sherpas in the Berkshires!

I had my first day with the Resource Center yesterday. I’m exhausted. I met with Doug Bruce, whom I still have yet to figure out what exactly his title is, and did some trail work. We went to a parcel of land owned by the Center just off route two headed up the mountain towards NY. It was cold and snowing, well at least not when we got there. After two hours of hiking and reaching the top of all of Berkshire County, it was in fact snowing. Doug and I had a nice chat on the way to Williamstown and I knew from the start he was a guy I would enjoy working with. Doug informed me that this parcel of land was relatively new to the organization much like himself and that we were going to hike the boundary and see what kind of markings the trails had. Resource Center land, like any state park would, is supposed to have clearly defined boundaries for visitors to respect. This new parcel of land however had little to no markings, making it impossible to see where Resource Center land ended and where adjacent property began.
Despite there being no boundary, Doug was quick to dash off into the woods. As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time in the woods adding to their virility, I was not for one second scared we may become lost or eaten by a bear. I was however quick to realize that my time in the woods had not prepared me to work with Doug Bruce. From the trail head we began a vertical climb up the mountain. When I say climb, I mean to imply that I huffed and puffed as I walked delicately up the seemingly never ending mountain. Doug meanwhile, was moving like a mountain goat. An in shape individual who explores parcels of mountains for a living Doug moved up the mountain like a man-goat. While I dragged behind, he walked with his hands in his pockets taking in all the splendor around him. Ten minutes into our walk I was convinced that I had already earned an A in Environmental history as it was quickly turning into a boot camp.
Despite the terrible walking uphill in the snow, it was enjoyable to see the land that the Resource Center owned. It was a beautiful piece of land open to hunters and hikers alike and it was our job to try and figure out where these people could go on the property. After many hours of wandering Doug and I came to a conclusion, there was a lot of boundary work to be done in this place! It was quickly decided rather than spends hours accomplishing little we would do some trail maintenance. Personally I have always been a big fan of physical labor over things like hiking with man-goats, so the prospect of moving wood and cutting things was a big delight for me. Cutting wood and clearing trails are jobs I have done before (even though I would never admit to Doug that operate a four wheeler) and the work was rather refreshing compared to a typical classroom setting. After a few hours in the woods my first day was over. I came home happy to have found a place to volunteer at that I could actually contribute to in some capacity and I also found myself ecstatic that it would be at least another week and a half before I had to chase my new sherpa friend up a mountain again.