A Hard Day's Night (Year)

Hooray! Back in civilization!

Which means I am CLEAN. For the first time in a very long time!

I have been VERY busy this month. Here is some proof:

Hiked Mount Evans!

Worked with Wildlands Restoration Volunteers!

Terrorized some Rocky Mountain Goats!

Worked mainly at Summit Lake, CO.

This is on the way up to Mt Evans (14,000+ ft). Its absolutely the most beautiful office I have ever had. Much better than the one in Joplin anyway.

The trail is very heavily used, and there is a lot of erosion. Because the plants in this alpine area are very fragile, it is important to protect them from being washed away. A mature plant can take up to twenty years to grow sufficient root structures. So my team not only built rock walls to shore up the mountainside, we also helped re-vegetate some of the disturbed soil. There is a lab down in Denver that started the plants, so they would have a leg up getting established. Some of the tuft grasses and trisetum we planted were part of an experiment. We built wind screens around them at varying heights (out of rocks). They are hoping to determine how much protection the

plants need.

Alpine Eivans

Sorry, that was really long. I really like plants. And rocks. Which is why I am STOKED to be working at the Teton Science School in the fall! I even bought books today about the geology and natural ecology of the Tetons and Yellowstone. Nerdy I know. BUT SO AWESOME

I also helped build a barbed wire fence around a fen.

This is a type of wetland, similar to a bog. The difference is that fens get their water from underground sources, and bogs from above ground. Because of the super dry climate here in

the West, fens are very rare. We built the FENce to help protect the delicate ecosystem from cattle that are allowed to graze on public land. I had NO idea how much work fences are! You see

them from the side

of the road and don't even realize what all is involved. I loved it. One of the cool Forest Service guys I

worked with even offered me a job! I'll keep it in mind, it would TOTALLY rock to work for the USFS.

Hard to imagine it, but in exactly one week I will be done with AmeriCorps! Graduation is July 29. Time is weird here. This year has both DRAGGED on and felt like a million years some days, and at the same time it seems like no time at all has passed. Its an amazing experience, and if I could go back in time- I would absolutely do it again; but I am not sad to see it go.

Bring me that horizon! New Adventure awaits! Stay tuned!! :D