[10/25-10/27] TRAIL BUILDING ON THE ICE AGE TRAIL (YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENS) (EMOTIONAL) (NOT CLICKBAIT)

Has your brain been a bit unruly recently? Has it been telling you to worry about silly trivial details, like those upcoming midterms, your hectic social life, or that last proof on your math problem set?

Well, we can't help you with those, but we can help you ignore your brain's misguided suggestions. Join us for a weekend of trail building on the John Muir County Park segment of the Ice Age Trail!

After spending all your energy digging perfect backslopes that'll endure through decades of thunderstorms, or constructing sturdy boardwalk that thousands will enjoy, you simply won't have enough energy to worry about the difference between Camus and Sartre. Instead, you'll snuggle cozily into your sleeping bag, stuffed full of free food, and basking in the haze of delightful banter with the most interesting strangers you've ever met; some of those Ice Age Trail volunteers are as old as your grandparents, but still swing picks like they're 20. You'll get your morning started with a beautiful view of the trail segment you just built, rather than the strange squiggles in Euler's formula (e is a letter, not a number). The next weekend, instead of bragging about getitng an A on your test (boring, intangible), you can flex on your friends and family by bringing them to hike the trail you built. Best of all, there'll be no classmates or roommates to remind you of your external obligations!

Sound exciting? You'll join us in leaving from the Memorial Union parking circle at 5pm on Friday night (10/25). We'll drive an hour to John Muir County Park, grab dinner, and set up camp. The next two days, we'll be building trail or otherwise supporting trail-building efforts. On Sunday afternoon, we'll wrap up work around 3pm at the latest, we'll drive back to Memorial Union.

YOU SHOULD BRING:

• Lunch for Saturday/Sunday (I'm personally going to bring a ton of packaged, trail mix-adjacent stuff)
• 2L of water
• Close toed shoes
• Long pants
• Sleeping bag/pad; other personal camping gear, like mess kits, headlamps, and personal hygiene products (we'll bring Hoofers tents)
• Mud/rain boots or personal protective equipment like eye pro, gloves, etc. (if you have them)
• Your best dinosaur impression

Also, please complete THIS volunteer form and bring the completed form with you or email it to iatr_vip_ice_age_trail@nps.gov

Questions, comments, concerns, or Fat Bear Week bracket submissions? Email us at conservation@hooferouting.org!