The Best Service Trip

Last week, I led the best service trip that I ever could have had. I had a group of 4 volunteers from an organization that leads guided hikes throughout New England. They were all enthusiastic outdoor professionals that started out being pretty bad at trail work but were receptive to some constructive criticism. Our goal was to make it half a mile up the Butler Lodge Trail before an epic downpour was scheduled for the early afternoon. We started off at a slow pace because with the way they were clearing drains, we were taking a long time. After helping each of them with their form and them getting comfortable with each other, we were a well-oiled machine.

Without encountering any rain, and moving at a quick, effective pace, we decided to hike all the way to the top of the trail and eat lunch at the Lodge. Instead of making it half a mile, we hiked 1.8 miles! We had a celebratory lunch, full of laughs, and made it back to the cars just in time to drive home in the rain.

While it wasn't an inspiring or moving day, it was the first field day all season in which nothing went wrong, the volunteers were enthusiastic, and all my clothes remained dry.