Hunter Walking Trails

Hunting began a few days ago and the Chippewa Forest has trails that they maintain for hunters to travel on.  Don’t think of the trails that lead to scenic vistas or mighty waterfalls as the trails here are strictly functional.  Minnesota has relatively flat terrain and in the interior that’s quite noticeable.  There’s hardly any elevation gain and I’m always surprised when we find something resembling a hill.  Hunter Walking Trails and trail systems that contained a fairly wide path and is mowed in the late summer (mid-August/early September) to encourage grouse and deer movement.  

Karl about to buck up some trees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grouse are the main targets off of these hunting trails although there are folks who bear bait as well off of them.  They’re closed to motorized vehicles unless you happen to be a Forest Service employee.  For the last two weeks I’ve been working with various people such as Karl of fire, Jerry of recreation, or Corey my supervisor in clearing the trails of downed trees so that they can be mowed.  

Corey prepping for some sawing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It started off with Karl and I riding along in the UTV patrolling the trails as we were the only ones available to start clearing.  Karl was the sawyer and I, as his swamper, removed the cut pieces from the trails.  The Carter Lake Trail System was cleared in a single day.  Later that week I cleared one side of the Meadow Lake Trail System with Jerry while Sarah and Karl took care of the Eastern half.  This week Corey and I rode separate ATVs to handle the Tower Lake Trail System while Karl and Lee cleared Webster Lake’s on the UTV.  

I got to ride this bad boy!

I gotta say that it was a strange realization that I got paid to ride around on an ATV or UTV.  The first time I ever rode one was back in Washington in a rustic town named Curlew that my friend Mack grew up in.  Lemme tell you, riding around in the mountains can be terrifying while comparatively, riding here in Minnesota can be considered relaxing.  Except for the fact that you need to watch out for swamps.  There was a near miss or two earlier in the season with stocking surveys.  

While we clear the trails of downed trees, two other folks work on mowing.  For this part of the process we have the Bobcat and an ASV which both have huge mower attachments.  These are shared between all three ranger districts (Blackduck, Deer River, Walker) and well- let’s just say the ASV has seen better days.  The Bobcat which is kept at the Supervisor Office in Cass Lake is in great shape though.  

Sarah operating the troublesome ASV.

Timber’s been having a hell of a time dealing with damaged trailers and faulty machines (no fault of our own).  We’ve got one more week with the mowers so some of the crew are working today even though Fridays are our days off.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

PB&J’s often don’t fare well.

Bunkhouse Livin’

I’ve been around the block a few times when it comes to communal housing and I never know what to expect.  Group situations can easily be some of the best times of your life (like SCA New Hampshire Corps’ magical cabins) or it could be simply mediocre.  If luck isn’t on your side, it could be straight up awful.  

Currently I’m staying in a government bunkhouse which is conveniently located in the same compound as the office and various shops and garages.  It has the capacity to house 12 seasonal workers in six bedrooms with two beds per room.  The beds have the option of being bunked to create more space but I left mine separate.  

A sleeping bag, flannel/vest pillow, and bed sheet. I’m all set.

This summer we had six folks in the bunkhouse, five men and myself.  Three were Minnesota natives while another was from Illinois and a the fifth a Coloradan.  We all happen to be students at various stages in our college try with most of us graduating this upcoming spring.  I lucked out this year with a seasonals all the chill side and hardly any conflicts to speak of.  Although we all purchased and cooked our own meals, occasionally we would go to the local watering hole, The Pond, or into Bemidji for dinner.  

For entertainment there’s a ridiculous amount of movie watching.  I’m thankful that no one is a huge fan of horror or thrillers since I’m easily spooked.  

The Princess Bride

There’s also a massive amount of fishing which entails a filleting process whenever they boys return from a trip.  Fishing trips normally took place after work during on a weekday so I generally opted out since my bedtime was earlier than most.

Not even close to catch limit.

Art (foreground) is a filleting pro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With six seasonals working in different departments, our bedtimes and morning alarms were staggered.  Lets just say the walls in the bunkhouse are excessively thin but I tend to be a heavy sleeper.  The problem was falling asleep in the first place. 

This hallway gets spooky at night when you’re alone.

Communal living is great because you have an automatic social circle (or just as easily, people you don’t get along with).  Asides from random dinners together or trips to the grocery stores, we’ll help celebrate someone’s 21st birthday on a work night.  

We lost count of drinks. Happy birthday, Ben!

Plenty of naps take place in quiet Blackduck.

Zack atop a picnic bench because ticks.

A decent amount of baking as well.

Even saving a kitten left on the highway shoulder!  

The capture and relocation of a woodchuck.  

Root beer keg for what seemed like endless floats.

Lee starting the wild bunkhouse kegger.

The fields across Highway 71 sport magnificent sunsets that my photograph doesn’t do justice.  

 

 

 

It’s just me and Lee now.  My days are numbered and I’ll be leaving Blackduck in less than two weeks.  I haven’t started counting down by days but the day that I bus back down to Minneapolis will be seem like a surprise sure enough.  Things are quieter than they’ve already been, we were never much of a rowdy group.  This season with Jarrod, Art, Ben, Lee, and Zack has been a relaxed one and that’s an interesting way to have experienced my summer.  

Living room

My food cabinet in a state of disarray.

One of two bathrooms.

July hail storm.

My room

Trusty backpack and chacos.

There’s something about snail mail

A random box appears!

It’s the excitement of checking your mailbox (or in my case, my desk) every day to see if there’s an envelope addressed with your name waiting. Sealed carefully with prized contents, careful not to rip the whole thing apart, I turn the envelope over a few times.  My heart rate rises as I spy a new object that beckons for attention.

Outdated. Due for extinction. A thing of the past. The postal service has been fighting a losing battle since technology like cell phones and the internet became mainstream but I still check for mail daily. Usually in Washington the only mail I get are hospital bills courtesy of a rugby injury or items from the university. However receiving letters from friends this summer has been a blessing. Living in Blackduck has been tough at times with my social circle only amounting to a handful of people, mainly with the boys who live in the bunkhouse.

I’m terrible at responding to letters in a timely fashion.  I suppose that’s one of the reasons why people are straying from them- our society demands an instant reply to emails, text messages, and the like.   Another reason you might be on the losing end of being my pen-pal is that my thoughts are often in disarray.  If you’ve read any of these blog posts that’s evident.  I’m not eloquent and sometimes my letters are too long or sometimes they’re too short.  Writing was never my strong point but I like to think that these activities are helping.  Corresponding by mail even allows me to vote thanks to Washington’s absentee ballot system.

Do your civic duty. For reals.

Greetings from Coco in Canada!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most amazing things to receive are care packages.  My best friend Emily (we caused mayhem in NH/interned together for SCA) sent a birthday/care package that completely turned around a tick ruined day.

Emily managed to fit a t-shirt in there. Talk about magic.

Kadrina’s gifts

 

Last month Kadrina, a friend who I interned with at One Reel, surprised me with some gifts from Seattle.

 

 

 

 

 

Vienna’s surprise

Today I got back from the field to find a box from Amazon.  Vienna had some snacks and a tin of badger balm sent to me.  Talk about surprises!  The last thing I need in Minnesota is food though as I’m trying to eat what I have without letting any extras go to waste.

Letters are magical though because you never know when you’re going to get them, who you’re going to get them from, and when you just might get one.  However, if you’re not of the snail mail fan club stay in touch via more advanced technology – I lose track of people far too easily.

 

 

The wall’s totally behind…

An update on bunkhouse life- I’ll eventually write a more detailed post on what that’s like.

The fellas from the bunkhouse have been leaving one by one as summer comes to a close.  Jarrod left August 1st while my work partner Zack plans to leave either the evening of the 19th or morning of the 20th.  Zack”ll be heading back to Colorado for his last year of school and has been amazing to work with as well as hang out with in the evenings and weekends. Art and Ben (who were out West for fire duty the last 14+ days) both start school the week of the 25th which will leave just me and Lee in the bunkhouse.

My time in Minnesota is dwindling as I’ll spend about a week in Michigan visiting Emily and a couple of days in Wisconsin before wrapping up my time in the Midwest with one last weekend in Minneapolis.  A last long flight will see me in Seattle on September 22nd.