The Big Sky

For the last three weeks I have been in Montana with my fellow ERT members.  This time is always set aside at the beginning of each Americorps year to allow the thirty new members a chance to bond as well as gain some valuable conservation experience.  Americorps St. Louis has ties with the Montana forest service and we are given a government grant each year to help maintain some of their wilderness projects.  This includes fence maintenance, bridge building, trail clearing, and any other odd jobs the forest service needs man power for.  We really did get a chance to know one another on this trip pretty well.  The forest service lets our group camp out at a ranger station in Fleecer Montana.  The building is basically a two bedroom cabin with a small kitchen and living room, not nearly enough room to house all thirty of us.  Therefore we have been sleeping in tents outside in the cold for the last couple of weeks.  I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I elected to set up camp in a large twenty man tent called a yurt.  I only took four showers this past month and I think I had more than most.  Lets just say we coined the term AMERISTANK  appropriately.

Not only  did this time provide the thirty of us a chance to get to know one another but also created an opportunity to get in good physical shape.  Because of the altitude at over 6000 feet we had to adjust to working long physically demanding days with less oxygen.  My first week or so in Montana was a real struggle but we all eventually adapted.  This work itself was also intense which helped me get into pretty good physical shape. 

The weather in Montana is pretty erratic.  We would wake up at 8 am for work to frost on the ground and below freezing temperatures.  By noon it would be mild and by late afternoon I was sweating.  Here is a picture of us at one of our early morning meetings shivering waiting for Quinn to show up.

I understand now why mountain men and lumberjacks wear flannel all the time.  You can easily take on and off clothes depending on the weather.  Needless to say I invested in a few while up in Montana.  Here a couple more pics of some of the scenery we would see all around everyday.