OVERVIEW:
Well our fireworks arrived quickly in July, but not in the form of beautiful, dazzling showers of sparks and booms falling from the night sky. Instead we had an ugly explosion of truth that not everyone on our crew had stayed sober for half the season. So you could say we started July with a cherry bomb that weakened our bond of trust with one another. We found ourselves, as a crew, having to once again create our identity after the smoke cleared. Damage control and repair was next.
This firecracker of sobriety we had held in our hand, waiting to light and throw in the air after the commitment we had made for our season was ended, got lit off early by prematurely temptation. Once the fuse was lit there was no avoiding its stinging blast, and like the kid’s hand that held the "black cat" for too long, our collective crew "hand" holding our Bond was left torn to ribbons from the blast.
We were hurt, but not beyond healing.
We stopped the bleeding from the wound with our outpouring of honesty, truth and admission. Then we stitched together the cut with our forgiveness of each other. Next we applied the soothing salve of our humor to help the healing. Finally, we wrapped our selves in the protective bandages that are the mountain wilderness. Only time would tell how we would recover.
Our season carried on for the rest of July and finally the time came to uncover our wound. We unwrapped the gauze and removed the stitches with a 30 mile log-out run we did as a crew. We cut down the final snags of our mistakes and cleared the trail to a sober ending of our season as we entered Heaven (aka Union Creek) and started the month of August.
We healed just fine, thanks to the mountains and our strength of character. The scar that was left is not an ugly one, but rather it is a beautiful reminder of our experience in July.
CURRICULUM:
The Trinity-Redwood crew is proud to announce that we no longer need to bring into the backcountry with us, things like: food, water, matches, lighters, glue, or tents. We have successfully learned how to find, build, create and use our own supplements for those things mentioned above, thanks to Mike Elliot and Janet Yoder and their Wilderness Survival & primitive skills class.
July also saw the "disease" known as "Magic—The Gathering", spread through our camp like flames through an overstocked tree plantation after a drunk driver throws his cigarette out the window. Javier Gallardo (CCC—Pomona), was the principle spreader of this wretched role-playing card game… uh… "disease".
PERSONNEL CHANGES:
Ashanti Hassan and Victor Rocha left the crew. Richard Dobbs left for San Diego to be a state witness and he never came back. We assume that he quit.
INJURIES:
A member of our crew left us due to a severe infection of his foot that nearly cost him the leg. He is on the mend now and may return in late August.
ODDS AND ENDS:
Thanks to Mikey & Janet for their class. It was captivating, informative & useful.
Thanks to Joy Fisher, Alisha Ballinger (Klamath, 1998), Derrick Green (Klamath, 2002), and Sage Paulsen (Stanislaus, 2001)—what can we say? We’re lucky to have you folks with us.
PRODUCTION:
Trail Maintenance: — 46 miles
Retainer bars: — 34 each
Causeway & Single-tier Wall: — 40.7 linear yards
(122 lin. ft.)
Multi-tier Retaining Wall: — 56 square feet
WORDS:
Quote-of-the-month— "Karlson, Karlson, you’re number one!
Without your leadership our season would be no fun!!"
-- Daily morning chant that the crew shouts when I enter camp.
Lastly: Thanks to Granite Peak. You nearly defeated us with your heat, your steepness, your lack of a swimming hole. You have a good work ethic. You didn’t kill us or our season though. Although we are exhausted, we are leaving you as a stronger crew! Better luck next time and you can kiss our @#$%^&*()_+=?"!!!
