The October Post!

HELLO! In a few days, I will probably be seeing anyone and everyone who ever glances at this blog, but now seemed like a good time to update.

Since my last post I have done all sorts of hiking, made some good progress at work, and realized how important it is to have whiskey when you're camping in 30 degree weather.

First, at the end of last month, or maybe the beginning of this month (I don't remember) myself and 4 friends went backpacking in Glacier. It was a whilrwind of a trip. Me and three girlfriends left Butte around 6 pm on a Friday, and swung through Missoula to pick up one of our guyfriends. There were 5 of us, plus all our gear in a 2 door car, so it was a wee bit cramped. Around midnight as we were driving down some windy dark road we came around a corner and almost got in a head-on collision with a moose. The atmosphere in the car went from gentle music and calm conversations to lots of screaming and laughter in just a few sweet moments. I have never seen such a large animal! And one that just looks stupid. Well, this guy ran away a little, but then turned around and geared up like he would charge, and somehow I think he would have won. Eventually, after much laying on the horn and creeping forward he galumphed off the road and we continued on our merry way. We got to the trailhead around 1 am, and collapsed into bed. I believe we started hiking at about 11 am the next day. We hiked an easy five miles and then stopped at a lake to eat lunch, before hiking some of the more difficult 8 miles I've ever done. It was hot, windy, and there was no relief from the sun, but oh lord I would do it again in a heart beat. We went over two passes, and hiking maybe 4 miles along a dangerously narrow trail hugging a steep ridge of loose shale. Lucky for me, I love heights.

This is the view we had of Old Man Lake (where we camped) while we hiked along the ridge. We hiked all around the ridge to the left of the lake, and then followed switchbacks straight down near the furthest corner.
On our hike down to Old Man I spotted a couple mountain goats, and later a bald eagle over the water. One of our friends saw a bear running along the far shore of the lake, but that was the extent of the exciting wildlife. Apparently, that time of the year bears are active almost 20 hours a day, and we were in the thick of bear country. When we got back I watched part of Night of the Grizzlies and I am really glad I didn't know of this before we went.

The next day was a pretty easy 6 mile hike out, and then a very stinky car ride back to Butte.

If you're like my dad and spend far too much time using Google Earth, the trail we took went over Dawson and Pitamakan Pass in East Glacier. We started to Two Medicine, and looped around to camp at Old Man Lake.

I also hiked up to the Our Lady of the Rockies statue. There's no trail, so we just drove down a private road as far as the little car we were in could handle, and then parked and walked until we found a decent way up. That hike was short, but 3500 ft straight up a mountain side. I think that's my favorite kind of hiking though: bushwacking and rock scrambling. The view of the pit was incredible, I really did not appreciate the sheer size of the operation until this vantage point.

The darker water is the Berkely Pit and the water above that is the Yankee-doodle Tailings pond: another lake of toxic water contained by a simple earth dam. Awesome. Also, today I was thinking about places in Ashland are named things like the Acid Castles and the Fairy Ponds. I am living in a different world.
And when you see the Lady in town, it's hard to appreciate just how friggin huge she is! 90 ft of volunteered money and time watching over Butte.



I just got back from hiking the Humbug Spires--these giant rock outcroppings about a half hour outside of Butte. It was 9 miles, but fairly easy. We only gained about 1000 ft in elevation, and most of that was at the end. We ate lunch on top one of the outcropping and watched the clouds lift off the mountains. I don't have any pictures loaded yet, but here's a link to a website about them: http://www.visitmt.com/categories/moreinfo.asp?SiteID=1&IDRRecordID=904

Last weekend I went out to a small town called Sheridan (population 700) for a Cider Pressing Party hosted at the community garden and organized by another VISTA. I have never quartered or grinded so many apples in my life. It was great seeing a new community though, and there was plenty of dancing to simple bluegrass underneath old trees and eating freshly made donuts and drinking hot cider and cheap whiskey. A few friends and the VISTA who works though built a fire that night and camped in the gardens. I'm not gonna lie--I was very cold. And as I mentioned, I had never before truly appreciate how warm whiskey can make you feel. The next day was beautiful and sunny though, and when you're a mile above see level and clear sunny sky seems to up the temperature significantly. We took the scenic way back to Butte and stopped to soak in a hot spring that was so warm we had to bucket in river water. The soak took the chill out of my bones though, and the drive home was nothing but sunshine and singing.


Work is still going really well. I managed to convince a handful of friends to come out and volunteer and we finished prepping all the hoop houses for covers, and even got the cover up on one. I also just scored a bunch of free organic seeds, so I'll be planting in the greenhouses and seeing just how well they extend the season. In early November I'm going out to the 1st Annual Inland Permaculture Conference in Spokane, and I really can't wait. I'm tabling for our project at the trade-show and I think I'm going to learn so much about how permaculture works in places like Montana.

I've gotta go, because it's getting cold here and I need to make some potato-leek soup.
I will mention that I leave for home in a few days and I don't know if I have ever been this excited for anything else in my life. I am so happy for Chris and Dana and so excited to see everyone! SEE YOU ALL SOON! I love it out here, but of course I miss home and everything that that means. Oh well, I guess we all have to grow up sometime.

Here's a link to my project's website: http://sift.ncat.org/

And here are a few extra photos!


Old Man Lake. We hiked all along that ridge you see.

This ridge, actually.

Taking a break to enjoy the view.

Okay, BYE! I'll post more pictures next time.

Love you guys!
Camille

Round two

Hey guys!
Sorry it's been so long. I get pretty caught up with everything going on here. I'll try to write at least once a month though, so here's my September post.

Things continue to go really well here. I moved into a new place at the beginning of this month, and am in love with it. Like many homes in uptown Butte, it's a strange old apartment with hardwood floors and crooked door frames and weird little nooks and crannies and lots of hidden cupboards. My room is next to the kitchen (thank god), and has its own half bath, and a nice closet, a reading nook, and came with a bed! It's amazing how much better you sleep when you're not on the floor. Who woulda thunk it??

The apartment is fully furnished, which is great since I don't really have any furniture or kitchen ware. My roommate and I get along really well--it's been awhile since I've lived with another woman, and I'm surprised at how much I've missed it.

Okay, I suppose I'll start with work updates. I still love my job. I've been really busy building hoop houses, which are like green houses, but less intense. They're cheaper to build, because the structure is comprised of hoops (we made them out of bent PVC pipe), rather than an assembled aluminum or wooden frame. They're also passive solar structures, so they do not cost anything to heat.
We're building 4 that are structurally the same, but have different coverings. It's an experiment to see what retains heat best, what lets in the most sunlight, and also what is the most cost effective.
I've been hosting volunteer work sessions every friday for the past few weeks. I had to organize about 14 Americorps volunteers for the first session...I was a little unprepared. Each session has gotten better though. I convinced about 11 other VISTA s from around Montana to come for a 9/11 memorial day of service and we got tons of work done. I have 10 more Americorp volunteers coming next friday, and I think we'll get the final hoop house frame up. Then all we've got to do is get the covers up and we're golden! I love that I'm getting this kind of experience--how to design something, and then how to actually build it. I don't make any money doing VISTA, but I feel like I'm getting a paid apprenticeship. Most days, I find my confidence that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing, completely reaffirmed.
We got our tractor this month too, so I'm learning how to use that. I'm pretty bad at it, but I'm getting there! I get so excited when I think about updating my resume. Now, besides all the program work I'm doing with VISTA, I can add basic construction and tractor skills.

The other wonderful thing about my job is that my supervisor, and the company's executive director always come out to help work. It means a lot to me to work in an environment like that. This friday, it was like the Pacific Northwest when I woke up. I never thought I'd say this, but I've really missed the rain. We spent a couple hours working in the rain, and when we were finished, we were so muddy that we just took our boots off and walked around the office in our socks.

It's already getting cold here. For a couple weeks it was terribly smokey, like when California was on fire and all the smoke sucked into the Rogue Valley. Then suddenly, the smoke cleared, it started to frost at night, and I am cold when I go to bed. I'm really nervous about the winter, but people in Butte stay active, so I'll just learn how to love winter sports. I figure I'll get caught up on reading, and pick up a few hobbies too.
When I can't work outside anymore, I'll be doing a lot of computer and design work, but also spending a lot of time in the shop building things, so that's something to look forward to.

I feel like in the last few weeks my friend group here has really solidified. I have been having so much fun, and I feel very lucky to have met people that I get along with so well. They're all pretty darn adventurous too, and many have weathered the winter here before, so thank god I'll have some guidance. This weekend we had a BBQ on friday, followed by a glorious night of all sorts of shenanigans, breakfast in the morning, and then fly fishing in the afternoon. Last night, a friend ended up having an extra ticket to John Prine, so I spent the night listening to a folk legend. Honestly, I'd never even listened to his music. My friends love him though, so I got the crash course in Prine fanaticism.

Oh yah, and my folks came to visit! I think they liked Butte, and I know they liked Montana. We went out to Bannack--Montana's best preserved ghost town one day, and hiked the Lewis and Clark Caverns another. Check it out!
http://www.bannack.org/
http://fwp.mt.gov/parks/visit/lewisAndClarkCaverns/

It was really nice to have them, but I kinda wish I had been more established at work and socially when they had gotten here. I've spent some serious time nesting, and I wish they could see my life now. Oh well, they'll be back! I think that if the winters weren't so hard, my Dad would want to move here--there's not a whole lot of people.

I should get going. It looks like it might rain, but we were hoping to get a good hike in today.
Sorry it took me so long to write again, I'll try to write before too long!

It's crazy that I've been here for almost two months. I love it, but I've been counting down the days until I get to go back to Ashland for Chris's wedding. Even if I don't really get homesick, I do really miss everyone, and I just can't wait to share in something that's so monumental and important in my brother's life. GAH I'M SO EXCITED!

I miss you guys, but I'll see you all soon!

Camille

Some photos for you!

Much overdue

Sorry fam! I meant to start this blog awhile ago, but things have been pretty crazy. I've been trying to journal when I remember to, and I've sent a few e-mails to my friends back home, so I might just end up copy and pasting some stuff.
Anywho! Where to begin...
Well, I got into Helena for my Pre-Service Orientation on the 19th of July. Training was...training. Kinda long and boring. I'm not used to spend that much time indoors listening to people talk, but it was a necessary evil I suppose. And I met a lot of cool people, some of whom have turned out to be very quick, good friends.

I was blown away by the beauty of Montana when I got out here though. The first night I was in Helena, I spent awhile alone on the edge of the hotel parking lot getting whipped around by the wind and watching lighting strike in the distance. I had this overwhelming feeling of epic-ness, that I felt would likely pre-shadow my year here. So far I have not been let down.

I got into Butte on Saturday of Evel Kneivel days. Every time I tell someone that it's followed by a loud guffaw. And it was crazy! I was pretty tired too, because the night before we had gone out pretty late in Helena, and then managed to cram 5 people in a 3 person, maaaaaybe 4 person tent. Needless to say I was pretty tired. I was also still homeless. The two girls who are also doing VISTA here (and who are AWESOME, we just happen to get along really really well) both already had places though, so I dropped my stuff at one friend's house, showered, and then decided to give her some space since she lives in a one-room studio apartment. So I grabbed my backpack and plunged out onto the street amongst hordes of leather, beer and cowboy hats. It was a really surreal experience. I was also really hungry, and hot. BUT, it was pretty interesting. And eventually I got back to my buddy's house, changed, ate and met up with our other friends and some new buddies who came down from Helena.
That Saturday was one of the funnest nights I've ever had. We met up with some other Americorp volunteers, walked around downtown with open containers (that's still legal in Butte!), danced a ton at an open-air rock show, rode a mechanical bull (well, my friends did. I kind of just slowly flipped over my own hands after about 2 seconds. There's a video out there, so I'll share when I can!), and watched fireworks from atop some old mining structure we found.

I should stop and give a brief description of Butte. Butte was one of the largest cities in the West for many years, thanks to its copper mine. Someone told me that in the early 1900s, roughly 100,000 people lived here! Now it's about 34,000, and the architecture hasn't changed much. It's split into two sections: Uptown and the Flats. Uptown is the historic area, and it's where most of the coffee shops, bars, and youngsters live. Thus, it is where I live. The flats are more suburban, and where you find Walmart, and Safeway, and most practical things, including my work.
For a number of different reasons, some time back, the pit-mine on the edge of town began to fill up with toxic water. No one really knows what to do about this, so the water just kind of sits, and rises, while people wait and hope that someone soon will figure out some technology to deal with it. You can't see the water when you're driving around town, but you can see the strip mining. If you get a good view of it, you can see where the original mine is, where they started mining after some environmental regulations were in place, and where they mine know. It's disturbing, and incredibly awe-inspiring, if in a sad way. It makes me think of what a body stripped of flesh would look like--all muscle and veins and bone.

Besides that, it's so beautiful out here. I've already been to a number of different lakes and rivers that all seem more beautiful than the last thing I saw. In the past week I've done a handful of things I've never tried before! I rode that mechanical bull, I went to a drive in movie theater, I did some fly fishing, I started an 8-5 job, and I've legally drank beer in public.

There's so much to update y'all on, I'm trying to think about what you'd most like to hear.

Well, I gave a brief write up of the project I'm working on at NCAT (in my about me). It's exciting, but I feel in no way shape or form qualified for this. I guess I'll learn quickly though! It's bizarre having an 8-5 job. I even have a cubicle.
Here's what a normal day for me looks like: get up around 7 am, rush through breakfast and pack a quick lunch, get to work by 8, do a bunch of research and design, take a lunch break around noon, work for a little longer, drive to Albertsons to pick up their compost, sort through it because they throw out so much perfectly good food and I am broke, then work on our giant compost heap for a little! Then I come home, hop in the shower, and usually cook copious amounts of food from whatever I salvage from the compost (seriously though, it's all perfectly fine food, just not pretty enough to go out on the shelf at Albertsons). I'm living with another Americorp volunteer who is almost done in Butte, so I cook for him a lot, and then his friends, and my friends have been over for dinner a few times. I love cooking for people, and the nights cool down enough to make it real pleasant to enjoy dinner sitting on the front stoop.

I still don't really have a home. I found a place, but it won't be open until the end of August. However, the landlord of where I'm sleeping now is letting me stay here in one of the empty rooms for free until then.

I should probably explain what I mean when I say that I am a VISTA member. VISTA members are Americorp members who commit to working exclusively towards poverty alleviation, and also commit to only make poverty level income for a year. Good thing I'm a thrifty person.
The other part of our job is that we are supposed to be developing programs that will eventually have Americorp State/National volunteers working on them. It's exciting being so instrumental in developing a program. Now I just really hope I don't fail.

Ok, well, I'm gonna go make some dinner, and then go on a little hike. I'm really looking forward to have my folks out here this weekend! I think we'll go out to Montana's best preserved ghost town on Saturday, and do a day hike on Sunday. I'm also taking them to get pasties (soft "a" sound, not like the dancer things), which is essentially meat, onion, potatoes, and dough. I don't know, I haven't tried them yet, but they're a Butte specialty.

BYE!

P.S.
the average annual rainfall in Butte is 12 inches, and it is about 5600 feet above sea level. How anyone successfully farms here, I do not know. I have been meeting lots of local farmers though, and everyone's been incredibly helpful in teaching me about how things work here. OH! That reminds me! I went out to a co-worker's friend's garden the other day, just to kind of tour around and learn some tricks about dealing with the climate here. I ended up really liking the three people running the garden, and they got pretty excited that I was so excited and could name all of their plants, and loaded me up with tons of fresh lettuce, cilantro, basil and kale. Then, the next day when I got to work, I had a card waiting for me at the front desk. I was already just excited to have gotten a card from anyone, and then I opened it up, and there was a $100 bill! The people who owned the farm had given me the card and money and written a short note essentially saying, "Welcome to Butte, here's a little something to help you get started."
I still can't believe it. I've really had a positive experience meeting some truly wonderful people here. Everyone I've worked with, and everyone I've met have been so helpful and accommodating. It's funny, before I came out here, people always scoffed when I said I was moving to Butte. I think that none of them had ever really spent any time here, because so far I've been very happy.

Like a very wise, older friend (about 50 years older) told me before I decided to come out here:
when you have a decision to make, if you're a successful person, no matter what choice you make, things will start to fall into place to make that the right decision.

Let's just hope I feel this optimistic when it's -30 degrees.