AmeriCorps: Leaving the Desert

Goodbye Coachella! Seattle here we come!

I never thought I’d say this, but I miss Chicago winters. I miss the snow and biting wind, bundling up and scraping the ice off your car in the morning. I miss the possibility of snow days and the rare Polar Vortex. I’ve only ever lived in cold Midwestern climates, from Chicago to St. Louis, and AmeriCorps has now driven me to climates completely foreign to me. In the past month, I’ve been the most physically uncomfortable I’ve ever been. Everyday we’ve worked from 7-11am and then 3-6pm, taking a “siesta” to avoid working at the peak of the day’s heat. At first I didn’t seen why this was necessary, but I’ve grown to depend on this break from the blazing heat.

This past week we have been roofing in 99 degree weather, where the sun reflects off the panels and my glasses fog up from the sweat building up under my eyes. This Northerner is simply not made for this weather. The homeowners, native to the Coachella Valley area, laugh at how much our sweat stains grow and how we have to take breaks nearly every 20 minutes. They wear sweaters and pants to the worksite, because this is their winter. It’s the only time they can wear these clothes, considering their summers reach 125 degrees. To be frank, we’ve all been a little miserable. And yet I’m grateful to AmeriCorps for bringing me to an area of the U.S. that I might never have seen before. This is what I signed up for.

Sure, we had our fair share of irritating tasks. There were two whole weeks where all we did was screw thousands, literally thousands, of screws into panels. I calloused on my thumb joint and developed some early signs of tendinitis. But I lifted 50-pound panels up onto roofs, moved trusses, framed entire homes, and read blueprints. I am exhausted from this project but undoubtedly stronger.

That being said, the news of our next project couldn’t have been more well-received. We’re in for a change of climate. For our next spike, we’re headed to outside of Seattle to do trail work with the Mountain to Sound Greenway, near Mt. Ranier. We’ll be removing invasive species, building and maintaining trails, and possibly planting new native species. It’s basically my dream project, and since I’m considering Seattle as a place to live after AmeriCorps I’m excited to see how I like the area. We’ll be living in a lodge in rural North Bend, Washington, with spotty cell service and no wifi. It’s going to be hard for me since I find myself scrolling through Instagram and Facebook far too often, but it will be good for me. I need to “unplug” as they say. I’ve downloaded all the Harry Potter books on my Kindle, so that should keep me busy for a while.

I’m hoping to be able to get to internet to post again soon, but if not know that I’m saving it all up to write about later. I know I’ll have plenty to write about. The weather forecast in North Bend for the next 10 days is all rain every day, and I went to REI for new socks and long underwear. The days are going to be grueling: hiking 10+ miles every day, moving lumber and rocks, and doing all this in the freezing rain. This project might just break me, but then again I thought the last two would.