The SCC ROCKS!

Greetings bloggers, my name is Jonathan Barczyk and I am one of the new AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers working in the headquarters office in Durango. On my second day working at the SCC I was afforded the opportunity to hang out with crew number twelve in Hermosa for a couple of days. I have never worked on a crew for the SCC, So it was the perfect chance for me to see what being a crew member was all about.

Crew twelve’s task was to move a bunch of HUGE boulders along a trail, and then fill in the spaces with crushed rock, in order to prevent the creek from flowing over the trail. I couldn’t imagine having the drive to complete such an arduous project. When I was hiking to their work site along the Hermosa Creek, I half expected to see a bunch of kids passed out from exhaustion. On the contrary, upon arriving, I was greeted by a group of people that were hard at work completing the final stages of their assignment. I asked them about the work at hand. Crew leader Dave exclaimed that this work was not for the faint of heart and heart was what they had. I believed him. They all seemed to be exhausted from the days work, yet were in high spirits with smiles and laughter to prove it. I immediately began working with them. It wasn’t long before I felt like I had been part of the crew for a long time. After crushing rocks for sometime, I marveled at the differences between the various types of rocks. Some I smashed and they were obliterated in a dusty haze. Others, I hit with my mallet only to have to hit them again and again and again, until finally they broke. In the crew’s opinion the best rocks to smash were the black shale rocks, and I completely agreed. Upon striking this rock you were rewarded with a crisp shattering POP, followed by a clean follow-through that seem to fall into nothingness. It was a welcoming delight after hitting so many rocks that were impenetrable. During a break, crew leader Landis announced that there would be a rock skipping contest. This was no amateur rock skipping contest. These crew members were seasoned professionals, and I didn’t present much of a challenge for them. Gathering rocks, smashing rocks, moving rocks and aligning rocks was what this crew did, but on a larger scale they were making thousands of people happy. They were constantly reminded of this when trail-goers would pass by the work site and commend them for their great work. You could see the pride within each of them light up as hikers, bikers and motorcyclists passed by their worksite. This is the kind of pride and worth that the SCC distils in their crew members.

Once the workday was over, we returned to base camp and they began to prepare dinner. Everyone had a designated task. Functioning like a well oiled machine, the bean and rice tortillas had been eaten, the dishes had been cleaned, and it was time to relax. Hacky sack and cards ensued for the remainder of the night. As I laid in my shelter thinking about the days work and the work of the day to come, I couldn’t help but be excited about my year as a VISTA. The SCC does great work that needs to be done, and every crew member and leader should be proud of the work they are doing.