer working on the Redfeather
Ranger District in the Roosevelt National Forest in
Colorado. My job title was "Volunteer Wilderness
Train Crew Member", and my job description included
making and repairing trails in the Rawah
Wilderness, public contact work, and forest fire
fighting. Since I was a volunteer, the Forest Service
only paid me for fighting fires as well as just enough
to pay for my food. In other words, I would have earned
more by flipping burgers all summer. On the
other hand, the fringe benefits were great. Every
Monday morning, we would pack our gear, load up
to llama (Tom Dooley), and hike into one of the most
beautiful parts of the country to spend the week. The
two guys I worked with were alot of fun, and that,
combined with some good work experience, made it
a great summer.
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A typical day on the trail started at about 7:00 or
8:00 in the morning. We'd crawl out of our tents and
start some water on our stoves. Then, to wake up, we'd
dunk our heads in the nearest water (usually fresh
from the snowfield), all the while wondering why we
did it every morning. Then coffee and breakfast,
throw some lunch into a day pack, load up Tom the
llama, and go to work. We'd spend the day on the
trails correcting erosion problems, horse damage, or
building bridges that had washed out that spring.
Machines aren't allowed in the wilderness so I learned
how to use hand tools pretty well. It was hard
work, but also a lot of fun. Once in awhile we'd quit
early and run off to play. (I hope my boss never reads
this). We climbed a couple of peaks, glissaded down
snowfields, and swam in some of the alpine lakes,
which sometimes still had ice on them.
After we got done with work, we were usually too
tired to do anything but eat dinner and sleep, but
there were some nights that were different. There's
not much to do at night in the mountainS except talk
and look at the stars, and there had to be something
special to talk about like the night some bighorn
sheep invaded our camp or when we saw a herd of
seventy elk or the night we stayed up to listen to the
rest of the district on the walkie-talkie as they fought
a fire. Most days, though, we had spent enough time
talking to each other during the day and wanted lots
of sleep.
Some of the best times I had out in Colorado were
when we would come out of the wilderness to the
ranger station. That first shower in days felt great (the
trail crew members were nicknamed "Dirt Dogs"
because of the way we looked by the time we came
out), and after we'd relaxed for an hour or two the
rangers and the Dirt Dogs would challenge each
other to a volleyball match or drive into Ft. Collins to
have fun.
I'll never forget those people or those mountains
and I'd like to go back sometime to se them both.
Even though I didn't come back to Minnesota with a
lot of money, I came back rich. So if any of you don't
want to be volunteers because of the money, think
about it some more. It could be one of the best times
of your life.