YOSEMITE-II BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL CREW
AUGUST 2007 MONTHLY OVERVIEW
Dani Nelson, BACKCOUNTRY TRAILS SUPERVISOR

Overview:

August. After months of self-discovery and individual development the gears have come together to run the well-oiled machine that is a fifth month backcountry trail crew. Work days are productive. Chores have been refined, classes are focused, weekend miles are pushed and spontaneous caffeine dance parties bring laughter and the appreciation of everyone’s dance moves. The crew has found ease in discomfort as our bathing sources dwindle, real weather finally begins, and we work through the minor aches and pains that have accumulated throughout the season. Life is good for the Yosemite II Backcountry Crew.
            We’ve had a couple VIP visits. This time we enjoyed the company of the staff of the Yosemite Fund which distributes millions of donated dollars to a variety of projects and research including the social experiment known as the Backcountry Program. After they said their good-byes and headed down the trail, the new CCC Communications Director, Jimmy Camp, and his wife Samantha came up the hill to check out a Backcountry Crew in action. By now the crew is well trained in being good hosts to important guests or in the very least not embarrassing Pete!!!
            As we turn our attention to the finish line we are attempting to remember that, “The journey is the prize” and that hurrying through would deny us the lessons that we still have to learn. Good Luck to all the crews for a healthy and happy grand finale.

Personnel Changes:

            Absolutely none. We’re still the same wacky eleven corpsmembers, one C-1 and four NPS sponsors that we have been since May.

Curriculum:

            Much of August was consumed with the creation and completion of our crew newspaper. We were pretty satisfied with the end result. We also enjoyed more corpsmember classes on topics such as acupressure, death metal, tiling and collage making. We’d like to say a special thank you to Peter Madsen (Russell Greer’s cousin) for giving a class on Camphill, a life sharing community for the developmentally disabled. It was inspiring to hear about places that are truly seeking to make a better world.

Odds and Ends:
           
            Thank you to George Hawley, the Backcountry Boot Fairy,  for coming in to visit and to give the crew some much needed massage attention.
            Thanks to Tessa for coming in and being kind, informative, and inspiring.
            The Yosemite Fund visit was awesome!
            Thank you to David Muraki for choosing such a cool guy for the new Communications Director. Jimmy Camp gets two thumbs up from Yos II.