Chapter 2 - life working for the forest service

Working for the Forest Service was physically strenuous, but something that would help me build muscle for the coming year. Most of our crew was in the same situation, and the only other girl was a couple inches shorter (say 6’1) and at 190 the only other one less than 200 pounds. All five guys were going to play hockey, and only one was shorter than me at 6’3. The other four were about my dad’s 6’9 and solidly built; the biggest guy joked that he could lift me above his head because he routinely bench pressed his 350 pound body weight.

Our work was to break rocks, axe down trees and basically keep the trail safe for the public. They specifically recruited young athletes because, while the work paid well, it was incredibly physically strenuous. Fortunately the Forest Service did provide us with one luxury: our own chef who would prepare a feast for each meal. My trainer recommended that I aim for 4,ooo to 4,500 calories per day and the boys put my appetite to shame. Between eating a dozen eggs for breakfast with half a pound of bacon, pound cheeseburgers with fries for dinner and beautiful salmon fillets with mashed potatoes the food really was part of the fun.

Our first chef had worked as a trail crew when she was younger, and knew what our appetites would want. She was a bit older than us, I’d say 26, and had played Division I basketball. One look at her, though, and you could tell that her days on the court were over. She was about an inch shorter than me, and had to have weighed at least 300 pounds. She seemed happy and everyone got along with her. Fortunately for her, and unfortunately for us, after a couple weeks we learned her boyfriend had proposed. She was going to start grad school in the fall anyways, and decided to take the rest of the summer off to plan their wedding.

The whole crew counted down the days until she left, and boy was I surprised to see her replacement: it was Shane. He was still the tiny little guy, and I honestly wondered how he would manage in the mountains. Apparently they gave him a crash course in wilderness cuisine, and he had been looking for a relatively high paid summer job. He was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him, and he seemed genuinely happy to have a friendly face on the crew. Although some of the guys did give him a hard time (no one trusts a skinny chef), I told them he was a good guy and we should wait and see.