Mentors here at Wild Whatcom are connection lovers. And we're not talking about the internet, but rather the connection that happens in realtime, between humans interacting with their physical environment. This type of connection was really strong during our service project last Saturday with the Washington Trails Association (WTA).
The WTA builds and maintains trails over the entire state of Washington, and their volunteer trail maintenance program is among the largest in the nation. They log more than 105,000 volunteer hours statewide each year, and over 2500 volunteers giving back to the trails they love.
We started our day with tape stuck to our backs with various native flora and fauna written. Unable to see which creature, plant, bird we were, many questions were asked to guess the critter on our back. We then gathered around in council and met Kathy, Arlen and John, who have taken many a day out of their busy schedules to Walk Their Talk and work to create and improve trails all over western Washington.
After learning about how to safely handle the multitude of tools provided, we grabbed shovels, Pulaskis, saws, clippers, and hoes, capped our eager heads with some fancy hard hats and made our way to the trail we were to work on (we learned that girls with hard hats and tools grow about 3 inches in pride and confidence). We split into groups to become blackberry cutters, ditch clearers rock haulers, drainage designers, and mud muckers. Girls worked so hard and impressed everyone who passed and interacted with them. Truly. They were determined trail renovators and their energy never flagged. After a short break, one said to the others, cheerfully: "Let's get back to work!" When John suggested he make repeated trips to the beach to haul buckets of heavy gravel, these girls would have none of it - they would manage that themselves, thank you kindly! Others were so intent upon getting all the winter leaves off the stairs that they had to be cajoled into breaking for lunch. The ditch designers got down in the dirt and mud to excavate hidden and clogged drainage systems, and design and create new, more effective ones. All along the way, the WTA volunteers acted as our teachers, guiding us in instruction and supporting our efforts with smiles and stories. These older, seasoned WTA volunteers are open-hearted, generous in their teachings, and made this day one of beautiful connection between young and old, tool and task, girl and group, and the empowerment of giving back to nature.
Our lunch break on the beach led to explorations that ended in a "service project within a service project", with the girls freeing about 35 oysters caught in an abandoned trap.
Our lunch break on the beach led to explorations that ended in a "service project within a service project", with the girls freeing about 35 oysters caught in an abandoned trap.
As our time together came to a close, we gave heartfelt acknowledgements to one another for our attitude and efforts. A truly wonderful and inspiring day!
Our Words of the Day? Ditches, Drains, Mud and Motivation!
