Granite Mountain

Yesterday Patrick, Rich, Marcel and I set out to climb Granite Mountain, a peak that is visible from Camp Stevens and sits at the westernmost edge of the desert, very close to the Volcan and Cuyamaca Mountains. The climb looks pretty serious on paper: 7 miles, 7 hours, 3200 feet elevation gain, off trail, bouldering, etc. It definitely lived up to our expectations.

The climb started in Cool Canyon, on the east side of the mountain near the Shelter Valley community on the road out to Agua Caliente. The path took us about a mile up a wash through a narrow canyon, scaling short dry waterfalls and walking in between narrow canyon walls.

After scaling a 15 foot fall, we started climbing up a long ridge covered with cholla, prickly pear and beavertail cacti as well as an assortment of shrub and granite boulders. After walking the long summit ridge to what looked like a quite imposing saddle peak, we realized just how much further we had to go and how difficult it would be. On the way up we ran into a few boulders that needed climbing to get past. I slipped on one of them, used much of the skin on my forearms and knees to arrest my fall, and scampered up to the top to lick my wounds.

From our perch at the saddle we could see that there were a few more peaks to cover, all of them covered in large granite boulders with cacti and pinyon interspersed. Finding our way up was a combination of climbing, steep hiking and pressing our way through sharp branches while avoiding getting stuck by cacti. The phrase of the day was "everything in the desert wants to kill you."

After climbing a few false summits and drinking water out of depressions in the rocks and snow hidden under boulders we finally made the summit, which gave some amazing views of the area surrounding the mountain. One of the things that has continued to interest me about this area is how quickly it transitions from cold and wet oak/pine forests in the Cuyamaca/Volcan Mountain area into arid desert in Earthquake, Vallecito and Shelter Valleys. Volcan Mountain, which is entirely green and topped with a dusting of snow, drops off about 2000 feet into Earthquake Valley and the deserts that extend for hundreds of miles to the east. It was also cool to see the little town of Julian perched atop a mountain range that looked massive compared to the low, dry valleys to the east.

The trek back down was equally challenging given that our legs were exhausted, we were out of water, and downclimbing decomposing granite presents a difficult climbing surface. Patrick and I bombed down the mountain, with Marcel and Rich close behind. By the time we reached the bottom, we had been climbing/hiking for about 7 hours and were wiped out.

Oh ya, I work for the federal government...

This whole thing with the federal budget over the last week has been rather stressful here at Camp Stevens. Silver 4 is on loan to our camp for the week from their project, and for the last week Coli (the S4 TL) and I have been fielding questions from CMs about what would happen if the government shut down. To be completely honest, I had no idea what to tell them because we had no information about NCCC's contingency plan, what would happen with our sponsors, what staff would stay on in the case of a shutdown, and what our fate would be for the rest of the year. I got to play the fun game of treading between being reassuring and managing expectations.

Friday afternoon the TLs received a text calling for a conference call. On the call we were told that if there was a shutdown then the teams would all be recalled to campus and would stay there until a new budget was passed, or it became impossible for them to keep us there. Beyond that, there was really no information about what our fate would be, or at what point in a shutdown the class would be scrapped and people would be sent home. Basically, we were promised food, housing and medical benefits. To add to all of this, Amanda's parents arrived to take us all out to dinner and take Amanda into San Diego for the weekend until Monday night. Given that our marching orders in the event of a shutdown were to pack up and be back in Sacramento by Sunday at 7 PM, this presented a problem. I got to tell them the deal, have them promise not to tell anyone because it was not supposed to be common knowledge, and then refresh the CNN page at the dinner table to see whether Congress would put something together.

In true NCCC fashion, life went on. Today we finished the trail work that we started at the beginning of the week, putting in over a mile of trails over some pretty serious terrain. We also had a raging burn pile once we got the fire going with brush that had 2 inches of snow on it from the previous night. Tomorrow we're planning on climbing Granite Peak, which is out in the desert and presents a 3000' gain over only 3.5 miles. SHould be interesting and hopefully beautiful.

Mid-Round at Camp Stevens

The good times keep on rolling here at Camp Stevens. Today was the conclusion of another week-long outdoor education group consisting entirely of 12-year old boys and girls. As they packed and cleaned out the yurts in which we normally live, and we moved down from the aptly-named Bishop’s Lodge, I witnessed an argument that I found equally infuriating, hilarious, and reminiscent of certain interactions that I’ve had with my siblings (Sarah and Eric will agree). As we moved our things into the yurts, two boys were going back and forth at each other in the middle of a room with 5 or 6 of their classmates half packing, half watching the action. One had been brandishing a squirt bottle full of glass cleaner at the other, playfully (or not?) threatening to spray him with it. When the other boy had enough of it, he lunged forward to grab at the squirt bottle, squeezing it and spraying himself in the face. Over the next 15 minutes, as I moved back and forth from the lodge to the yurts with my possessions, I caught essentially the same accusation of “he sprayed me on purpose” and the requisite defense of “I wasn’t going to do it, he only thought that I was going to.” Although I was pissed off at the banality of their argument, and the fact that the debate has remained essentially unchanged over the course of 15 minutes, I couldn’t help but realize that I have had many of those same kinds of arguments with many different people. That is, arguments in which I’m absolutely certain that I’m right, and rather than admitting fault (if only for the sake of ending the damn argument) have continued to proclaim my innocence and to vilify my opponent. It was a little weird to see little 12-year old versions of myself, and to see how annoying their behavior was. Sorry Mom and Dad.

            In other news, we’ll be having a guest team in camp this week. Silver 4 is working at a camp about 2 miles from Camp Stevens, and has been kicked out for about 5 days. Well, not exactly “kicked out.” They have a group coming that has asked for the entire camp, and the team has to leave and won’t be able to work there at all. This wouldn’t have been such a problem if they had mentioned anything about it prior to, say, 2 weeks ago. They’ll be coming over on Wednesday afternoon and staying until Sunday afternoon. I’m actually very excited about it, because I enjoy the team leader’s company and we can always use extra hands to move brush and work on trailbuilding. Oh, and we’ll get to show off the sweet digs that we’ve got going here. Honestly, I’ve almost forgotten how to cook. The most cooking that I’ve had to do in the last 4 weeks is to roast hotdogs, toast bread, and occasionally microwave leftovers. Today’s lunch was grilled cheese (focaccia bread and some magically concoction of cheeses) with ginger tomato soup, green salad, and my standard mix of banana and chocolate chips. This place is great.

            On top of that, over the last two days I’ve cut down about 15 trees, stacked the brush and piled the logs by the road. Over the last month we’ve made a huge impact in the landscape around the boys and girls camping areas, removing many of the trees and much of the brush that presented a fire hazard to the buildings there. It’s great to know that the work we’re doing will have a real long-term impact on the safety of the buildings and people at camp. I’ve also selected a number of hikes that I’m looking to do over the next month while we’re in San Diego County. I’m looking at doing Granite Peak, which is about 11 miles and 3000’ feet of elevation including some bushwhacking and bouldering. Should be a blast!

Camp Stevens!

Well, it's been a while since I posted on here...

Silver 2 has taken their talents to Camp Stevens, just outside of Julian, CA in San Diego County. I actually knew quite a bit about Julian prior to arriving here because Abby's team worked in Agua Caliente last round which is about 30 minutes from Julian. Whereas Agua Caliente is in the desert, Julian is in the mountains at about 4000 feet and is full of pine and oak trees. Our project here is mainly focused on fuel reduction at the camp.

Camp Stevens is an Episcopal camp that holds summer camps and hosts retreats during the winter. In 2007 there was a big fire that burned many building, damaged much of their land, and left the camp in pretty bad shape all around. They've begun to rebuild a lot of the facilities and are working on created defensible spaces around the roads and buildings throughout the property. That's where we come in! We've received training on chainsaw, wood chipper and wood splitter operation and have started in on cutting down burnt/dead trees, limbing live trees, and thinning out areas around buildings. What this means for me is that I get to spend most of each day running a chainsaw, cutting down trees, and getting ridiculously dirty and tired. After the logistic-intensive project that was ORCCA, this is a very welcome change.

Oh, and the food. Where do I begin... The camp has an environmental and food philosophy that informs many of their decisions and programs. As far as the food goes, that means that they try to grow as much of their own food organically and on-site as possible. The rest is, for the most part, organic and as locally grown/produced as possible. Not to mention they have two amazing cooks who work full-time at the camp. I walked into the office and paid the camp our food allocation and they will be cooking for us the entire time that we're here. Except for days when there are no groups here, in which case we're forced to eat leftovers... or take the run of the kitchen. Darn. The food, especially when there are retreat groups here, is incredible. I don't have a memory for dishes and what kinds of things we've eaten, but it has all been great. I have to say that one of my favorite things has been the granola that the camp staff makes themselves and their plain organic yogurt. So tasty.

All of that food is put to good use, because we are worked really hard all day. The camp is set in a series of hills and ravines, and it seems like no matter where you're trying to get, it's uphill. Add to that fact the endless supply of brush, 50-pound logs, chainsaws, gas cans, and all of the protective equipment, and you're pushing pretty hard. So far the project has been great, and I can't wait to explore the natural beauty in this area and to get better at working the saw. I falled, bucked and limbed about 10 trees today, so I guess I'm doing alright.

Coos Bay Weekend

This Saturday was probably one of the best days of my recent life. It started off with an ISP with Habitat for Humanity, in which Patrick, Tyler and I dug a 3 foot deep, 2 foot wide trench through clay and river rock in order to install a drainage pipe. While that may not sound like the beginning to a great day, doing some hard shoveling and helping the three septuagenerian who work on the houses during the week was very rewarding. Besides, we got out of the house and got to enjoy being outside on what was hands down the clearest and most beautiful day that we've had in Coos Bay thus far. After working for a few hours we came back home for lunch, and I took the van into town to get an oil change. When I pulled up to Moe's Super Lube, five guys ran out to start working on the van like it was the only car they were going to see all weekend. I felt like they were giving it the NASCAR treatment, with two guys checking and filling the tires, two checking the fluids and changing the oil, and one getting the paperwork and payment taken care of. In all, it took less than 10 minutes and was hands-down the easiest oil change that I've ever had.

My plan had been to work on some of my weekly paperwork next, but it was such a beautiful day down by the boardwalk that I decided to walk along the train tracks and take pictures for as long as I was interested. I walked along the rows of American flags, enjoyed the sunshine, watched two guys operate their sailboat, another work on his seaplane, took pictures of some of the boats moored in the harbor, and chatted with the proprietor of the floating seafood shop on the pier. Abby called me, so I laid down on one of the benches along the boardwalk and talked for about an hour before Jeanine (her boss) called and she had to drop everything she was doing. Moving from the boardwalk, I perused an Oregon souvenir shop and then sat down at the coffee shop next door and was able to finish almost all of my paperwork for the week in about 30 minutes. 

Half of the team was working another ISP at the Coos Bay Historical Society Museum in North Bend, cataloguing and describing historical photos for the museum's collection. I went to pick them up with the van, and as we were driving back to the apartment around 4:15 one of them suggested going to see the ocean, a drive of about 25 minutes. I was a little hesitant about doing more driving but the lure of taking a truly impulsive trip, when so much of my life these days is meticulously planned and implemented, was too much to pass up. I will forever be grateful that I chose to go to the ocean that day.

In the morning I had checked the weather and noted that there was a high surf warning calling for 10-12 foot wave on the Oregon Coast. As it turned out, the weather forecast was way off. We arrived at the parking lot to an overlook at Shore Acres State Park, and walking over the the observation area were greeted with a wall of water blasting about 100 feet into the air. The swell in this area was about 20 feet, and even from the observation area located about 100 feet above the surface of the water, the splashes from the waves pounding the rocks consistently reached up over our heads. The first splash that I saw sent me reeling, and I was immediately overcome by laughter and sheer joy at what I was experiencing. It was beyond description how powerful, beautiful and enormous the entire spectacle was. 

The six of us stood on the cliff's edge watching wave after wave pound the rocks and send walls of water flying into the air and subsequently showering us with light mist. I was vaguely aware during my time there that I was either smiling or laughing throughout. Rarely have I been so strongly affected by a landscape, and I can safely say that it was the most beautiful display of nature's power and scale that I have ever seen. Even the sandstone that these waves had been meticulously carving was so smoothly shaped and strangely pocked that I was captivated. Add the changing light from the sunset over the ocean, the light clouds on the horizon and the intensely blue sky overhead to the incredible waves smashing around beneath us, and it was an amazing experience. I even saw the green flash at sunset, a phenomenon that I have looked for many times and never seen.

Driving back to the apartment we said almost nothing to each other, content to sit, smile and revel in the memory and lingering mood of the 90 minutes of awe that we had just shared. At the apartment, I loaded the pictures and videos that I took onto my computer and sat down to watch some of them. As soon as they started rolling, we were all laughing our heads off and fighting the tears that were welling up in our eyes. That's how awesome it was. Even this morning after going to church, I watched a 30 second clip and walked away with a huge stupid grin on my face. Below I'm including a link to the FB photo album that has Coos Bay pictures (including pictures from yesterday), and one of the videos that I shot (yes, I am freaking out as I'm watching the waves). Now I'm off to watch the NFL conference championship games! What a great weekend...

Photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2699872&id=3220812&l=b142eedb81

If the video below doesn't work, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vPXQGXp3cg

Work Plan

Hey everyone! I had to type this up for my Unit Leader, and it's a pretty comprehensive description of the work that we're doing here (or at least planning to do). Also, forgive the combination of third and first person. Not my best work.

Silver Two Oregon Coast Community Action (ORCCA) and South Coast Food Pantry (SCFS) Support Work Plan

1/11/2011

My main contacts for this project will be Madline Enos (Public Relations Representative), Rollie Lobsinger (SCFS Director), and Gary Domina (SCFS Operations Manager).

Silver Two’s work plan with ORCCA consists mainly of South Coast Food Share (SCFS) warehouse/office support and Head Start program support. Members of the team will work in the SCFS warehouse every day, with six members (Amanda D’Souza, Cassie Bradley, Ashley Grinberg, Michelle Geesling, Parris Reed and Patrick Dunlap) supporting teachers in Head Start classrooms at three locations in Coos Bay and North Bend on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In addition to warehouse and Head Start support, several team members will receive additional training in order to support Fresh Alliance (FA) and Partner Agency Support (PSA) programs. Rich Davis, Fonzi Thomas and Rebecca Hale will receive training for PSA From Rolie Lobsinger, for which they will travel to food pantries throughout the Oregon South Coast with which SCFS partners in order to administer Food Safety and Civil Rights trainings to staff and volunteers on location. Lydia Kingsbury and Tyler Meade will receive training for FA from Gary Domina, for which they will travel to grocery stores and work to establish relationships for ORCCA in which SCFS is allowed to salvage food from these stores. In order to facilitate scheduling of these trainings and meetings, I will work with the project sponsors to establish a schedule as far out as possible around which FA and PSA CMs can work. In regard to transportation, ORCCA has a minivan which NCCC members are authorized to operate (Tyler, Rich and Fonzi are drivers), and Silver Two has their 15p van and a cargo van which may be used if needed and approved by Ben.

There are a few other recurring events with which Silver Two will be involved. On Mondays, one or two members will assist a SCFS volunteer driving a SCFS vehicle with Fresh Alliance pickups and deliveries along the ORCCA service area, including trips as far as Brookings, OR. Members will also take part in “Homemade Fast Food” on Wednesday, in which community members and ORCCA staff eat food prepared and frozen by volunteers. Five to six members of the team TBD will work with the Great Afternoons program in Reedsport, OR from January 24^th to February 9^th during which they will support community service learning and coordinate a project with 9 high school students to build a gazebo in a community garden.

Finally, Madline has arranged many projects with partner and community organizations. Some of these include set painting with the local theater, gardening with Head Start of Charleston, maintenance work at Park West Apartments (managed by ORCCA), painting the SCFS school bus, etc. There are also many opportunities within ORCCA for CMs to pursue their interests in a given field. Madeline is open to exploring the strengths of individual members and connecting them with staff that can use their help with projects.

The team and I will meet with Madline, Rollie and Gary at least once a week in order to discuss the previous week’s activities and the following week’s schedule, as well as to address any issues or questions that have arisen. Madeline, Rollie, Gary and I will meet every week in order to discuss warehouse projects to be completed and the personnel demands of projects that have been scheduled for the week. We have established a Google Doc that contains the master schedule for the project. Our hope is that this will be an effective way to share changes between all of us when we are unable to meet in person. I am confident that we will communicate effectively and work through changes to the schedule as they arise, while anticipating possible changes and acting accordingly.

As far as tracking our team’s project progress, I have spoken with the team and sponsors quite a bit. I have posted the new quantifiables sheet (PCR Quantifiables by LM) in our team office space at SCFS and highlighted items that I anticipate encountering during this project, while emphasizing that it will be everyone’s responsibility to be aware of their accomplishments and to share them with me daily. Also, I am working with Gary to use their existing food collection/distribution accounting system to record the amount of food and clothing that Silver Two works with during the project. I also anticipate volunteer contact during this project, and have posted the volunteer log and explained its use to the team so that they can record volunteer work each day. Finally, beginning next week I will have an Assistant Team Leader each week who will learn about recording quantifiables, recording hours, completing the WPR, using the FDF, and completing the PAR. I’m excited to use this position as an opportunity to develop leadership, accounting abilities and an understanding the TL responsibilities in CMs.

Madline, Rollie and Gary have already shown great initiative in attacking these logistical issues and are very communicative and responsive to my concerns and those of the team. I’m confident that with this plan in place and our conversations about the importance of open communication that we will be successful in completing and reporting this project.

ORCCA and Coos Bay

Since my last post quite a bit has transpired. Winter Break, transition, and now traveling to Coos Bay, OR. Oh, ya… so I’m in Oregon now. Our second round project is with an organization called Oregon Coast Community Action. Their mission is to feed, clothe, warm and educate the people of the South Oregon Coast. As we found out during our initial orientation today, they do so in an incredible variety of ways. One of their major programs is the South Coast Food Pantry – one of about 20 regional food banks in Oregon and the organization responsible for providing food to 33 food pantries throughout the southern Oregon coast. The food pantry receives food from the state food bank, Feeding America, corporate donations, salvaged food through the Fresh Alliance program, food drives, and private donations from individuals and organizations. ORCCA is also responsible for the Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the area, which serve to provide early childhood education. Along with these major programs is a legion of other programs that have come together under the umbrella of ORCCA. The staff members here are incredibly passionate about the work that they’re doing and seem excited and prepared to put us to work improving the capability of ORCCA to meet the needs of community members. One of the most striking things that the South Coast Food Share director shared with us was the idea that when a client seeks one of the services offered by ORCCA, they would be intentionally exposed to the array of programs available to them that address many of the factors that contribute to poverty.

Our involvement with the program will be far-reaching and, to be honest, is a little confusing to me still. We’ll be supporting the Food Share by organizing their warehouse in preparation for a move to new facilities, processing orders, and processing food from other organizations. We’ll be providing classroom support to several local Head Start programs, in addition to improving classroom and playground facilities at these sites. As part of ORCCA’s work with area food pantries, we’ll also be administering state mandated Civil Rights and Food Safety trainings to employees and volunteers on-site. Several of the team members will support the Fresh Alliance program by visiting grocery stores with whom ORCCA has a relationship and working with them to identify ways in which they can donate surplus food. Aside from these major tasks, we’ll be supporting events, working with a youth community service program, and working on several building and artistic projects. I know I’m missing several other projects, but I think you get the point.