Fresh Eggs, Strawberries, and Maple Syrup

When I talked to Amy Yee, 15, a little over a month ago, the thing she was most nervous about for her month long crew was the plane ride there. After her trip, when I asked her how the plane ride went, she hardly remembered that she had ever been nervous.

Amy, a first year CLC student from Oakland, went to the east coast for her summer crew. Her crew was a little unusual in that they worked in two states: half the time at Merck Forest and Farmland Center in Vermont and half the time at Grand Lake Stream in Maine.

She particularly enjoyed working at Merck Forest, a self-sufficient and sustainable farm with animals, organic vegetables, maple syrup, timber and other sustainable items. Her crew did general maintenance work, worked on a trail and helped out with farm chores like collecting free range eggs and picking organic strawberries. The fortunate crew got to sample the farm’s food, including fresh eggs, strawberries, maple syrup and lamb. “The food was very fresh,” Amy said.

The second half of her crew was spent at the Grand Lake Stream in Maine, working for the Land Trust. After working on building a trail every day, the crew refreshed themselves in the river.

For their rec trip, they drove to Acadia National Park. Amy’s favorite day was spent on a beach, swimming and relaxing.

When I asked Amy how it was living outdoors for an entire month, she said it was very enjoyable and she didn’t even mind only showering once the entire time, but the experience did make her appreciate the amenities of home.

Five weeks ago when I talked to Amy she said she was “up to the challenge” of her summer crew; now she says the experience was “wonderful.”

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