Trouble sleeping? Try a few hundred mating tree frogs.

It’s been just over a month since the start of our 6 month journey and our second hitch of the season is nearly over. From our training at the Augusta Hot Shot Base, to getting to know the new neighbors and communities of both Verona and Staunton, Virginia, and finally setting up camp which was recently taken down by our dear friend Brutus the bear, we’ve been through quite a lot in past few weeks. Condensing even the past 10 days of trail work, camping, and wildlife encounters into 3 short paragraphs would be considered quite a feat for many, so I’ll do my best not to digress too much.

I feel it’s necessary to begin with the mass of mating tree frogs and toads which made their nightly rendezvous’ just 15 feet from our tents, which wasn’t the most soothing lullaby at bedtime. On the other hand, for a wildlife photographer who’s obsessed with reptiles and amphibians, it was one of those rare occasions one dreams about. As I made my way to the water’s edge, just a few of the bug-eyed amphibians were singing their eardrum-rattling songs of love. It wasn’t long before the mad dash of mating mongrels was directly at me from all directions. Hundreds of Cope’s/ Common Gray Tree Frogs and American Toads were literally hopping across my feet on their way to revitalizing the dwindling amphibian population. Oh right, digression. I could write about this chaotic yet ever so peaceful occurrence for days, but I suppose I might lose a few readers. Now the quick and dirty on trail work.

With a crew of 6 and the project leader being the only one with any trail work experience whatsoever, I’d have to say we’re off to a great start. We’ve surely faced some challenges and run into a few minor setbacks from dialing in our finished trail to avoiding Brutus and his love for tires but all in all a great learning experience and way to get us accustomed to life in the wild.