What is the food like?
The food is consistently good to excellent.. The food is fresh, and prepared by professional camp cooks, who know the importance of providing nutritious healthy food to hard-working trail crew members. Groceries are delivered once a week on the backs of sturdy mules. Consideration and flexibility are expected due to the constraints of the weekly resupply, and the limited number of items that can be transported and stored in camp. It is possible to be a vegetarian in the Backcountry, but extremely picky eaters should not apply for this Program.

Can I start the season late if I am in school?
The Backcountry season runs from the third week in April until the third week in September. On occasion, we have accepted members who need to report after the Backcountry Program begins in order to complete their college requirements. We expect all members to remain in the Program until the season ends, and their term of service is complete. Members who leave the Program early are not eligible for their AmeriCorps Education award, unless they have an unfortunate compelling personal circumstance involving an injury, illness or family emergency.

Is there a lot of competition for the available positions?
The Backcountry Trails Program has 102 member slots to fill each spring. We typically receive many more inquiries and applications than we can accommodate. We attempt to place an equal number of men and women on each crew, and strive for as much socio-economic diversity as possible. There are no quotas to fill, but California residents are given preference among equally qualified applicants. We encourage all interested candidates to apply. You will never get selected unless you apply, so don't count yourself out-send us your application, and we'll give you our best shot.

What qualities are considered in selecting applicants?
When we get down to selecting the crews in mid-March, we are primarily looking to pick people who enjoy the challenge of hard physical labor, and can get along well with others. We also give strong consideration to those who are motivated by a strong sense of national service and citizenship. We try to avoid prima donnas, and people who consider themselves the "Center of the Universe". We are looking for individuals who are willing and capable of putting the interests and welfare of others above their own. A crew functions best when it's composed of selfless people, who put the needs of the crew above their own. We expect everyone to make many personal sacrifices for the good of the team, and do more than their share to turn their crew into a Healthy Community. The following criteria (in no particular order) are typically considered in determining qualification and selection: Affiliation (past or present) with a conservation/service corps;

• Job history, performance, longevity
• Age, general life experience, future opportunities to join the BC
• Experience living in groups such as dormitories, shared housing with roommates, etc.
• Athletic experience including both competitive, organized sports as well as individual fitness activity
• Wilderness/outdoors experience
• Advanced first-aid training (e.g. EMT, 1st-Responder, Wilderness 1st-Aid, Wilderness 1st-Responder, Wilderness EMT, etc.)
• Desire for the position
• Perseverance in application, (e.g. applying more than once in the face of rejection the first & possibly the second times)
• Adventurous/unconventional spirit as demonstrated by past experiences of doing things, taking trips, participating in "out-of-character" activities that do not necessarily follow from the conventional "to-be-expected" course of events relative to an applicants background
• Volunteer experiences
• Intangible personal qualities, (i.e.- demonstrable "strength of character", "heart", "charisma", "spirit", "hard-core", "compassion", "giving personality", "humor", etc.)
• Other intangible qualities demonstrated by applications, reference evaluations, personal/telephone interviews

Is there time off available from the Backcountry season?
The short answer is, no- not typically. There are exceptions to this on a case-by-case basis for certain situations, (e.g.- family weddings, graduations, family emergencies such as illness, accident and death, etc.). An applicant should not depend on time-off during the season!

What are my chances for post-season job placement if I complete the season?
For those crew members who complete the season with an exemplary record of productive effort at work, a successful engagement in the social life of the crew, and a high level of initiative in accomplishing camp chores and other community needs, there are good to excellent opportunities for future employment in the field of trail maintenance and construction. Over the twenty-four year history of the Backcountry Trails Program, there have been 1455 Backcountry graduates. Of these BC graduates, 451 have continued to work trails for state or federal land management agencies all over the country (as of 10/2002). There have also been many other graduates who have found employment in wildland and structure firefighting, forestry and other natural resources careers. The CCC/AmeriCorps Backcountry Program is the only one of its kind in the Country, and is a good stepping stone into a career working with land management agencies.

Are there any opportunities for experiential education for college credit while in the Backcountry?
At various times in past seasons Community College classes in natural resources and wilderness studies have been provided. These classes are still being taught by outside instructors, but are not currently linked with any colleges. Some of our Backcountry Crew Members pre-arrange independent study with their colleges or universities, and we are able to assist with documentation of attendance and achievement.

What are the curriculum requirements about in the Backcountry?
The Backcountry Trails Program involves more than fixing trails. While the most obvious element of the experience is the hard work and the wilderness setting, the requirements for success in the Program go far beyond these. Community involvement and personal improvement are the overriding themes that crew members need to commit themselves to. Part of that commitment requires one hour/night, four nights/week in our curriculum program. The subject matter is varied, ranging from natural history to Spanish to literacy to crew member-taught-subjects to recreational activities. Other topics for class include community and team building, stress reduction, production of the crew newspaper, journal writing, designing the crew T-shirt, reading aloud, career development and resume writing, conservation awareness, map and compass use, minimum impact camping techniques, wilderness survival and primitive skills and wherever else the intellectual curiosity of the crew takes the curriculum program. Each Crew fashions their own Curriculum Program, based on their interests and the available resources of people and materials.

How can I get more information?
All Backcountry Applicants are encouraged to find out as much as possible about the Backcountry Program in order to decide whether or not this unique opportunity is what you're really looking for. As wonderful as the Backcountry Program is, it is definitely not for everyone. To assist you with your research, a number of our recent graduates have generously offered to serve as information sources, and have given us their phone numbers to pass along to serious applicants. Other sources of information include a video profiling two past Backcountry crews. Finally, by contacting us via phone, letter or e-mail, there is the opportunity to have an initial orientation by phone.