The Memories that Stick with You
Memories can be fickle things, fluttering in and out of your memory like a hummingbird’s tongue darting in search of its next cache of sugar. Early memories may be embedded deep in your skull as permanent features, or they may dance on the outskirts of consciousness, caught in a purgatory between déjà vu and true recollection. Recent memories are no different, just brought into a harsher duality; simply put, either you remember recent experiences or you do not.
As such, predicting which memories I will bear with me is almost purely speculation. There is no formula, no precise framework I can follow which will yield an answer. However, as I approach the conclusion of my term with the LRCC and the SLA, it seems fitting that I take a moment and reflect upon some of the experiences that I think will stick with me.
I can say with certainty that I will remember the natural beauty of the Squam Watershed. Be it the colors of the canopy in early October, the deep green hues of the hemlocks on a rainy afternoon, or the sunrise appearing and reflecting of the grey-blue waters of Squam Lake, there is always beauty to find around you here. Moonlit nights on islands are stunning, and the eerie beauty of loons calling through the night escapes description. No matter the season, no matter the weather, and no matter the mentality, there is always something here that will catch your eye.
It was not only what I saw, but also what I did, that will help me look back on these months with positive memories. I remember my first time piloting a boat on my own, and having a moment of utter bliss as I skimmed on a fogged-in morning. Running the Ridge Race between Mount Percival and Mount Livermore was incredible as early coloration was starting to sneak into the trees and there was not a cloud in the sky. Hiking over West Rattlesnake and around the outskirts of Five Finger Point was perfect, as the serenity of sandy beaches is only disturbed by the occasional hiker or a sporadic boat. Plotting and flagging a mountain bike specific trail through Whitten Woods let me turn a hobby into a project, and I cannot wait to see it come to fruition. Canoeing on Little Squam with my coservers-turned-friends has stuck with me through the summer, in part due to the panic we felt as Steven and I nearly tipped our canoe.
Some of the most distinct experiences, like the near-capsizing on Little Squam, are memorable for… not the best reasons. If you ask me about my experiences towing the floating docks across the length of the lake, I’m likely to scowl at you and grumble for ten minutes. I feel the same way about gathering water quality samples on a cold October morning, and you can guess how I feel about cleaning composting toilets. However, despite how memorable some of the negative experiences can be, they will always be dwarfed by the positive experiences I had with the most memorable element of my time here… the people.
It is impossible to distill an entire summer of relationships into a single sentence or memory, so I’ll save you from reading a waxing piece of excessively poeticized, insufficient garbage. Instead, I will share a memory that I feel exemplify the experience I received.
After completing our two-week quarantine period, I went for a hike up Eagle Cliff and Red Hill with some of my cohorts. It was a colder, drizzling day, and we had the trail to ourselves. Despite the weather, and lack of a view, our spirits stayed positive through the power of song; on the descent back towards the car, all that could be heard was our four voices (terribly) singing every song about rain we knew. We could have hung our heads, and turned the hike into a plodding trek, but instead we kept out chins up and stayed positive. This mentality, the concept of making your own fun, was something that stayed constant throughout the length of the term. While the projects may not have always been ideal, the company was.
If you are active in reading about the experiences of the Lakes Region Conservation Corps, then you are familiar with some of the personalities I have had the joy of serving alongside. A system can be inhibited by ineffective parts, but when all parts are working in tangent, the system is able to accomplish its targets; for the past six months, I was lucky enough to be a part of a system that functioned as such. The motions of the senior staff at the SLA, when operating in conjuncture with the efforts of the LRCC, produced a positive and safe environment of efficiency. We were able to maintain high productivity and safety standards with minimal sacrifice, all while working towards promoting access and conservation. Yet somehow, despite all the challenges and timelines we were facing, I had an absolute ball with the LRCC.
Jack could almost always be found personally attacking the (seemingly never-ending) SLA task list., or leading the (also seemingly never-ending) efforts to lead a train of docks back to SLA campus. You can learn more about Jack here!