Nine days on five days off, the life of a backcountry trail worker

It’s Fourth of July tonight, America’s birthday, tonight she turns 239

The workdays of the past find their way down the shower drain

Feeling better now, it’s time to celebrate with coworkers in Lake Tahoe

 

This will make things interesting

Who knows what the night has in store for me

The clouds start to breath, my mind is on the brink of insanity

A quick reminder that I’m in deep

 

A long memorable walk to the lake has tattooed my brain

Some tall friends have been made along the way

Jeffery Pine, Quaking Aspen, and Ponderosa Pine keep me company

Reaching out their hands to meet mine, guiding me towards something new

The pine needle trail fades into a sandy beach, I take my foot prisons off

 

Each granule beneath my feet sends its warm regards through my entirety

The sand is assertive, telling me how much time and energy was needed to create this beach

Respectfully I continue on, another wave of psychedelic emotions has passed

 

It’s time to sit and watch the manmade explosions in the sky

An intense sentiment of happiness washes over me with each outburst of color

A river of small talk and applause gently rolls from one ear to the other

This whole experience seems to never end