Friday, July 15, 2022, USFS Tours of
the day…
Today was an interesting day that
consisted of lots of geology, forestry, fire management, fuels management,
fisheries, ecology and natural resources in general. I found this day very educative, adventurous,
fun and tiring all at the same time. Tiring only because myself and a few
others went above and beyond in our hiking, thinking we were still in firefighting,
forestry, professional hiking shape as we once were.
We started the tour at the Lava
Flow River with the staff of Unites States Forest Service, the staff included
the listed individuals and titles:
Brock Kujawa - Visitor Services Director
Brock McCormick - Wildlife Biologist
Davey Pearson - Volunteer Career Pathway: Discover Your Forest
Phil Chi - GIS Analyst
Sarah - Soil Scientist
We did our introductions with
another before entering the Lava River Cave and took precaution and were briefed
due to the temperature we would be entering (42 degrees Fahrenheit). Another was that there is different species
of bats that roost in there and are very protected in this area. We could cause
them harm due to the exposures we have with the outside that can affect their
lives, we had to brush our feet off and not carry anything in that came from
other cave systems. I was glad that it was taken serious for the sake of
diseases and other sicknesses the bats are vulnerable to that could make different
species endangered.
We continued and it was amazing
how it was hot outside but very cool inside where you could see your
breath. The darkness the cave was one of
my favorites too, when turning off all the lights, there is nothing to be seen
in sight, even when putting your hand as close to your face as possible. I took many photos and videos, this was definitely
the best part of the day for me.
Next, we toured the Lava Butte Lookout
tower that overlooked the Newbury Craters and Lava Beds. We rode all the way up
in the shuttle and did another informational discussion to learn about how the
lava beds got there, where and how it affected the route of the river and other
environmental factors. Another was soil from Sarah and she had a lot of good
information about the beds, soil, plants and how life had thrived and was
affected in different ways. Once we were
done viewing the area from the top, myself, Agnes and Lance wanted to make the
long hike down the mountain ourselves. I told Lance to Lei Lei Lei (Lu Lu Lu)
and then I would do my best War hoop and we did, gave everyone a chuckle, we
also felt good about it, laughs and yelling can be medicinal, and I definitely felt
that. As we proceeded down the steepest
part of the mountain we jogged, and Agnes and I thought it would be a good idea
to put some Norther Cree Crow Hop on because it already looked like Lance was Crow
Hop Dancing or chicken dancing down the hill and we were stoked to see how good
he is even though he no longer pow wows but did in high school. We encouraged him
to get back into it.
Our next stop was the hike to Benham
Falls where there is white water rapids, it is fascinating to see how aggressive
the river was and the dangers it has on recreational sports to the public. The trails
itself is for recreational use however the entire 15+ mile trail is for
professional hikers and bikers which I thought was pretty cool because you
would come across all ages on that trail whether hiking or biking. The trail used to be an old logging railroad
track and was later turned into a trail for public use, just a little bit of
history there.
It was such a long day I slept all
the way back to camp, the exhaustion of heat was real while being intensive,
over the top out of shape hikers ever lol.
It felt really good though and was glad I pushed myself and had the support
of my peers. Reflecting back to how the day went I was inspired by the USFS staff
and their expertise in their fields. My take away on them was that they all
needed to start somewhere whether it was cleaning toilets doing camp crew,
support staff in the offices and your usual technician and now they are so full
of knowledge and evolved into experts in their field.
At the end of the day I was very
emotional, I really am missing my babies, my father-in-law sent me awesome
videos and picture of my babies at Silverwood and Triple Play. I know they’re
having a good time, but I can never get used to being away from them but I’m
also glad they are all getting their time in with another and that eases my heart,
as well as Lance and Agnes keeping close to my side while I was going through a
tough time.
Good Night, 2 more nights and I’ll
be on my way back to my little cubs :,)
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