Wonderful Wilderness, Amazing People: Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation Shaw Mountain Service Trip 2024
Pulished in BMWF Fall Journal 2024
The appeal of backcountry service trips is a combination of being in pristine mountain wilderness, giving back something of yourself for others to easier access and enjoy The Bob, and the physical challenge to haul the essentials on your back to live and work outdoors for a week.
Also to completely disconnect from day to day reality and reconnect with the simplicity of being in the mountains with no distractions.
Highlights from this trip included the 13.5 mile hike in/out, working on trails with hand tools as a team, incredible views of lakes reflecting mountain peaks, the crescendo of 8 waterfalls reverberating across Doctor Lake, morning sunlight through the forest canopy, and the sheer humbling grandeur surrounding us.
The hidden gem why I do wilderness service trips is the wonderful people.
Eight of us from a variety of ages, professions, locations and backgrounds, 4 men & 4 women, all came together to serve The Bob as our common ground.
What I enjoyed most was how quickly this group got into deeply real and personal conversations. Politics and other distracting and dividing topics never happened. It was all about the group experiencing this beautiful place and working together.
We shared open and honest conversations about overcoming health adversity, relationship challenges, and experiences from life’s long road. People listened to learn and connect rather than jumping into their own story.
People passionate about living a healthy lifestyle, important causes, families, success and failures, and service. Talking about dreams and receiving encouragement to go after them.
This was a fun group with so much positivity! There were times when we laughed so hard we could hardly breathe. Lot’s of dry creative humor while working and hanging out at the end of the day. And some highly competitive farkle games!
And finally, such supportive group. Always willing to help out with the many stream crossings, carry extra tools, help someone out with gear issues, and sharing food.
All these reasons are why I have done and will continue to do wilderness service trips: because the amazing people that join in this important mission. Every participant is volunteering on their vacation to do hard physical work for a cause larger than themselves. And covering some type of travel/lodging/food cost to get there.
No surprise that anyone willing to do all this has something special in their character that makes for meaningful time together.
For me, this trip was a much needed deep soul cleanse and time away to resolve some career challenges and get my mind in a better place to make some hard decisions.
I’m inspired to give some gratitude and appreciation for each person on my trip, as well as the BMWF, for enriching my life and sending me off with some valuable life takeaways. Also provides me with some inspiration and courage to address some personal and professional issues.
It was an honor and a privilege to share this wilderness experience with my new found friends, and hope our paths cross again.
