11 JUNE 2026 | TALENT, OR. -- On June 2, I was harkened back to the early days of SMC. I was at the Babyfoot Lake Trailhead, the same spot it all got started in June 2010. But this time I wasn't dropping the crew off as I so often do, at least for the last few years. Instead I was marching in with the 13th class of Siskiyou Mountain Club Corps interns to support the leadership transition we're undertaking.
A cold spring
I spent two nights with the crew at a spot about six miles south of there, a little pocket of primeval old growth tucked away on the eastern boundary of the wilderness on the Kalmiopsis Rim Trail 1124 near its junction with the Little Chetco Trail 1121.
Throwing on a pack strapped with tools is like riding a bike in that the feeling was very familiar. But riding a bike is fun in middle age. The sensation of 50 or 60 pounds of mass digging into my shoulders and hips is not fun (usually I'm carrying 20 - 30 pounds these days), and it took me until evening to straggle into camp behind the crew by an hour or so. 
The next day, crew boss Tiffani Ayres worked me hard enough that I needed a nap after lunch and I enjoyed working the upper reaches of the Little Chetco Trail with the new recruits, as well as Tiffani and her staff, Chloe Grimes and Ryan Debreceni, who are returning for their third and fourth years, respectively.
Most competitive
This is a crew of 20-somethings who give up their summer to congregate from across the world to serve the greater good, at a great sacrifice. This is not a sugar-and-cream program with easily reached targets and back-patting. This is among the most competitive trail crew internships across the USA, and this is the only program I'm aware of that doesn't allow interns to use digital devices while out on the trail.
We had more than 250 applicants this year. We reached out to about half of those and just 18 were accepted into the program. The crew's strength stands out, but what inspires me most is that this well-rounded group is bound by a desire to serve.
They are giving a summer of their precious youth to restore public lands for trail users that they'll probably never meet. Here we have a cohort of young people who are up against tougher odds than in generations. Coming out of college, they're assuming a massive debt load levied by previous generations.
Service is the answer
Their taxes will go to servicing interest on public debt, and inflation continues to eat into their earnings from a job market that is transforming in ways we don't even understand yet. The global economy is also shifting, and there are wars on almost every continent.
It's a scary time to be coming of age, and while their pre-frontal cortexes might not be completely developed, they're asking themselves very difficult questions. They've each come to the conclusion that public service is the answer, and it was inspiring to see that spirit in action out in this underserved recess of our public lands.
Thank you
I walked out alone a few days before the crew. On my hike out, I saw a black bear feasting on manzanita berries in a brush field by Canyon Peak. As I struggled for the summit, I was overcome by a sense of gratitude for everyone who supports this mission.
Thank you. You are the reason we are out here in the backwoods with groups of young people who are the seeds of our future, and you are the reason we will be doing this work for generations to come.
