Ducky’s Hitch Life!

So this hitch we went back to Lincoln National Forest it was our second time working there but this time was a little different.  Our crew was missing two members we were backcountry, and the weather wasn’t the same at all.  We headed into the backcountry familiar with the ares since our first hitch we worked all over the mountain installing trail signs.  We hiked around 50 miles that hitch so this time should of been easy and it was for the most part besides our packs weighing eighty plus pounds and 20% of that weight was food.  The mornings were cold, with lows in the forties and highs in the sixties which was way different from last hitch in the hot Imperial Valley of California.  This hitch was my favorite because we actually got to build trails, which is the reason I applied for this position, along with being backcountry (which I totally love).  There is something to be said about being in the middle of nowhere doing rock work, it’s is one of my favorite things to do.  I feel empowered when my crew and I have removed a 1/2 ton of rock with our own strength!

Crew 128 traveled to the Sonoran Desert National Monument for our fourth hitch.  We were front country and were assigned to d trash pick up this hitch, something I thought would be a drag but turned out to be not so bad.  We got to work with Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as usual and a fire cew who always gave us ice cold Gatorade and water.  Then rewarded us at the end of the hitch with doughnuts!  We found a lot of bikes because this area is a highley used route for undocumented immigrants.  We found a lot of backpacks and water bottles.

Stephen “Ducky” Hoffert

Crew 128-Sonoran Desert Branch, Tucson