round 1: jockey’s ridge state park

After 4 weeks in the mountains and swamps, we finally made it to our 5th state park, on the outer banks!  It was so amazing to drive down the main road, Rt. 150 and see restaurants, shops and PEOPLE!  We hadn’t been in civilization for a really long time and my team was extremely excited for the change.

We went back to clearing invasives, but we got to do so in pretty parts of the park, so it wasn’t so bad to return to that.  We got to work by the Roanoke Sound, and on some of the sand dunes.  On our last day we headed to work with The Nature Conservancy of North Carolina to bag recycled oyster shells, which will be used to create a barrier reef to prevent shoreline erosion.

Other highlights/thoughts:
1. Once we got to the park, some of my CMs started planning their Halloween weekend in New Orleans, plans which didn’t initially include the under 21 year olds.  Those under 21 were offended not that they weren’t invited but that those over 21 were secretive.  It was the first time our team faced the idea of doing separate things and there was just a misunderstanding about what each side expects.  We had a talk about it as a team, about what it means to finally be in a town where everyone can go ahead and do their own separate things.  We were used to being with each other 24/7 so it was something they had to be more aware of so that they separate once we got to Bay Saint Louis.
2. I still had concerns about my getting too close with my CMs, but didn’t realize how much I had needed my own space until we got to Jockey’s Ridge.  We initially had 1 small house for all 11 of us, but eventually got a second one for the girls.  There was the opportunity for a third, but I didn’t tell my CMs about that and instead used it to get away once for a few hours.  It was nice not to be surrounded by them and to be alone with my thoughts =)
3.  Despite the fact that I needed some alone time, it also got lonely with my CMs going out at night and on weekends when some of their families came to visit.  It was the first time they were able to do so, so that was just something different I had to get used to.  I missed the girls and again wished I could just hang out with them and be one of them, but I try to keep my distance and allow them to have their own fun, as I don’t want to hinder any conversations they may not normally have around me.
4. I did go out once though for $1 tacos with everyone except for 1 person, and that was a lot of fun.  We also celebrated another birthday, as one of my CMs, Kyle, turned 21.  He didn’t stay with us, however.  His friend came to pick him up and he spent him birthday at NC State.
5. We found out we got called on disaster and would not be going to our last state park, Pettigrew State Park.  There was flooding in a town a few hours west of us due to Tropical Storm Nicole, the one we worked through at Dismal Swamp State Park.  Our new sponsor was One Economy, a local business that was deeply invested in the town of Windsor, NC (the town we were called to serve) and Lewiston, NC.  Going into this program I had always wanted to help respond to a disaster because of the opportunity it provided to help people when they needed it the most.  I knew it was going to be an interesting experience and my team was ready to do it.  We extended our stay at Jockey’s Ridge State park, and one of my CMs family was supposed to visit at our next park but instead they came to the outer banks and rented a house for a bit.  It was great that they were able to change their plans so quickly, and it was really nice to meet them.  They brought us more goodie bags and took us out to dinner one night, which was really great.  We hung out with them for a bit; some of my CMs stayed the night while myself and another CM returned home for the night.

Images below: the beach; the sand dunes; the sound where we worked; my CMs clearing invasives; my CMs bagging oyster shells; Kitty Hawk Kites, where my family and I visited 12 years earlier =)

round 1: dismal swamp state park

Our 4th week at Dismal Swamp State Park was an interesting one to say the least!  We stayed at our house at Merchants Millpond and just commuted the 1/2 hour to the park every day.  It rained every single day, and we were working in the rain and mud.  While cold, I thought it was a lot of fun, getting dirty and sliding around.  The first day we did a half day of boardwalk construction before heading in and learning a bit more about the park, courtesy of Joy, our supervisor (Jay’s wife!).  The other 2 days we just worked through the POURING rain and worked on as much of the boardwalk as we could.  By the end of the week we built 300 feet or boardwalk, and didn’t get to finish A. because of a lack of supplies and B. because on our last day, that Thursday, we weren’t able to work at the park because of the torrential downpours.  The park can only be accessed via bridge, and with the heavy rains it was unable to open. So on our last day we just headed back to Merchants Millpond for the day to finish up some of the boardwalk we started the previous week.  It was pouring even harder that day and it was like we had all jumped into a pool our clothes were SO WET.  It ended up being a half day for us because we couldn’t keep working in the rain, but I was really impressed with my team and their determination to build through the rain.

Other highlights/thoughts:
1. On our 2nd day of work, our van go stuck in the mud ditch in our driveway.  The park rangers had to come pull us out.  Turns out this has happened multiple times to those who have stayed there previously.  It provided a good laugh and we were only 15 minutes late for work.
2. We found out our 2nd round project: Habitat for Humanity in Bay Saint Louis, MS!  My team was understandably bummed that we didn’t get our first choice, but all were still excited for the opportunity to work with Habitat on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast =)

Images below: our van stuck in the mud; my CMs putting in posts; working on the boardwalk; eating lunch; my CMs with mud paint on their faces; my team with our supervisors on the boardwalk we built!

round 1: merchants millpond state park

So again on Friday we traveled to our next park, Merchants Millpond State Park, which was 4.5 hours way.  This one, unlike the first two mountainous ones, was in a swamp.  Once we arrived, we met with the park rangers who showed us our HOUSE.  It was an old ranger house and boy was my team excited for four walls, carpet and a couch.  There wasn’t any other furniture, but just to see a kitchen again was enough to bring smiles to their faces.  It was really nice to be out of the woods, despite the fact that it was a unique and fun opportunity.  We took the time to go grocery shopping (which turned into an unnecessary 5 hour excursion because we had trouble finding the ones the staff told us about before finally heading to Wal*Mart).  This time, any big town was 30 minutes away and the one we frequented most often was Edenton, which was right along the water.  It was a really cute town that my CMs and I enjoyed visiting for cell phone reception, coffee, books and more =).  Also, once we arrived one of my CMs brother and sister came to visit, and with them they brought goody bags full of food for everyone on the team from their parents.  My team was so excited and so grateful, again for the little things.  That was really great to see =).

Other highlights/thoughts:
1. I enjoyed spending time with my team, and even had a 90s dance party in the van with them when we were searching for something to eat once.  It made me realize that I might be blurring the line between TL and friend, and while I’m very conscious of it, it’s hard to correct, especially since they’re my only source of people to hang out with.  They have each other and can confide in one another, but without service I am unable to do so with my friends or other TLs.
2. We got the list of the 2nd round projects.  My favorite, as well as my team’s favorite, was the project in Louisville, KY where the sponsoring organization was The Salvation Army.  They needed helped coordinating their Christmas Angel Tree program, and loving Christmas as much as I do, that quickly became my favorite.  I had my team rank the projects and then I submitted a compiled team tanking to my supervisor.
3. Our first weekend there I went to do laundry with my CM J.R. and on our way back we were behind an ambulance who had missed the house by a few feet.  I slowed down as I saw his brake lights, and was behind him waiting to go around or see what he was going to do when he started backing up.  He clearly didn’t see me because he backed up right into us.  I tried to get it in reverse but was thinking does he really not see us?  I couldn’t get in reverse fast enough so I honked the horn but it was too late.  The damage was minimal, only a dent in the bumper, but I couldn’t believe it.  He and I started laughing before getting out to speak with the paramedic (who, as I later saw on the accident report, was born in 1990..oiy).  Ironically, there was a police car behind me anyway because he was responding with the ambulance, so we filled out a police report, and I went to pick up the official one the following day while my team was at work.
4. My team and I have decided to start a boys v. girls competition, to run through the whole year.  It started with football as PT.  The boys won, but it was still a lot of fun, especially since all of the girls got dressed up!
5. We celebrated our 1st team birthday, as one of my CMs, Myron, turned 19.  We baked him a cake and it was really great to see the smile on his face when we surprised him.
6. We had another issue between my two CMs who got into that verbal fight the previous week.  He called back to campus to talk to another staff member and may or may not have said he wanted to switch teams.  Had trouble communicating with her, and I told him that sometimes he comes off condescending to others.  Had a talk with him later, and it was clear that he was just annoyed by her on many levels.  A few days later, they seemed to be a lot better, learning to be ok with each other at home but not really at work, so I stopped putting them together on the site.
7. That same CM had some constructive criticism for me as well, that I was trying to be a friend to the CMs, which is something I know I’ve struggled with.
8. Had a van ride with another one of my CMs who is having a hard time with the gossip on the team on the work site, and is having trouble working with the CM above who is hard to get along with at times.  He’s uncomfortable around him because of some of the comments he’s made and doesn’t know how to approach him.  I have a whole 2 pages in my CM journal about this 1 CM..*sigh*

Images below: my team and I in the house with our new goodie bags; Edenton by the water; the girls and I before our football game; ranger house we lived in.

The work:
While at this park we did two things: build 3 new campsites and construct 2 new boardwalks.  It was a lot of fun and really nice to get away from invasive species removal for a bit.  On our first day, we CANOED TO WORK (rough life, I know), which was a lot of fun.  It was a unique experience that I’m sure won’t ever happen again.  We cleared 3 sites and then constructed 3 new camp sites for visitors to canoe to and spend the night at.  It wasn’t especially difficult work, but it was a lot of fun to again see the progress immediately.

For the rest of the week the team worked to tear down an old boardwalk and build 2 new ones, both of which were made to be handicap accessible.  It was a lot of fun to get to do something different, and again see the immediate results of our work.  We had to first dig holes to put the posts in, then lay boards across them (called stringers) before putting the planks on.  I think it’s the most fun my team has had so far working, and I know that much of that was because they were able to get close to the staff.  They really enjoyed working with the rangers there.  The park rangers, being my team’s only source of outside contact, became an important part of their experience there and I know they missed working with them once we left.

One day after work, our supervisor Jay took us for a kayak ride through the millpond.  It was so much fun, and again a really unique opportunity.  He was able to teach us about the park and its plant life all while kayaking.  It was so beautiful there, which wasn’t really what I expected from a swamp!  My CMs Michelle and Kyle also coordinated a volunteer engagement day, and while they had problems recruiting volunteers beyond another CM’s (Jess’) parents, they had fun painting the maintenance building for the rangers!

Images below: canoeing to work!; the swamp; going for a kayak ride through the millpond; starting a boardwalk; building the boardwalk; our finished boardwalk; my team eating at the camp site they built; having fun on a 4×4;the maintenance building my CMs helped to paint during their volunteer engagement day

round 1: pilot mountain state park

On Friday my team and I packed up the vans and headed to Pilot Mountain State Park.  We took that first weekend to explore the park (this time with a 6.6 mile hike!), and get our laundry and groceries done (this time, the nearest town was 7 minutes away, but we still didn’t go out into much, as camping makes it difficult; HOWEVER, we didn’t have a curfew at this park, as the rangers gave us the code to another gate so we could come and go).  The park was beautiful and the weather, while a bit rainy the first weekend, was perfect.  It was nice and cool, as it was for us in Stone Mountain, and I loved waking up to the cool, crisp air each morning.  I remember thinking during our first week just how lucky we are to get the opportunity to spend time in the state parks for FREE for 2 weeks.  I never wanted to camp for 2 weeks before I but I had a good time and really enjoyed it.  It wasn’t easy, but we did what we could to make it work.  I’m REALLY glad I chose this project as my #2 choice for my team and I’m really glad my team was assigned to it because they made the best out of what we had, and for that I was grateful.  At this park, we also had cell phone reception at our camp site, so I was finally able to call some people to catch up, which was really nice.  Over the weekend we were also supposed to have a Day of Service on September 11th; however, the volunteer opportunity we were thinking of doing didn’t work out, so we had a reflection in the van.  One of the topics was where were you on Sept. 11 and I was blown away that some of my CMs were in 2nd grade at the time.  I couldn’t believe just how young they were when it happened!  Some of my CMs also went to a hotel for a night just so they could sleep in a bed and take a warm shower, so I was at the site with 3 of the guys, which was nice considering I don’t get as much 1:1 time with either of them.

Images below: me at the top of Pilot Mtn; Pilot Mtn; my team at the top of the mtn.

While my team was enjoying the park, there were a few bumps that we had to get over:

1. We were having issues surrounding food, with some girls feeling like some of the guys were eating too much without being considerate of others, and that they weren’t getting the kind of food they would normally like (i.e. more fruits and vegetables).  We had a discussion about it, and it got heated at one point, but I told them I wasn’t going to make any decisions at the moment (some of the girls wanted to pull out half of the $4.50 they get each day for food), but that we’d revisit it.  I called a few other TLs and spoke with my unit leader about it and decided that either they pull out all of their money or none at all, but they couldn’t pull out a portion like they wanted to.  From there we just reevaluated what we were buying and created a better, more well-rounded list to go off of.
2. There was a major fight between two of my CMs, a girl and a guy (the one who I’ve had issues with from the beginning because of the way he speaks with the other CMs).  Basically, it began when he was cooking dinner, and she, being a vegetarian, asked about the dinner and he snapped back with something about how she can make her own food if she doesn’t like what’s being cooked.  He’s had issues with her in the past and snaps at her frequently, probably because she doesn’t allow him to speak to her in the condescending way that he does.  I was not here for this argument, but from what I was told by a few CMs, he called her an “inconsiderate bitch” multiple times.  Sigh.  So I had to talk with him after speaking with my unit leader, and write an incident report.  I asked him what happened to get his side of the story, and he didn’t deny what he said, and even went on to say that if he thinks someone is being a bitch he’s going to call that person that.  I said I didn’t care how he interacted with his friends or other people back at home, but that here that was unacceptable and unprofessional and that it should never happen again.  I remember my voice shaking when speaking to him because I was so angry.  He is one CM that just gets under my skin, and I knew that he would be my challenge for the year.

The work:

So, now to what we actually did in the park!  The interesting part was that we got to work at a different section of the park everyday, which gave us the opportunity to see as much of it as possible.  We did some more invasive species removal, but we did more spraying with herbicides and didn’t get to see immediate results like we did with the bamboo.  I know that was difficult for my everyone, but we had to remind each other that the reason this work is important is to prevent situations like the massive bamboo patch.  If we catch them early enough, then perhaps they won’t grow so out of control.

The first day we sprayed invasives near the park entrance, and on the second day we did the same thing but near and old cabin.  We had to clear the land near the cabin so that in the future the rangers can reroute a trail for visitors to visit the cabin during their hikes.  To get to work that day we rode in the back of ranger trucks, which was always a dream of mine, as I’ve never done it before (it’s not legal to do so in CT).  It was a ten minute ride and it was perfect =)  On the third day we sprayed more invasive species near the park’s river, which was beautiful!  After work that day we went for a swim in it, something we wished we could have done again if we were there longer.  On the last day, a day I spent mostly in the office, my team covered an old trail and rerouted it by placing new trail markers on the new section.  They also recovered park of the new section with gravel.  The purpose of rerouting the trail was to make it wider so that in the future emergency vehicles could get to hikers if the situation called for it.  Overall it was a good work week, and our last week camping!

Accomplishments:
-11 acres of land treated with herbicide
-1/2 acre of land cleared of invasive species
-1 mile of trail brush piled
-1 mile of trail rerouted

Images below: my CMs in the back of a ranger truck; the old cabin covered by trees; the cabin after we cleared the land; a snake we saw in the water; the river; my CMs covering the trail with gravel.

round 1: stone mountain state park

Hi from North Carolina!  What a busy 2 and a half weeks it has been!  We are at our 3rd park now, Merchants Millpond State Park, but only got here yesterday after a wonderful two weeks at Stone Mountain State Park and Pilot Mountain State Parks.  Let me start from the beginning:

After 2 long days of travel, my team and I made it to NC Thursday, September 2.  We got settled in and got acquainted with the park and the local area, grocery shopping etc before our first day of training on Friday.  Our sponsors are WONDERFUL!  During trainings we were prepped to deal with the difficult sponsors and supervisors, but our sponsors are absolutely great.  They are so friendly and helpful that we were all immediately put at ease.  We had a training in the morning to give us a background on the parks and the kind of work we’d be doing.  After lunch we went out into the field to begin the work: invasive species removal (in this case, bamboo).  It was definitely a lot of work, but my team kicked some major butt.  They are so wonderful, and, despite disagreements here and there between a few people, they all work really well together.  On our first day we cleared about 1/2 acres of land of bamboo, using loppers and chainsaws (well, the staff used those).  We sprayed the stumps with herbicide so they don’t grow back (it’s inevitable some will though), and then hauled the 20-60 foot bamboo sticks to the chipper.  It was hard, dirty and tiring, but fun and rewarding.  My hands have scratches on them, my legs have bruises, but the end result after our first week made it all worth it.  And to see just how appreciative  and impressed the staff was after we finished was awesome.  After our 3 day holiday weekend we finished out the week clearing the main plot of land and then some of another plot, to make a total of 2 acres of land cleared and 40 tons of bamboo removed from the 2 sites.  I was so incredibly proud of my team for all that they did that on our last day at that park on Thursday I bought them all ice cream at the local country store, a place where we hung out frequently after work because it was such an adorable place.

Images below: the plot of land before we cleared it (I can’t find the full picture, so this one shows a bit cleared); the plot of land after my team and I cleared it; another plot we started clearing; chipping wood; with the Stone Mtn. Park Rangers; my team and I in front of the Stone Mtn. State Park sign.

So besides the work, some other highlights/thoughts:
1. Some of us decided to try not showering for a week, and I thought that was a lot of fun.  It was a relief to not have to worry about showering!  I made it 1 week and showered on the 7th day and boy did it feel great!  I didn’t realize how dirty my hair was until I washed it and could run my fingers through my hair without running into knots =)  We may not have showered BUT we did use a local waterfall as our shower.  We’d dip into the water at the end of the day to cool off and wash away the sweat and the stink.  I never once felt dirty or smelly, thanks to the waterfall trips, but by the end I was SO ready for a shower.
2. On our first weekend we did a lot of exploring.  The first few days we were getting settled, going grocery shopping, developing a system for camping with 11 people our of 3 coolers etc.  It was interesting but I think we’re getting a good system going.  We also hiked to the top of Stone Mountain and what a beautiful view from the top!  It was absolutely awesome and so worth the tiring hike (the total for the loop was 4.6 miles).
3. Two CMs and I came across a Copperhead snake, and then ran.  We saw in on the sidewalk at night as we were heading to the bathroom and it started to slither off into the dirt, but then decided to slither backwards towards us (they’re the kind that’ll go after you instead of retreating, and are poisonous).
4. I took 1 corps members to the hospital the first weekend we were there.  She had a perfect red circle on her leg with a bump in the middle.  I thought it might be a spider bite, she thought staph infection, but it turned out to be nothing.
5. I didn’t realize until our first night in the hotel, during our travel days, how hard it might be to separate myself from the team, especially from the girls.  For our first week my team was the only group of people my age I had contact with, and mostly the girls since we shared tents etc.  The 5 girls on my team are so great and fun that sometimes I found myself wishing I wasn’t a team leader so I didn’t have to dance along that professional line.  I love my job (obviously, or I wouldn’t be doing it!) but that didn’t make it any easier.  It’s not such a problem with the guys, as we don’t share tents or anything, but while I do have a strong group of girls, I don’t have a strong set of guys.  They’re great guys, except one I have a bit difficulty relating to or understanding, but they definitely need more work.  One of the guys causes issues among the team and can be snappy and condescending, but other than that, my team works well together.
6. It wasn’t an easy week, considering groceries and laundry were 30 minutes away, we had a curfew of 8pm (when the park gates closed), we were living out of 3 coolers and the back of a cargo van, often ate in the dark with bugs that wouldn’t leave us alone, and often had to go to bed around 8-9pm because that’s when it was dark and we had nothing else to do except be in our tents, away from the bugs, BUT despite all of that, my team bonded and had a good time with each other, and I had a good time with them.  They struggled but worked their issues out; they frustrated me, but also made me proud and smile.  It was our first week together, but from then on I knew we’d have a good year together.

Images below: my team at the country store eating ice cream (note the flannel; many of us bought flannel shirts and wore them almost every day); me and the 4 other corps members who didn’t shower for a week; the creek nearby; hiking the base of Stone Mtn; top of Stone Mtn.; me at the top of Stone Mtn.