Ben Hooks Final Days of Work

It's been an amazing summer. I have been surprised to find an accepting and loving community of people who have appreciated our work in a remote part of their area and welcomed us into their homes and lives. Living out of a tent has become second nature and camp had begun to feel like home. It will be difficult to re-acclimate to the absence of most of the night-time skyscape and the presence of mechanical sounds, electricity, and all the things I would have previously deemed comforts of modern life. I will miss Laurel Fork and the good times that it has hosted.

Making trails accessible which were largely inaccessible previously, we have opened the Laurel Fork to a lot of visitors who may have otherwise had difficulty navigating the trails. All the people we have encountered throughout the summer have been appreciative and praising of the work we set out to do and have done. I am extremely proud of the work our crew has accomplished in the short summer months.

While at first I may have worried that committing to living with 4 other people in the woods for 4.5 months could be more than I could take, I found myself surrounded by, in some ways, like-minded people, while at the same time being introduced to a variety of backgrounds and life experiences which have broadened my views on parts of the country that I had little knowledge of. Since arriving in Staunton, VA in May and spending the following months all around Virginia I've met a lot of people that I will not forget and who I hope to stay in touch with and it is going to be sad to see it end.