People started showing up Wednesday to get to work, but the first official day was Thursday (when are they just going to make Wednesday an official work day?). Thursday got off to a great start as I was relegated to digging postholes with the Schwilkster. He pointed out that one hole was on higher ground than the other so we should dig it a little deeper. When we tossed the 6x6’s in the holes, they came out perfectly level. Too bad the same can’t be said about the job Pete did cutting the wood for the kiosk.
Pat contemplating how she can get dirtier after lunch
Things were moving along in the field as Jason, Rex and Disco Dan were constructing a 36-foot puncheon/clear span that was needed to help ferry hikers and workers across a wet area. Jennifer and her crew were dominating a rock wall to help support the tread. Further down the trail, Bob, Bill and others were attacking a clear span that bridged a gully. All this work was setting up to let the saunterers haul lumber on Friday.
Dinner on Thursday was a change of pace, as a busload of the best Lodi has to offer arrived. The Lodi Summer Saunters kids had arrived! In case you were wondering what the worst Lodi has to offer, look no further than Luke. The evening was enlivened by a spirited game of whiffle ball pitting the adults against the kids. It went back and forth, but by the end the adults had won by about 50 (That was probably the hardest the Lodi teachers had worked all year). The highlight of the game was Randy taking a whiffle ball off the face with 30 witnesses looking on. The kids who weren’t playing whiffle ball, amused themselves by loading up the merry go round and spinning it around as fast as they could. Kids these days…
Luke on Strike
Friday, the Summer Saunters kids got out in the field and taught their teachers a thing or two about work. Jacob, Kaile (I butchered that spelling) and Connor were placed on my crew. It was going to be a dirty job building puncheon but someone had to do it. Instead of slowly marching the lumber needed for the 300 feet of puncheon down the trail, it was decided the best option was to park a truck on the side of the road and launch the wood down the hill. Brilliant idea. A few people started chucking the wood (everyone was safely out of the way of course) when Jacob came over and asked if he could throw wood down the hill. “You bet!” I said. He spent the rest of the day tossing wood of varying lengths down the hill. Not a bad day! While the lumber chuckers were having their fun, the rest of the grunts were hard at work building rock walls and puncheon.
The puncheon work seemed hopeless for a while, but we finally got the hang of it in the afternoon. You can tell how quick I was working because I stood for so long in the mud that we needed a rock bar to pry me out! Things were looking a little sketchy at the end of the day Friday with how much work was left. Saturday was going to be a doozy.
Friday night the Summer Saunters read a poem for us and received their t-shirts and junior trailbuiler awards. Hopefully a spark was lit in them and they continue to explore and volunteer on the Ice Age Trail. Someone needs to take Rich and Gary’s spot eventually, because they can’t keep dominating forever! For dessert we had ice cream with fresh-picked strawberries from down the road that one of the support crew had kindly picked herself. MMMMM!!!!
In an unrelated note, Pete and Jason decided the quickest way down the Wisconsin River was not in a canoe, but next to it as they flipped it as dusk settled in…
Here are a few of the best quotes from the weekend.
Pete – “I’m 6’5” with my heels on.”
Evelyn – “The most exciting part of the sock…is turning the heel!”
Rachel to Struve with 5 other girls around – “Will you be horning tonight? Will you be French horning tonight?”
Randy – “I don’t care if he farts, as long as I can snore.”
Saturday greeted us with an early morning rain. Perfect for building in the mud! Puncheon was the focus today as crews spread out through the area and began setting the risers and stringers. Pete was forced to actually work on the puncheon where he kept saying, “We’re not building an Irish Pub.” It’s kinda funny having Pete say something like that because how would he know about an Irish Pub? Being frugal, he stays away from anything but the absolute bottom shelf beer and liquor and he is always mixing his beer or drinks to make them taste fruity or mask the taste of the beer. His drink of choice this weekend was a Hamm’s mixed with lemonade to create a “shammdy.” All right, enough of that for Pete’s sake.
Crews kept their spirits up as rain tried to dampen them. The rain stopped in late morning, but the work did not. The amount of work accomplished was something to behold, then again, super trailbuilders, Patrick and Amory were there. Patrick is still in high school but he has put me to shame every time we have worked together, starting at Murphy Flowage 4 years ago when he was 13. He is an absolute workhorse. Coming into this project there was not a lot of experience with puncheon with those present, but that changed quickly. A lot of the people I talked to remarked how they didn’t even take a break because work needed to get done. We’re a crazy bunch to say the least. The Discover Wisconsin film crew made an appearance and of course had to interview me again. I’m pretty sure I said the same exact thing I did last time they interviewed me but I added the word “camaraderie” in there this time.
The end of the workday came and it was a sight to see. Everyone who had been in the field came back “Pat” dirty. You could tell by the look on people’s faces and the mud on their clothes that everyone worked hard. It was one of those silent acknowledgement things that no one needed to say. The only thing people worked quicker at than the puncheon was opening the cooler at the end of the day for a beer (special shout out goes to Randy for keeping the beer coolers filled with ice!).
Saturday’s dinner was another Thelma special – ham and cheesy potatoes! There were two desserts and I wasn’t sure which one to take, but Thelma told me I could have both! Score two for me! After dinner, Tim presented crew leader hats to a few folks who have finally earned them after going through training and proving their worth as a crew leader. Jo and Jenks received their hats while Thelma was awarded one for her indefatigable work with the support crew over the years. There’s a reason why people find a way to gain weight at MSC projects – Thelma’s a great cook! A few of us headed down the road to Bev and Tom’s Bar. If that’s not a townie bar, I’m not sure what it is. I think the bar is in the basement of the building and 75% of the jukebox is country. The owner was great and we enjoyed ourselves.
As the project wore on the camp area began to resemble Hooverville. Tents were stacked close together and clothes were strung from trees hopelessly hoping to dry out in the dense humidity. Jason, Pete, Leah and I dubbed our campsite “Hobo town.” We had empty beer bottles decorating the picnic table along with dirty boots, bandanas, socks and whatever paraphernalia we needed to dry out. I felt right at home and I look forward to the next hobo town!
Hobo Town!
Sunday morning awoke with a renewed sense of optimism (or stubbornness) as 20 people or so volunteered to head out and finish up the puncheons. It was going to be a mad dash, but the work needed to get done. With crews determined (and with Patrick) we powered through and completed the puncheons around 11, ahead of schedule. Everyone was pooped, but another classic end of Sunday at MSC event scramble occurred. The puncheons needed ramps to help eliminate the steps and make a more smooth transition. The best borrow pit we could find was half way up a hill that had a 70% grade. No problem! A bucket brigade formed and the ramps were built in short order. Why leave a trail “close enough” when you can take an extra 20 minutes and finish it up? The walking weary headed out knowing they worked hard and it was a job well done.
When starting a rock wall, you gather the stones you need and lay them out and imagine how they are going to fit together. The stones come in all different sizes and shapes but when put together, they create something stronger than they could ever be on their own. It’s like the MSC volunteers, we come from all over and are different shapes and sizes (mostly irregular), but put together we create a foundation that cannot easily be shaken.
I’ll leave you with a passage Theresa sent out from Sigurd Olson’s book “The Lonely Land” that sums up the Grandfather Falls project better than I have:
If a man can pack a heavy load across a portage, if he can do whatever he has to do without complaint and with good humor, it makes little difference what his background has been. And if he can somehow keep alive a spark of adventure and romance as the old-time voyageurs seem to have done, then any expedition becomes more than a journey through wild country. It becomes a shining challenge and an adventure of the spirit.
How swiftly a place becomes home when the tents are up and a fire burning.
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