Hitch lead: Lisa Weidemann
Members: Stephanie Hanshaw, Stephani Kopfman, Erica Madden, Maggie Salinas, Adam Martin, Tisha Farris, Matt Baba, Nick Larson, and Shannon Montano
SCA Fuels hitch was nine days of clearing downed woody material away from the base of all trees in certain units of the Salmon National forest to prepare for prescribed burns. There were ten of us, so we were able to get a lot of work done despite the steep 60 degree slopes and 92 degree heat. Since this was strictly manual work, we entertained each other with riddles and daily games. After day four we found that we finally moved through the five stages of grieving toward acceptance. The accomplishment we felt knowing three units of the forest were ready to be burned made it all worth the pain and tears. Helping Fire Crew 7 of the Salmon-Challis North Fork district was what pulled us through the long haul. We’ve gained an appreciation and more intimate knowledge of the work it takes to protect the forest.