First impressions from a Wilderness Ranger Intern
By Matthew Wilson, 2019 WR Intern
Making the 180 degree shift from the bustling, loud streets surrounding the city of New Haven, Connecticut to the serene and peaceful rush that comes from sleeping beside a creek, one could imagine my pure joy of being apart of this wonderful organization. The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation has not only given me an opportunity expand my knowledge and exposure to further pursue a career with the USFS, but it has given me the opportunity to find out what I ought to be doing with my limited time on this Earth.
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Majesty with Maladies
By Kris Bosch, 2018 WR Intern
A few years ago, my old Montana Conservation Corps crew leader told me: “Nothing is certain in the corps world.” I couldn’t agree more, since the wilderness is naturally a wild and unpredictable place. Some days it can be hard to tell where to camp in the evening, or judge what lies on the trails ahead. Here in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, things don’t always go the way we want them to.
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Life on the Trail Without Packers
By Isabella Kalifelz, 2018 WCC Intern
A life on trail without packers would be monotonous. Packers are the lifeblood when it comes to getting us out into the Wilderness. They bring more than just their stories, strength, time and their courageous stock (some transporting over 100 pound loads for our bulky needs and essential trail working tools).
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Sounds and Struggles from a Shakedown Hitch
Poems by Kathryn Hatfield, 2018 WR Intern
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What I'm Reading This Summer
By Keegan Wildham, 2018 WCC Intern
This summer I decided that I was going to read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. While I haven’t encountered any goblins, elves, or dragons during my time in the Bob so far, I did find a few things that I could relate to from this book.
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The Meaning of Wilderness
By Bryn Willingham, 2018 WCC Intern
Through the improvement of the trails that we clear, brush, and reconstruct as a crew, we are inviting others to define what wilderness means to them. With increased exploration and understanding of the wilderness, we can cultivate stewardship for wilderness areas like the Bob, promoting a much needed responsibility and love for wild places all around the world.
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HR 1349: Thoughtful consideration
By BMWF Board & Staff
The Board of Directors of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation adamantly opposes HR1349, which would allow mountain bikes and other wheeled vehicles in designated Wilderness. After thoughtful consideration, we oppose this legislation for several reasons.
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Intern Update: Coming Full Circle with Fresh Eyes
By Jack Michael, 2017 WR Intern
Being a Wilderness Ranger Intern in the Bob Marshall Wilderness has definitely helped me learn about and appreciate the complex nature of wild places. It has also reconnected me to lessons learned through experience as a child. So in many ways, the Bob Marshall Wilderness brings you full circle with fresh eyes.
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Breaking Trail: From the first BMWF Wilderness Ranger Intern
By Danielle Sanderson, 2017 WR Intern
Each day spent out in the woods I appreciate the fact that I am aiding in the preservation of this wild earth and the history intertwined. Because of this work, hundreds of people can experience solitude, hiking along maintained trails and camping at preserved campsites.
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Video: A Summer on the Trail with WCC
5 Hitches, 5 Ranger Districts, 1 Unforgettable Season in the Wilderness. A video by the 2016 Wilderness Conservation Corps Crew.
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Wilderness Conservation Crew takes on Headquarters Pass
by Abby Hobza, 2016 WCC Intern
This hitch wasn’t just a Wilderness Conservation Corps work party. Trail crew leader Rebecca Kambic and a six (6) BMWF volunteers joined us as we trekked up Headquarters Pass in hopes of seeing mountain goats (oh, and to do some work too). The hike to the top was short but steep and breathtakingly beautiful with waterfalls, ridges, and mountain views all around. Once we got to camp, we wasted no time setting up our backcountry kitchen, tents, and exploring the surrounding area.
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Look out Rio 2016, here we come!
by Cassidy Grady, 2016 WCC Intern
As I swung my pick for the hundredth time that day into the rocky hillside above trail 402, I was startled by shouts from my WCC crewmates. The commotion was a reaction to the rather large, rounded rock Trevor had dug up from the trail and was cradling in his arms with no safe place to put it beside the trail on the steep slope. The crew watched intently as Trevor adjusted his stance, shifted the rock backwards, then forwards, and released it over the beargrass-blanketed slope. It rolled and bounced its way toward the drainage below—the target—all the while picking up speed as our eager whoops and hollers egged it on. A final bound sent the rock soaring through the air until it crashed into the creek with a satisfying “thud.” The crowd went wild!
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The Thrill of New Adventures
by Trevor Fero, 2016 WCC Intern
On July 30th I woke up to the thrill of new adventures. The WCC’s 4th hitch was only hours away and I couldn’t be more excited to enter the Scapegoat Wilderness for the first time. Having previously spent trail day with the Lincoln District, it was nice for me to be working with some familiar faces knowing that we would all work well together.
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Growing up in Wilderness
By Che Rousell, 2015 WCC Intern
I had a pick mattock, but that does not mean that I knew how to use it. The summer before I had stolen it from a local campground with a good friend of mine, a move I do not regret. The pick sat in my car for a year before it was more than a conquest. It took time for the pick to become something to me, something more than a stolen good and more than a tool. Even when I finally learned to swing a pick correctly and with purpose I did not understand where it would take me. Now I look at that pick and I am reminded of who I am and why I am here and where I am going, and what all of that means.
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