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By Meg Chapman, 07 FIREMON intern, Coeur D’Alene, ID

Remember the computer game “The Oregon Trail?” The one in which your wagon caravan never actually reaches the Oregon coast ‘cause everyone, including your cattle, die along the way? Well this past weekend, I actually got to walk along the same trail used by thousands of Americans who headed west in search of “greener pastures.” And although we didn’t see any dead cattle, we did have a great time revamping Boise’s stretch of the Oregon Trail.

This past Saturday, the 29^th of September, the SCA Boise office celebrated National Public Lands Day and the 50^th Anniversary of the SCA with an Oregon Trail beautification project. OK, OK, so we picked up trash…LOTS OF IT. Although I had never seen any part of the historic Oregon Trail, what I found on the outskirts of Boise was not what I had imagined. Boise’s part of the trail has been greatly misused, mostly as a landfill. We are not just talking about the usual assortment of bottles and plastic bags, but crazy things such as beds, scrap metal and wood, a motorcycle, discarded underwear, and even a headless, lion lawn ornament.

Well, someone had to pick up the trash; and who better than a diverse group of people who are devoted to making a positive change in the environment? Therefore, on a very blustery, autumn morning, 20 volunteers, including Boise office staff, Ada County Parks staff, community members, alumni, and current interns and project leaders (some of whom came all the way from Coeur D’Alene!) spent 3 hours collecting approximately 4 tons of debris…all within a mile of the trailhead.

It was nice to know that our service project marked the beginning of what will be a total Boise Oregon Trail makeover, which will include several miles of reconstructed trails, and a much-needed informational kiosk. We also got fed an incredible BBQ lunch. Nothing like hard work rewarded with a full stomach. The lunch was accompanied by some great conversation and mingling amongst the volunteers, and when it looked liked we couldn’t eat all the food, the rest was given to one of the city’s homeless shelters. All around, it was a job well done.

By Katie Myszka

August 19 - 22, 2007 — The gathering started off slowly as alumni began to fill up the campsite. We weren’t the only ones arriving at Yellow Pines, as our first black bear sighting occurred before 7pm. It meandered along a fallen tree and checked out Rob’s tent on the edge of the forest, squashing his straw hat in the process. The bears were to be an exciting part of the upcoming 3 days.

Monday morning was chilly, but alumni and interns alike were up early and eager to start the day in Yosemite. We were joined by a number of park staff as we headed to Cook’s Meadow to pull invasive Himalayan blackberries. After learning the difference between the native raspberries and those we were to dig out, we set to work with a lot of laughter, eating blackberries and getting scratched in the process.

Later that day, even more park staff joined us back at Yellow Pines to celebrate our 50th Anniversary around the picnic tables with Scott Weaver, SCA staff & 1978 crew leader, Todd Nelson, NPS staff & 1996 intern, and Natalie Mebane & Caroline Nelson, current interns, sharing their SCA stories through the past, present and future. After a delicious dinner, we spent the night playing many games of UNO and relaxing around the campfire.

After spending a few days in the Valley, we were all ready to explore more of the park on Tuesday. A large group drove up to Tuolumne Meadows and hiked to Elizabeth Lake for a frigid dip in an alpine lake. Others drove the scenic route to Mariposa grove and hiked through the Giant Sequoia trees. We were continuously amazed at the massive ancient forest that surrounded us. Although everyone was tired from their hiking adventures, we were not too tired to go swimming in the Merced River once again before the sun went down.

It was a fabulous weekend with just enough hard work, celebration and relaxation. It was amazing to be in such a beautiful setting with such wonderful people who wanted to connect with SCA again and meet others who felt the same way.

I have seen a lot of SCA crews in my time. But this one — and I say this with all due respect to the many in our ranks who wear their hard-earned grime and stench as a badge of honor — was the most putrid I have ever encountered.

After three weeks of trail building in the backcountry of Great Smoky Mountains National Park they may have actually posed a greater environmental threat than the one they alleviated. One member, a 16-year old nicknamed “Darla” for her resemblance to a certain fish in “Finding Nemo,” proudly stated she had not washed her dark, curly locks since she arrived. “I’m really a blonde,” she claimed.

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I’ve been traveling a lot lately and I enjoy long plane rides if only because they permit me to read. Lately I’ve encountered numerous stories about 1967’s “Summer of Love” (SCA’s 50th isn’t the only anniversary going on).

I’ll admit it: I was around during the Summer of Love, though as I was all of 11 years old I didn’t fully participate in the, um, experience. What I most remember is spending three weeks with my family on a lake in southwestern Maine. I did all the typical kid things: swimming, fishing, wandering through the woods — the very activities Richard Louv notes many of today’s children miss out on. As a city kid, exploring this strange new outdoor world was a blast.

Rainy days were often my favorites. The other vacationers would flee indoors to their jigsaw puzzles and paperbacks, or jump in the car and go antiquing. And that left everything outside to me. The clouds made the world seem very small, as if someone had trapped me under a giant, fog-filled bowl. Except I didn’t feel captive, I felt freed.

I loved walking barefoot through the wet grass. Getting a sudden soaking whenever a breeze rustled the overhead branches into applause. Watching fuel from the fishing boats form an undulating Peter Max poster on the lake surface (and remember, this was without the chemical enhancements of the day).

One afternoon, ambling through the raindrops along a pock-marked beach, I found a plastic salamander that had apparently washed ashore. It was shiny black with the most perfectly shaped yellow polka dots. I picked it up and got the shock of my life when it started squirming between my fingers. I regret to report the little critter became the first amphibian in space.

Just the same, if you’re planning to hit the mountains, beach or both in the next week, my advice is don’t let any showers dampen your day. With the right mindset, true adventure can be yours if you just add water and stir. Or as Clapton sang in ‘67, “let it rain, let it rain…let it ra-aa-ain.”

I did the evening drive to Voyageurs at, shall we say, warp speed. In fact, as I navigated northward the lightning bugs glancing off my windshield could have been phaser blasts deflecting off my force field. If, you know, such things were real.

The following morning I rendezvoused in International Falls with Craig Halla of Forest Capital Partners, an investment firm dedicated to sustainable forestry and sponsor of SCA’s Voyageurs crew. An affable, high energy guy, Craig closed the office for the day and led his staff on a field trip to meet up with the SCA crew. But first they loaded two coolers with sandwiches, drinks and ice cream and then we all hopped a park boat for a 20 minute ride on Kabetogama Lake to Cruiser Trail. From there, the FCP team hauled the cumbersome coolers over a half mile in stifling heat, over rugged terrain, and through insatiable insects. Suffice it to say they broke out the cold pop as soon as the introductions were over.

The effervescent crew eagerly shared details of their innovative bear-proofing strategies at base camp (think “open air fruit market,” 10 feet up), a recent visit to a bird of prey handler (estimates on the size of the eaglet they saw ranged from eight inches to three feet), and an excursion to town where they gleefully devoured every no-redeeming-value snack they could find (”Whoopie Pies, Cheetos, Gummie Bears…”).

With lunch out of the way, the crew and Forest Capital team set to building a series of trail cairns. Once the high school kids realized their visitors were willing to hunt and haul rocks for them, they — the crew — quickly settled into the enviable role of supervisor. Soon the job was done, everyone posed for a group photo and then, not afraid to show their simian side, the group sat down picked ticks off one another.

Too bad they couldn’t have just zapped the buggers with phasers.

Four videos from The NPS-SCA event in Washington, DC from April 26, 2007.