Updates from Willamette National Forest

Gear Review: the world’s best spoon
I have fallen in love with an inanimate object. I love my REI extra long handle titanium spoon (I believe that there is also a sea to summit version). It is the only utensil that I use and if I can’t find it food taste differently. The handle is long enough to stir pasta while it is boiling or fry anything up. The actual spoon portion is more circular with a hint of square so it fits better in my mouth while also allowing the spoon to be a great scraping device. In the backcountry, it works miracles. It cuts cheese off the block, slices garlic into fine pieces, and reaches all the way down to the bottom of a nalgene to dislodge all the chunks of hot chocolate.

Hipster pickle-
I have a ranger uniform or more aptly named, a pickle suit. It consists of green cargo pants and a beige button up polo. I look more like a little boy during Halloween than a ranger. It is baggy and hot and I am not a huge fan. I have however added some of my own flair to the uniform to make it more of an outfit. First, I always pop the collar. If people make fun of me or ask about said collar, I say it is to keep the bugs away but in reality, it makes me feel like a bad ass. Second, I add a pair of stunna shades. They are a pair of knock off Ray-Bans with a reflective metallic finish on the lenses that I found in my house that are probably from the early 1980s. Lastly, I have a huge neon shark watch. In the end I look like a hipster pickle and I am ok with that.

My first trip out-
All the snow melted from two of our base camps and we completed all of our seasonal certifications so we got to head out to our base camps this weekends. Because I am new to the position, I went into the backcountry with my supervisor. Spending every waking, showerless minute of the day- including sleeping mere inches away- is a great (and quick) way to get to know your supervisor. I guess I knew him pretty well from before this trip because he lives right above me and the walls are paper-thin. I know what kind of music he likes, when he gets up in the morning, and sometimes if I am lucky, when he pees. It turns out that we are really compatible which bodes well for the rest of the summer.
I also found out that this is almost the perfect job for me. Basically my job is to run into people, check their permit, make sure they aren’t doing anything illegal and talk to them about the backcountry. They usually all have really nice gear, and if I am lucky, a dog. For those of you that don’t know, I am obsessed with the backcountry, gear and dogs. So far the cutest dog award is a tie between an 8 month of labradoodle, and a 3 year old beagle-white lab mix. The best gear award goes to a 6 person Tarp-tent brand tent (sub-6 lbs!!!).
The only caveat is that I have to use a radio. I am required to call dispatch 3-times a day with my whereabouts as a safety precaution, but the radio scares the crap out of me. I am not that good with conversations over a phone and that is between two people. EVERYONE can hear me over the radio and I am supposed to be really formal, concise and use words like copy, clear and affirmative. It took me a ½ hour to get up the nerve to call into dispatch the first time.
I guess this is how I know my supervisor and I are combatable. He was entirely fine with me discussing the gear of everyone we ran into as well as ogling over the dogs in camp. Plus, he only made fun of me for a day for my radio shortcomings. On the flip side, I put up with his smelliness and persuaded him into some pretty sweet adventures.

Highlights of the trip:
-I bet my supervisor that Antigua is a tropical island so whenever we are together he will use the radio instead of me
-Climbing to the top of a ridge hooking up with the PCT and being able to see for miles… Best 4th of July ever

Lowlights:
-Forgetting my uniform on the PCT