2017 Backcountry Season Opens

Today is the first day of orientation for the 2017 Backcountry Trail crew season. About 90 people are assembling at Placer Center for the orientation and training to accomplish the feat of spending the next five months living out of a backpack and maintaining trails in some of the most beautiful wilderness country in California. Backcountry trail crew members have come from all over the United States to dedicate the summer to the ultimate Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions…and More!!

The Backcountry Trails program in the CCC has been around since 1979, but the trails work they will be doing is part of a far older tradition. They will be using dry rock masonry techniques to built stone structures with no concrete or cement. Some of the techniques have been around since the Egyptians built the Pyramids. Even trails work in the United States has a long and honored tradition. The first caretakers and trail builders of Yosemite National Park were troopers of the US Calvary in the late-1800s.

Backcountry orientation used to be a one day event. The Monday of orientation week was a travel day, and Backcountry Corpsmembers would show up at Delta Center in Stockton all day and slowly meet the rest of the Backcountry Corpsmembers as they all arrived. On Tuesday morning, Backcountry Program Director Peter Lewis would give a literal orientation to the season, describing what the season would be like and explaining the rules and expectations of the Corpsmembers. Tuesday afternoon was the first day the Corpsmembers officially met their crews. Introductions were made and each Crew Supervisor, or C1, would explain the projects they would be working on over the summer, and reinforce the expectations on Backcountry Corpsmembers. Tuesday evening was generally free time, and then the crews would roll out on Wednesday morning to their new assignments.

The program has changed since I went through it in 1987. Delta Center having long been closed, the crews now meet at Placer Center. (Okay…there is a CCC Center in Stockton today, but it is not the same one from the 1980s. That’s a whole other blog post. It’s on the agenda!) Orientation lasts a week now, with every Corpsmember receiving additional training that will help them succeed in their season.

I will be at orientation for the first couple of days this week. I’ll be posting stories and pics from there, and about the process.You can expect regular updates to our new Facebook page, also called CCC: Hard Corps.

Meanwhile, here is a 12 minute video that talks about the Backcountry Trails program. The video is from 1995, but it’s the best one I’ve found that gives a balanced view of the program. It includes information on the trails work, and thoughts from some of the Corpsmembers, crew supervisors, and sponsors.

Enjoy!

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Kelly Kate Warren: Trail Worker to Cook to Thru Hiker

Today we share with you a podcast interview with a former Corpsmember who is still having an impact: Kelly Kate Warren. KK was a Backcountry Corpsmember who became a Backcounry trail crew cook. I met KK last year when she cooked for the Shasta Trinity crew. She is an awesome cook who preforms magic with the basic items found in a trail crew camp, and her enthusiasm easily makes itself felt in crew morale.

KK is taking this year off from trail crew in order to thru hike the Pacific Crest Trail. She has already started her hike, and we wish her well.

KK has a website called The Trail Speaks that she hopes to update throughout the summer via Instagram.

KK was also interviewed recently by the Rudy Giecek of the Cascade Hiker podcast. KK talks about her walk, and her goals for her hike. Yes, she does have a goal and a theme for her hike beyond making miles and taking pictures.

Listen and find out!

http://northcascadehiker.com/cascade-hiker-podcast/054

 

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Staff Profile: Penny Walker, Yountville Beginnings

It was 1979 and here I was driving into the Yountville Veterans Home in my 1968 Ford Pickup which weaved around these old, plain looking barrack-like buildings that were surrounded by beautiful mature trees and green grass.  Old guys hanging out in the doorways waving. The building I was looking for was the last one on the road and had a big wooden sign that said, “California Conservation Corps”.  I had never heard of this state agency before, since it was only a few years old.  I was there for an interview as a payroll clerk,  and it paid more than I was getting with Caltrans, where I was the secretary in a construction field office.  My finances were in ruin because I had left the State to work as a house manager with an non-profit agency who served intellectually disabled adults.  I absolutely loved that job but after a couple years of getting paid peanuts, I had to go into survival mode and procure a better paying job.  So back to the employment of the State of California and maybe this unknown agency called the CCC.

My Dad and my Uncle were both alumni from the original Civilian Conservation Corps. My Uncle was a bigwig with that agency as a Regional Director for several states.  I had seen a lot of their photos from that era and was enticed by the camps in the woods and the very healthy looking men who were working in the woods for $30.00 a month, 25 of that went to their homes, and they were given five bucks for spending money.

I didn’t know what to expect as I entered this large, plain looking building.  That all changed as I walked in and was met by a herd of young people dressed in brown and khaki uniforms.  Not all men, but women too!  “That’s cool!”, I thought.  They all ran out the door and headed towards a blue van and I made my way to the door that said “office”.   I had the interview, a tour of the program and the facility.  I saw a very healthy garden that the Corpsmembers’ tended and a huge chicken coop filled with fat looking hens.  Part of the curriculum program at that time focused on teaching sustained living.  I liked this CCC.  The whole idea went along with my thinking.    I liked the idea of working with a bunch of kids who worked out in the rural areas and raised chickens.  I was blessed to get that payroll job and ended up working for the CCC for twenty-two years.

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And More

Today’s post was written by former Corpsmember Jonathan Kirchabel of Fortuna Center. Jonathan has written a more contemplative piece than a typical Corpsmember profile. Jonathan shows us what goes into the development of a Crewleader in the CCC. 

 

 

Jonathan, left. Ethan Smith, right

I don’t know how many times I sat and asked myself, “How much longer am I capable doing this?”

It didn’t happen a lot. It was most memorable during long conversations between the silence and myself. I would say absolutely nothing, and the nature would respond in the same manner. While working, spiking out on a project, and especially during my time in Yosemite, it didn’t matter where I went, this conversation would still follow.

When people ask me about my experience, I never know the right answer; only the wrong ones. As a leader in the program, I came to understand that you never want to discourage somebody from doing something just because it’s daunting or hard. You want to be real, honest, and tell people like it is, but you never want to discourage somebody. The program changed me, especially during those long conversations between nature and myself. I can remember finding joy after long tumultuous hikes during my backcountry season and while working to maintain trails around the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, and having conversations with the nearby birds as they sent calls between each other. You know, because I went crazy, and that’s a heavy burden to bear.

There’s a certain peace that happens after two years, after doing what I’ve done, and after seeing what I’ve seen. There were two nights in particular that truly resonated with what I intend on getting across: the night that I laid in water for hours, and the night that I didn’t sleep, while in Yosemite.

 

Jose

The night I laid in cold water for hours was a treacherous reminder of why you should not be lazy. On a clear evening, we went to sleep thinking that we did not need to set up any tarps for coverage during the night. We were awoken by steadily dropping rain that only increased into a small storm. Luckily, Jose had swung his tarp over us, and shielded us from most of the barrage. However, I had not cared to bring any extra possible defense against the conditions for the weekend, and as a result my sleeping bag, clothes, and body, were all drenched in water for hours and hours. Jose had been positioned as perfectly as possible, and despite needing to go to the bathroom for several hours, I resisted all urges and uncomfortability until the storm passed four hours later. I sat, shivering in my rain gear, my only dryish clothes, and attempted several times to light a fire with wet materials. Had I not temporarily stopped smoking cigarettes a month prior on my birthday, I would have found solace in those seconds of slowly decaying away with each puff while silently staring into the river beside our campsite. Yet, I only had the river as comfort, as I sat for hours more, waiting for my comrades to wake up. Cuts on my feet, still shivering, and sore from the compilation of all that had happened up until then, I still found more serenity with each step forward back to camp, weight on my shoulders and all.

Continue reading “And More” →

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Making Trails More Accessible

Last year, Redding Crew 22 began a three year project at Plumas-Eureka State Park to improve a trail around Madora Lake to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Plumas-Eureka State Park is located in the northern Sierras, outside of the small town of Graeagle. A one-and-a-half mile trail circles the lake. It has always been a typical trail through the woods. It is narrow. It has rocky sections which can be treacherous to footing. Rebuilding the trail to ADA standards essentially means that when this project is finished, the trail will be wider, flatter, and smoother to allow access to people who would have been challenged to get out and see the lake on the old trail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year, Crew 22 began the involved process of digging the old trail up, widening the tread, building causeway-like wall along the entire trail length, laying down a crushed rock base, covering the fill with suitable quality surface material, and tamping down to ensure a surface smooth enough to accommodate anybody who wants to get out on the trail and enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plumas-Eureka State Park is hours away from Redding 22’s home base in Redding, so the crew Continue reading “Making Trails More Accessible” →

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Corps Programs: Good for Nature, Good for YOUth!

Today we have a guest post from CCC Crew Supervisor John Griffith. John is a former Corpsmember. Today he runs a CCC crew at the Arcata Satellite of Fortune Center. In this post, John talks about some of the benefits for young people in joining the CCC, and includes a video tutorial about how to join.

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Corpsmember Profile: Dyana McPherson

My name Dyana McPherson, I was born and raised in San Diego County. I have always been an avid camper and hiker since I was a child. I was dissatisfied with my occupation at the time and I had friends at the La Cima fire center. I was encouraged by then Corpsmember Development Coordinator Victor Avila to join the CCC and see if I liked the work. My love of Redwood country inspired me chose the Humboldt district when I enrolled in the CCC in 1993, I ended up at the Fortuna Center as a corpsmember. At the time I wanted to attend college to go into the natural resources field. Working for the Salmon Restoration Project seemed like just the ticket. My ultimate goal even at enrolling in the CCC was to become a C-I and start a meaningful career.

 
After COMET I was assigned to Crew 3, Tom Merrill’s crew. I was one of four females at the entire center and only two of us were on the grade. I loved it. I learned everything I could and Tom saw potential in me and sent me to leadership training right away. I was a red hat within three months of joining. I eventually transferred to the Leggett / Ukiah center there I Interned for California Department of Fish and Game and was on Gary Burica’s crew. A position for an orange hat in Fortuna opened up and I was asked to apply. I returned to Fortuna and worked with the Corpsmember Development program (CMD) under Bill Vogel and Terry Stevens until I left in 1995. Corpsmember Development provides educational activities and training for the corpsmembers during their time in the CCC. Corpsmembers are required to attend a two week new employee orientation program called COMET. There are several requirements for obtaining the CCC scholarship at the end of your term. CMD provides these classes at night for the corpsmembers and many other educational opportunities. I really enjoyed being an orange hat for the COMET program that I decided I wanted to be a teacher and work for Corpsmember Development.

 

 

Dyana and Bud Wilbur. Bud was in the original Civilian Conservation Corps.

I took the Conservationist-I (C-I) exam and headed back to San Diego hoping to pick up a C-I position. I ran crews for three years with the CCC, working on conservation projects, Floods, Fires, Special Programs (Weatherization Energy Efficiency Retrofit Program) and COMET.

 

I got married in 1999 and returned to Northern California to live and work for CA Parks and Recreation. For a few years then a family member needed our help so we moved to Arizona. For eight years I lived in Kingman AZ, where I stayed home with my young children and attended Northern Arizona University’s college of Education. I enjoyed being a mom and spending time with my family. I graduated with my Bachelors of Science from NAU in Elementary Education. I still stayed in touch with my CCC roots and began a CCC Alumni Face book page. I volunteered to be the Admin and let folks know about things that go on with the current CCC and provide a place to connect former corpsmembers with their friends.

 
I had an opportunity to apply for a Program Coordinator position with a sister corps in Flagstaff called Coconino Rural Environment Corps (CREC). The program was funded from the Recovery Act. I was the program coordinator Energy Conservation Corps program/ County Retrofit Program Coordinator. I had anywhere from 3-5 crews at a given time. We worked on a variety of energy efficiency projects in Northern Arizona, mostly on the Navajo Reservation. One of the more memorable projects was with the Grand Canyon National Park; it took the crew to the bottom of the Grand Canyon retrofitting a building built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and restoring five structures at the North Rim. Visiting the crews working at these sites was a memorable experience.
I now live in San Diego and I work for the State of California again raising my girls. I am looking forward to visiting current CCC crews and writing about their projects and experiences.

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Women in the Wilderness

This is Agnes. Agnes is one of the organizers for Women in the Wilderness.  She hails from the San Fernando and Simi Valleys, however, the mountains of CA have been her favorite home.  She spends her winters in Mammoth Lakes, CA and summers have been spent mostly in Kings Canyon National Park, but also the Inyo NF, the Stanislaus NF, and all over CA travelling between CCC Backcountry Crews.  With an environmental studies degree and seeking something more than planning, she stumbled upon the Backcountry Program. The 22 weeks spent that first summer in the Sierra launched her outdoor career working with young people building trails and community.  Agnes has hiked over 10,000 miles all over the backcountry, she spent 5 seasons with the National Park Service and 8 seasons with the Backcountry Program as a Supervisor and Program Manager.  Following her passion, she is a founding member of the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, a new nonprofit youth development and leadership program.  Here she is with her co-lead Chelsea and our 6 WiW participants, Jasmin, Kimberly, Liza, Pati, Alexis, and Paola near Mist Falls in Kings Canyon National Park.

Here are a few excerpts from her trip journal.

In pairs they climb, up the steep rocky hillside to the spine that is Glen Pass, a knife edge.  Again, the view of Rae Lakes, as only Wallace can describe “Do not come and roam here unless you are willing to be enslaved by its charms. Its beauty and peace and harmony will entrance you. Once it has you in its power, it will never release you the rest of your days”.  

Hiking can be an experience so new and more mental than anything else, especially with a 60+ pound pack.  Once step at a time, it is only you and the mountain and your mind and your body.   The last approach to the pass is the toughest of course.  The air gets thinner, the trail is all rock.  But they get closer and closer to the goal, one step at a time and each of them are rewarded.  Seeing the views on the other side that you only get to witness if you do the work.  Dropping that pack and catching your breath before the views take it away.

I am inspired.  I hope they understand that I am learning while teaching them.    

We give the women an opportunity to interview Chelsea and I.  Is this is what you envisioned for the WiW? Why is it so important to have women of color out here in the backcountry? After having this idea for so many years, how does it feel to finally be leading an all women all first time backpacking trip? What has been the biggest challenge with this trip, will you ever feel like saying I don’t want this anymore or I want to go back home, what is most important? My answers: That I want to be a better person, that this is my home, that it feels amazing to fulfill a long time dream to lead a women’s trip, and it is so important because the wilderness belongs to all of us.  

Down, down, down the canyon, more into the trees, pines, firs, junipers, cedars.  Upper Paradise, we are close but still not yet.  Everyday the hikes have been tough.  We all start out strong, move quick and keep pace.  As the day goes, the pace slows.  I keep ahead, to keep them going.  I can feel the tiredness as we still have miles to go. We have to keep hiking.  It is nearly 5pm at this point.  They are tired, dusty, and blistered.  Finally signs of camp, some familiar green tents.  They are waiting, dinner is ready, and many smiling faces.  I am home.  Every CCC backcountry camp feels like this, an old friend, a warm smile and friendly face.  I am the most excited, this is my comfort zone.  

The ladies of the CCC backcountry crew enjoy mentoring the ladies of the group.  They can pass on the knowledge they have learned and teach the lessons learned.  Work is getting done on the trail.

At night around the campfire, in a way, we attempt to solve the world’s problems.  Everyone is divided up into groups and each group has a question.   There are talks about diversity and inclusion in National Parks, is this an issue and why is it even important?  How do we make the wilderness more accessible to marginalized communities? What are the barriers to access wilderness areas?  In terms of CCC recruitment and training, how do we retain/recruit more women and help them be more successful in the CCC?  Round and round we went, in thoughtful and insightful ways.  I just observed the crew, the ladies, our guests, the responses.  The real struggles in some of the answers to these questions. The opportunity that a group of people gathered around a fire can make a difference in the world.  That even the act that has become so second nature to us, sitting around a campfire, is an act as Chelsea pointed out that not many get to experience, it itself is a privileged activity.  

The work is good and production is up.  All in all, I believe the women helped to build 10 retainer bars and 24 square feet of multi-tier wall.   They are confident, happy, accomplished. I like to think that some of it was a natural high, of accomplishment, of knowing they did it and they would be going back home the next day leaving the mountains, for now.   I will miss my Kings friends. I will miss the crew.  I will miss all the ladies on the trip.  They listen intently to the plan for the hike out, to have everything packed, to be ready and they are.  I can hear giggles from their tents late into the night.

I have a message for both the crew and the ladies.  I am inspired and honored to have spent good time with everyone, I give thanks for the hospitality and sharing, and congrats, however the season is not yet over.  There is still work to do on and off the grade, there is community work that continues after the season.  That I have found nothing more real than life on a backcountry crew and that one crew at a time is what I believe does change the world.  That everyone here is a steward of the backcountry and we can all advocate for others in the wilderness. Finally, that the effort to create a healthy community as they have here should never stop.  

The next morning, I am finally heading towards Mammoth and home.  My truck is still fully loaded with gear and memories.  It is not until that moment, when I am alone, that the buzz of the accomplishment of the trip really hits me.  

 

 

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Corpsmember Profile: Ian Dalziel

One common type of story you can expect to see in CCC:Hard Corps is the Corpsmember/Staff Profile. A former Corpsmember or staff will write a little sketch about how he or she came to be in the CCC, what they accomplished while there, and what they’ve been doing since they left. Our first CM Profile is from Ian Dalziel, a recently graduated Crew Leader II from the Redding Center in the Shasta Cascade Service District.

My name is Ian Dalziel. I joined the California Conservation Corps in Redding, during September, 2013. Before this, I spent the majority of my time getting as much experience as possible in the field of acting, both for in front of the camera, or on the stage. But a fun hobby that you dream of making into a career can only take you so far in the short term, so, it was off to the job fair with me.

The last booth I found belonged to something that said “CCC – Hard Work, Low Pay, Miserable Conditions, and more!” along with some pictures showing the sort of work and wilderness living conditions experienced by the Corps, past and present. The chance to have a full work week, get paid to camp, get in shape, and explore the great outdoors of this great state? Irresistible.

So I joined up, with my love of the Rams football team leading to me being placed on then Crew 29 under C1 Aaron Dunson, another Rams man, and last I checked, the Statewide Trail Coordinator for the Corps. My first foray into the program was a spike at Mt. Tamalpais overlooking the Bay Area, with an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant dry stone masonry rock wall project near the peak parking lot. Before my COMET (Corpsmember Orientation, Motivation, Education, and Training) group had arrived, the crew had already partook in six spikes on this project already, with another five after we joined.

Not too long after the spikes at Mt. Tam ended, Aaron Dunson got his marching orders, and Crew 29 would be getting a new C1. Being new and getting used to the crew dynamic, and Aaron as a supervisor, I was hesitant at first, because the gentleman being assigned as C1 was not known to me. I hadn’t yet met him around the Center. His name is Terrance Johnson, the trail building, spam loving, Bronco footballing legend.

During one of our first encounters as Supervisor to Crewmember, he said I would be his red-hat, if I wanted to take on the challenge. Having been impressed by “T”, and wanting to learn more from this font of life experience and trail knowledge, I decided I would go all the way. Three months after T took over and rechristened us as Crew 25, I earned the official position of Crewleader I on the day we left for my longest project with the CCC, the Lassen Peak Trail Restoration.

I experienced twenty-three spikes, four fire camps for five fires, no floods, no stint in Backcountry, and a career-topping experience as part of the most recent Australian Exchange, thus ending my 37 months in the Corps, in October of 2016. Of that time, I was a boy in the blue hat for 8 months, rocked the red hat for 16 months, and finished out as an orange overseer for 13 months. Along the way I made some invaluable friends, while constantly gaining new experience with hand and power tools, trail building, brush cutting, roadside maintenance, tree planting, invasive species removal, safety practices, and so much more as anyone who experiences the CCC can relate to.

These days I look for my next job experience to enjoy, while being signed on as a volunteer for the CCC in Redding so I can still come in and bug the staff and possibly help out on a project or two with my old, now almost entirely different crew. I’m also sure to honk at Terrance Johnson’s house since we live in the same small town about twenty-miles out of Redding. Old habits, and worth it just to see that big grin of his. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to take on the Corps, to do so in earnest.

 

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