Life after SCC!
Posted by SCC on Thursday, December 16th, 2010.Well, I’m into my third week at the new job already, and it still feels strange. A good kind of strange, but…strange. I’m so used to waking up before sunrise to the sound of someone’s voice yelling “breakfast!” and waiting until the last possible minute before I had to force myself out of my sleeping bag, or as I liked to call it, ‘the cocoon of warmth.’
For thirteen months straight this was my life. The crew life. I traveled from the Sonoran Desert of Arizona to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, made the transition from crew member to crew leader, but still the lifestyle remained the same.
Shivering as you eat breakfast and attempt to warm your hands near the propane stove, shedding layers throughout the day as the sun warms your back, cleaning and sharpening tools, trying to squeeze in an education lesson after dinner, and finally crawling back into your sleeping bag with sore muscles and frozen toes.
And, I loved it. Working on a conservation crew was unlike any other experience in my life. Life takes on a beautiful simplicity when your sleep schedule is dependent on the sunrise and sunset, you aren’t reliant on cell phones or computers, and you may not see a mirror for 10 days.
But then I decided to make a change. I was interested in gearing up for another season of crew leading, browsing different conservation corps websites, when I came upon a slightly different opportunity. I found myself reading the job description for Logistics Assistant for the Nevada Conservation Corps. I thought “hey, I could do this!” I applied for the job, and one week later, I was hired. In a matter of days I had to uproot myself and move to a city I had never seen before in my life! But so far, it’s been worth it. Like I said, it is strange. Having a Monday through Friday schedule is not what I’m used to. But I think I’m going to like it. And in the summertime I will get to go back into the field for crew visits. I’m excited for it, but right now I’m enjoying some time indoors, and taking my lunch breaks whenever I feel like it. 
