Rocks, jokes, goats and a Czar.

Last week, Jonathan and I (we’re the two VISTAs) got a three day glimpse into the lives of the trail crew working in the Chicago Basin in the Weminuche Wilderness. It was a stark contrast to step outside of my windowless, dark office and up into this area covered in wildflowers and surrounded by towering fouteeners. This location is truly unbelievable!

The group we visited is one of SCC’s most remote backcountry crews, requiring a three hour train ride and an eight mile hike just to get into where camp is set-up. SCC members are working together with members of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative trail crew, totaling 15 people.  The crew members only come out of the basin every 25 days, so I felt like I stepped into a unique microcosm of society.  I got to observe the interworking of relationships, hierarchies, duties, and personal well-being that has formed in this small community of people.

One of the things that really impressed me was how this camp ran like clockwork. Two people cooked breakfast at 4:00am; breakfast was served at 5:00am; everyone hiked into work locations at 6:00am; lunch was eaten at noon; the crew returned from work at 3:00pm; two people cooked dinner at 4:00pm; everyone ate at 5:00pm; people were exhausted and in bed by 8:00pm. They had to be rested and ready to do it all over again the next day! The trail work was definitely hard and done in extremely challenging locations on steep cliff sides. Chores were listed on a whiteboard in the kitchen and were rotated between people everyday. There was also a “Czar” picked for the night, which I originally assumed was an honor that bestowed autocratic power. But no, not quite; instead the Czar had to make sure that everything was cleaned, put back in its correct place, and shut down for the night. Hmmm…maybe this is some kind of reverse psychology tactic.

The bulk of the work done by the crew involves collecting rocks to build retaining walls and a rock staircase, creating a new diversion trail in order to restore the area and allow the re-vegetation planting  to take hold on exposed areas. Throughout the long day of hard work, there was never a shortage of jokes, songs, and laughter. Most of the jokes were not exactly SCC website appropriate, so you just have to trust me that this is a really funny group of people.  The good-humored nature is a key component to building strong relationships within the crew and laughter definitely seems to help in keeping up the motivation for the eight hour work day. And of course, the primo location doesn’t hurt when spirits are low. Crew member, Laura Stein said, “When the work gets hard, I just stand up and look around at how beautiful the area is. I can’t believe I am getting paid to work here!”

The time that the crew spent together outside of the workday left a lasting impression on me. At dinner each night one crew member would tell the whole group their entire life story, starting from the day that they were born. This was a cool way of giving someone a chance to tell all of those random details that might not come up in everyday conversation. Playing music before bed was another ritual that shed light on the various talents that existed within the group. A guitar, a harmonica, a banjo, and some singers created lively tunes with a few popular covers and some improvised songs describing different experiences from that day. The group has written a new hit favorite titled “Radio” about a mountain goat that frequents the campsite. Keep a look out…I’m sure the hit single will reach stores soon.

The combination of hard, stressful work, and living in a secluded, close-knit community, leaves the door open for a variety of problems. In spite of these interesting dynamics, this crew has been very successful and has produced extremely quality trail work up to Twin Lakes. I felt lucky to be welcomed into camp, to get to know the crew members on a personal level and to spend three days with them in the backcountry.