I have always viewed winter as an end. An end to much of the nature we see flourish in the summer, it marks our calendar year drawing to a close, and the ever nearing end of the sense of responsibility (guilt) to that unfulfilled New Year’s resolution. This year, this interesting year, winter will mark the beginning of my final AmeriCorps term with the Squam Lakes Association. This time last year, I was sitting in a SOLO Wilderness First Aid class in Waterville Valley, trying to not blurt out “SNOW!” in the middle of a life saving demonstration as I noticed the first flakes of winter trickle down from the clouds. Today, I sit in my quarantine hotel room getting ready for the first of many Zoom meetings and see that it is snowing, and I feel like a child because I can’t keep from smiling, even as I type. While I know it is not the first snow New Hampshire has seen this season, it was my first time seeing it fall since last winter.
On the trip to our quarantine quarters in Plymouth, I drove from New York, up to northern Vermont, and then east to New Hampshire, taking a scenic route through the mountains of the east. As I crossed the border into Lancaster, NH and continued towards the White Mountains, I got a stunning view of the frosted Presidential Range and the surrounding peaks. Having spent the last two months on Long Island, flat as flat can be, seeing these snow capped, ice crusted, towering structures made me… let’s say squeal. Okay, I was screaming. I often found myself having to consciously close my jaw as the winding roads gave me a new view of the peaks every few miles. It was a good thing that I had gotten it out of my system in the car because this allowed me to restrain myself today when I saw it falling. Resorting not to shriek in my room, which would likely alarm the guest across the hall, instead I virtually freaked out in our work group chat to my fellow members who I met for the first time (in person) yesterday.
My previous term offered me many lessons and food for thought; this term I am excited for the opportunity to put those lessons into action and hone in on what I learned to make this “do-over” the most valuable experience I can make it to be. New England is not a bad place for a recent college grad nature nerd to spread their wings and kick start adulthood. As my previous journals have mentioned, the SLA has helped me clear a general path of the kind of work ethic I would like to develop and what skills I wish to continue to pursue and refine while I’m here and after I move on from the program. Lucky for me, a lot of that has spilled over into my self education on how to be a functioning adult, which pretty much every person in my age bracket can always use a little advice on.
While I can place no price on the guidance I received and will continue to receive from each senior SLA staff member, perhaps I am most looking forward to what I can learn from my new group of fellow service members. Everyone is from different backgrounds, different parts of the country, has different skills, interests, and experiences. There is no other setting that will teach you more fun facts, life lessons, and the best books to read than putting a group of strangers together in a cottage for 10 months where the only socialization and closest coworkers they will have are themselves. It’s even more effective if you do it during a pandemic... in the middle of winter... in a place that is pitch black by 4:30PM.
That sentiment may sound grim, but honestly, I am as excited for this upcoming experience as I was for the snow I saw coming over the Vermont border on Sunday. While winter brings the darkness and some uncertainty for what’s to come, it also brings the beginning of yet another crucial step in my adult life, which I step into willingly and enthusiastically. It will surely be a year of learning curves, finding creative ways to keep busy, adopting new hobbies, and forging new relationships in a way that none of us have quite experienced. And let’s not forget or take for granted that all of this will happen in one of the most beautiful areas of the country where we have access to the mountains, the seacoast, lakes, woodlands, marshes, bogs, and vivid night skies; what more could a handful of young environmental scientists ask for?
We are happy to welcome Maggy back to the SLA for another full term! She brings amazing energy and creativity to the program (especially her education programs!). You can learn more about Maggy here!