Feral Future!

Wikipedia says that a “feral organism” is “one that has escaped from domestication and returned, partly or wholly, to a wild state.”   This week on CLDP crew, we chose as our crew name the Feral Future; “feral” because we are going into the wild and, in some ways, becoming wild ourselves.  “Future” because as members of the Crew Leader Development Program, we ARE the future of SCC.  This name I think shows the progress we as a crew have been making on our first real hitch.  Over the past 11 days we dug our first latrine, made our first mound fire, spent our first unshowered 11 days together in the wilderness, and many other departures from “domestication.”  Despite the grime under my fingernails, my permanent bed head, sunburned arms, and stinky feet, I feel good knowing that my crew and I have returned to our wilder roots and accomplished something on the Turkey Creek Trail that will last for years.

This week we dug culverts, cut trail corridor, repaired tread, built water bars, removed rocks from the trail, and established drains, each day returning to our camp site to learn more about each other, about leadership, and about nature. We kept ourselves entertained by games of Mafia and Mancala, the Helmet Name Game, and sing-a-long time over the dish bins.  There is something distinctly satisfying about ending the day hanging out with your crewmates instead of zoning out in front of the TV or surfing the web.  I guess this is what people mean when they talk about “building community,” something I can see clearly within my crew. I think we’re all looking forward to a new hitch full of possibilities for good work, growing friendships, and especially awesome camp meals!

Christine (Trail name: Prickly Pear)
The Feral Future!!!