It’s nearly impossible to pick one favorite moment from my Yellowstone Teton Service Trip. Every day contained countless memories that will stay with me forever. My favorite part of the trip was probably the backcountry service project. During the backcountry service part of our trip, we built a trail in the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Every morning, we would hike to our worksite from our backcountry camp. Then, we would spend the day working with the forest rangers, who taught us everything we needed to know about building and maintaining trails. It was such a rewarding experience, especially when fellow hikers would pass by and tell us how much the local Jackson Hole community appreciated our efforts. After a day of work, we would hike back to our campsite for some fun! One day, we hiked to a mountain lake, which was half frozen. Even though it was freezing, everyone in our group jumped in and swam! Another day, we took a hike in the snow (in July!) and went glacading down the side of a mountain. Hanging out around camp and cooking meals together was also fun. Every new experience was made even better because I got to experience them with 12 new friends from all over the country!
-Erica Bareuther
