Brief update from Bozeman

Kinda hard to believe I've already spent a month here, but that's thanks to a busy schedule: general training and crew assignments for the first week, then training with chainsaws in Yellowstone, then working on a youth camp outside Bozeman followed by helping build a playground in town, then eight days south of the Tetons with trail work, and that brings us to the present! One thing's for sure, I'll have to be diligent with my time off; it's too easy just to sit around like I have the last few days waiting for the next hitch instead of enjoying the sights/sounds/opportunities I have all around me.

A nugget of news! I just learned that we can have guests with us while we're on a hitch, so long as we give at least a couple weeks' notice. Hopefully I can get more information in July about when and where we'll be the rest of the summer, but just in case you're jonesin' for working outside with me and my crew, we can make it happen! Let me know if you're interested, and maybe we'll throw something together.

New topic... my crew is pretty much the best. I can be nerdy, goofy, and punny without fear of death threats; in fact, it's encouraged out here! Plus I've been mandated by one of my crew leaders to learn Disney songs so I can perform them while we're out in the wilderness without access to CD players and iPods. What a relief! Instead of feeling like I have to shut up, I'm told to sing more!

Yes, life is good here. Fondest wishes to you all!