I’m going to try to keep this blog short and sweet. An overview of what I’ve been up to, just to catch up to present day. Or else…. It will be a novel.
Left the ranch, and drove to Salt Lake City where I picked up my dad for a whirlwind southern Utah road trip. Highlight: Arches National Park.
Drove to Las Vegas for a weekend with the family. Entertaining. Glad to get out of Vegas by the end though. Not my favorite place in the world….
Stayed with my sister in LA for a few weeks. Expected to WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms…. work in exchange for room & board) at an organic farm in Malibu, CA for the month of November and December……. but the farm ended up being owned by a drug addict, sexual predator of a man…. with homeless men inhabiting the trailer I was supposed to live in. Needless to say, I spent one day there only to drive away as fast as possible and never look back.
After a night of “what the hell am I going to do now?!?!” and few days of frantic job searching I found a volunteer position with a non-profit conservation corps called the American Conservation Experience (ACE, for short) based out of Flagstaff, Arizona. They had an opening for their November 7th start date, and I jumped at the chance. I applied, and essentially hounded them about the position for a few days. I got the job on November 2nd, packed up, and drove to Flagstaff that weekend.
The next two months working as part of a trail crew, on an 8 days on, 6 days off cycle. They housed me in an apartment in Flag that I shared with other AC
E members from all over the world (England, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and the list goes on…). My first hitch was a 9 day backcountry project in Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. I was with a crew of 9 other Americans rebuilding a trail that had been destroyed in a forest fire this past summer.
Knowing we would be out on a trail project over Thanksgiving, a bunch of the Americans in ACE got together for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving potluck in the ACE apartments. Very cute! And surprisingly tasty! I made the mashed potatoes.
After a night of “what the hell am I going to do now?!?!” and few days of frantic job searching I found a volunteer position with a non-profit conservation corps called the American Conservation Experience (ACE, for short) based out of Flagstaff, Arizona. They had an opening for their November 7th start date, and I jumped at the chance. I applied, and essentially hounded them about the position for a few days. I got the job on November 2nd, packed up, and drove to Flagstaff that weekend.
The next two months working as part of a trail crew, on an 8 days on, 6 days off cycle. They housed me in an apartment in Flag that I shared with other AC
E members from all over the world (England, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and the list goes on…). My first hitch was a 9 day backcountry project in Dixie National Forest in southern Utah. I was with a crew of 9 other Americans rebuilding a trail that had been destroyed in a forest fire this past summer.Knowing we would be out on a trail project over Thanksgiving, a bunch of the Americans in ACE got together for a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving potluck in the ACE apartments. Very cute! And surprisingly tasty! I made the mashed potatoes.
The Group: 
The Feast: 
My second hitch was also in Dixie National Forest, but in a section farther east in Utah—close to Bryce Canyon National Park. I worked with many of the same Ame
ricans as my first crew, plus a few new ones. This time, we were continuing work done by previous ACE crews on a particularly lovely section of trail through Dixie. It was really snowy and cold that whole week, but fun none-the-less. We got one “snow day” off work, so we went to Bryce Canyon to explore.
ricans as my first crew, plus a few new ones. This time, we were continuing work done by previous ACE crews on a particularly lovely section of trail through Dixie. It was really snowy and cold that whole week, but fun none-the-less. We got one “snow day” off work, so we went to Bryce Canyon to explore.My final hitch was a 6 day Desert Tortoise Survey in the desert of sou
thern California. We walked transect lines looking for burrows (tortoises were all hibernating for winter), and any other signs of tortoise (shells, scat, etc). We were collecting data for the Sierra Club, who was opposing the construction of a solar power plant in that particular part of the Primm Valley because it would disturb vital tortoise habitat. They were proposing a different site, closer to the road, which would have less of an impact.
thern California. We walked transect lines looking for burrows (tortoises were all hibernating for winter), and any other signs of tortoise (shells, scat, etc). We were collecting data for the Sierra Club, who was opposing the construction of a solar power plant in that particular part of the Primm Valley because it would disturb vital tortoise habitat. They were proposing a different site, closer to the road, which would have less of an impact. .
During my time with ACE, I met a whole bunch of incredible people! I got to camp and work with them in some beautiful places! (Spend 9+ days living and working in the backcountry with a group of people, and you’ve got to become close friends! …sometimes it even felt more like family.) So… in retrospect, the farm in Malibu being a complete nightmare was actually the best thing that could’ve happened!
Once I finished up with ACE, I flew home for the holidays. I got to see a whole bunch family and friends I hadn’t seen in a loooong time! (I miss you all!) Spent some time in what I still think in the best city in the world… New York! And even got to play polo up in Saratoga like old times!
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During my time at home, I was actually offered an internship through ACE. The executive director of ACE told me that they had an internship at the Grand Canyon they thought I would be perfect for. It was a 3 month internship with the Science/Natural Resource division of the National Park Service doing invasive species control work, and revegetation/restoration work all along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon starting Feb 7th. One thing led to another, and now I’m writing this blog from a cabin in the middle of Grand Canyon National Park! (I'll write a blog this week about my first two weeks at the canyon).
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I flew back out west with my mom at end of January, and we went on a 10 day road trip from 
LA to Phoenix…. via San Fransisco. We went to the Getty in LA, drove up the PCH to San Luis Obispo, went to Montana De Oro State Park, toured Hearst Castle, saw baby elephant seals, walked around Monterey, CA while my car was getting new breaks…, spent a few great days in San Fran, drove back down to Riverside, CA, explored Joshua Tree National Park, and then finally ended up in Phoenix where we saw a very cool Ansel Adams exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum. A fantastic trip!!! I dropped her off at the Phoenix Airport, and drove back up to Flagstaff for my orientation.
LA to Phoenix…. via San Fransisco. We went to the Getty in LA, drove up the PCH to San Luis Obispo, went to Montana De Oro State Park, toured Hearst Castle, saw baby elephant seals, walked around Monterey, CA while my car was getting new breaks…, spent a few great days in San Fran, drove back down to Riverside, CA, explored Joshua Tree National Park, and then finally ended up in Phoenix where we saw a very cool Ansel Adams exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum. A fantastic trip!!! I dropped her off at the Phoenix Airport, and drove back up to Flagstaff for my orientation..
I feel like I’ve lived a few years in just these few months because of all the flip flopping between seasons I’ve done. Summer, fall, winter in Wyoming. Back to summer in LA. Fall to Winter in Flagstaff. Back to summer in LA. Flew to winter in New Jersey. Back to Spring-like weather on the California coast. Back to winter in the Grand Canyon. I’ve experienced every season a few times over… and it’s messed with my sense of time.
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It's definitely been a wild ride... but a wild ride I hope will continue for a long, long time! I've got a laundry list of things I want to do, and I don't plan on stoping any time soon.
"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” -John Muir
"The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.” -John Muir
