As this Internship rounds its final turn I struggle to not panic about the next step from here. The future seems so uncertain sometimes especially with seasonal work and trying to embrace the uncertainty while leaving my friends feels like I’m driving with two slashed tires. I am going to miss all the wonderful people I have met and places I have seen, but in these times of struggle I remember the wise words of the one and only Micheal Phillips (an amazing co-worker and role model) “Life is just a series of Hellos and Goodbyes.” So with these sad goodbyes I decided to make a little slideshow to reminisce on my favorite photos and moments from these last few months with Ash and Katie. Hope you enjoy!
Author Archives: Ella Sprenger
Left alone to fend for myself (a tale of the vacant interns)
Ladies and Gentleman of this CLM internship, this is Ella. Today, we will talk about a tragic event that happened this month. After traveling to the great state of Washington with my fellow CLM Interns, I returned with a shivering cold. Headache, runny nose, tummy ache, I had it all, and days before the backpacking trip that we had planned for months, none the less!! What’s a girl to do? I wanted to go backpacking, but my health had a different idea. So instead, I hunkered down and watched my friends Ash and Katie head off on their great backpacking adventure. The next few days, I was left alone to work in our cubicle with two empty chairs; it was lonely, so I made friends with the local Keurig that was left in the kitchen who so kindly made me tea in the morning.
After a Monday of loneliness had past, it was then Tuesday and I was feeling much better health-wise, but the loneliness of the cubicle was still there until an angel came down in the shape of a Phillip who asked me to help with fish surveys. Phillip could never fill the void I felt in the absence of Ash and Katie, but he would do for now. So with that, we ventured off to conduct fish surveys, I was in charge of the handy dandy notebook, writing down what fish Phillip saw as he bobbed his head in and out of the water, which can only be compared to a duck hunting down its next meal. As my duck friend and I moved to our next fish scouting location, we emerged upon a swift-moving current. Phillip, with his duck-like abilities, crossed the current with no problem. It was then my turn, and as I took a step, the world crumbled below me and I found the current taking me away. Water fills my waders, and my backpack becomes soaked with tears and water from the river. I accepted my fate and allowed the current to take me away. As I drifted away, I thought of all the things I was going to miss: Ash, Katie, that piece of cheesecake in the fridge I hadn’t eaten yet, Yung Gravy and his potential for a new album, Glee, the American flag, Dr. Pepper, fireplaces, dogs, sweet Hawaiian roles, colorful pens, ranch, stickers, babybels, bagels, french fries, fuzzy socks, Mountain Dew, musicals, Saint Patrick’s day, We Bare Bears, party hats, the color yellow, the cashiers at target who don’t scan the bottom of our grocery cart, olive garden, when the sky is pink, Washington lilies, cornflower, filling up my water bottle, Monica, Bonfire by Childish Gambino, Caesar from the planet of the apes, bad ape, French vanilla coffee creamer, subway, karaoke, Thanksgiving, the idea of living in a hallmark movie, the idea of a truck with two doggies in the back (see previous blog post), Jason Derulo, Ireland, flannel, non-dairy oat beverage, and my family. The thought gave me the courage I need to stand up in the 2 feet of water that I was in. Although I rose up, my hopes were down; I make my way through the water to a sunny spot to lie down. By then, it was lunchtime, so I took the opportunity to dry off. The rest of the day was uneventful so we headed back early due to me being soaked and Phillip peeing himself.
The next day is my day out with Tom (our district botanist who is awesome). We spread seed in a parking lot and drove around in the truck, and I desperately hoped the song Girls by The Dare doesn’t start playing from my playlist (it did not). We then ate fern roots and berries that tasted quite strange but not awful. Tom then compared himself to Old Man in the spring plant (Senico vulgaris), and we had a hoot the rest of the day.
Other adventures of the month included beaver surveys, more seed spreading, seed drop off, and of course most importantly Ash’s birthday!
Track #2 (Two Doggies in the Back Nothing in my Burlap Sack)
Quote
Sometimes, words fall short, unable to capture the hurricane of my mind. So I turn to my outlet of song: why use more word when fewer word do trick. This is one of the songs from our Willamette CLM album. This song is particularly meaningful to me as it captures the adversities one faces as a certified berry picker and shows how the mind wanders in the quiet of the forest. Some may say I am an overthinker, but I say no I am a dreamer, a dreamer of a bright future. In this future, I am free, driving through endless open roads in my truck. Beside me are two dogs (Liam and Neeson). They are my sons, my friends, my peace. Together, we chase the American dream: a life full of hope and freedom. I hope you too are a dreamer and enjoy this musical masterpiece from our album (Bagpipes and Barking by the Campfire).
Bagpipes and Barking by the Campfire
Going down the highway, Rd 22 im on my way Pulling up to my hideaway, gonna get some good berries today. I found some Huckleberry, BaneBerry, and Snow. Collecting 20% of berries I look high and low. I found a motherload of berries and try not to have a heart attack, But in my head I know there ain't no turning back So I pick up my burlap sack and start the berry picking. I'm picking, tripping, and kicking but you know that I ain't quitting. I am doing my main berry mission, standing in my power position I see my friends Katie and Ash wishing that they weren't itching from all the blackberry thorns we just walked through. Two doggies in the back, nothing in my burlap sack, Rolling down the highway, never looking back, Berries on my mind, and the sun on my track, Dreaming of two doggies in the back, nothing in my burlap sack. I'm still picking, I'm kicking, till the sun starts to fade, But with these berries in my hand, I know I've got it made, Still dreaming of two doggies in the back, and I’m right on the attack, Filling up my sack, there’s no turning back! Ayeee its dj dirty E on the track check it!! I got berries in my sack marking it off on my GIS Map. Dont worry don't fret I aint no threat im just a berry picking pro no no wait i'm a god thats right im a god oh dang I Dropped the berry pod that means im a fraud ok so im flawed but that dont mean i haven't clawed my way to the top of this berry hill You won't hear me still til I grab a couple mil of berries for my bag Invasive species i will flag you won't catch me lag until my mission is filled. I said my mission is filled DJ Dirty E is on this track with a full burlap sack it's time to take it back to the chorus get that! Two doggies in the back, something in my burlap sack, Rolling down the highway, never looking back, Berries on my mind, and the sun on my track, Dreaming of two doggies in the back, something in my burlap sack. I'm still picking, I'm kicking, till the sun starts to fade, But with these berries in my hand, I know I've got it made, Still dreaming of two doggies in the back, and I’m right on the attack, Filling up my sack, there’s no turning back! The clock says that its 4:30 you know what that means, its the end of todays berry dreams Until tomorrow my heart will swallow the memories that were made on this beautiful berry day. For the day cannot always stay so I will go home and pray that I can be blessed by another berry array.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! (The Life of a CLM Intern Tuesday’s Version)
5:50 AM – Snooze
6:00 AM – The screeching sound of my alarm clock says, “HEY GIRL, GET UP!”
6:10 AM – Roll out of bed onto the floor and make my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth.
6:20 AM – Make breakfast, pack lunch, get dressed, and make sure my bag is packed for the day ahead.
6:40 AM – Start walking to the office building.
7:00 AM – Arrive at work, clock in on time to not mess up ADP hours, and avoid struggling with the Notes app on CLM Time Reporting.
7:10 AM – Crack open the first can of MTN Dew to wake up and be energized for the day.
Today, we are native plant scouting for species to collect seeds. We are hitting up Toad Meadow in our rental rig named Yappers. Yappers got his name from his strong object sensing noise if there’s a tree a mile within sight. Our loud boy is a grey Nissan Titan, which allows us to get from point A to B, as well as C, D, E, and F, depending on the day.
7:20 AM – Try to beat the heat and get a head start on the day by taking off early. I get in the driver’s seat because my coworker got their license stolen from a car break-in, and my other coworker drove yesterday.
7:25 AM – Get on one of the most dangerous roads in Oregon, being much more confident than I was the first time driving the truck. Then turn the radio on to Charli XCX’s new album to stay awake for the drive.
7:30-8:00 AM – “IT’S SO CONFUSING SOMETIMES TO BE A GIRL, GIRL!” (x15)
8:01 AM – Work it out on the remix.
8:02-8:20 AM – Hop out of Yappers and work our way to the meadows that we marked on Field Maps the previous day. Walk through trees, bushes, and puddles until we get to our destination, the glorious Toad Meadow.
8:20-11:40 AM – Scout around the meadow and find the native plant species.
Toad Meadow consisted of a few plants that were on our seed collection list and surprisingly very few toads. We found Penstemon serrulatus, Achillea millefolium, and Spirea Douglisii. All of these species are still in flower in this area so we mark it on our field maps so we can return in a few weeks once the plants are fruiting. We then make our way back to the truck.
12:00 PM – Lunch time! Crack open a nice warm MTN Dew #2 that’s been sitting in the truck all day, chow down on a sandwich, and eat all the veggie straws I can in 30 minutes.
12:30 PM – Drive to the next location, Big Meadows!
1:05 PM – Arrive at Big Meadows trailhead and begin trudging through the forest.
1:06-3:00 PM – Scout and ID plants at Big Meadow.
In Big Meadows we found Symphyotrichum foliaceum, Mimulus Guttatus, and Lupinus latifolius. We again mark up species that we are collecting on our tablets, and collect a few plants we are unsure about so our mentor Heidi can double-check them once we return to the main office. Then start our journey to the truck.
At this point in the day, we are tired, sweaty, bug-bitten, but feeling incredibly fortunate when we take a look around us and see miles and miles of beautiful trees. It is surreal to be in such a scenic place that I am fully expecting fairies to start dancing around me. In fact, I think I see one! Yes, over there by that bush! She dances in her little pink tutu and is throwing pixie dust around in the air, blessing every flower it lands on. (Wait, is this a sign of heat exhaustion? The back of my mind tries to warn me, “Nah,” and I skip along like a fairy princess with my new friend). Seriously though, it’s hot out and the heat is getting to all of us so we make our way back to the truck and decide it’s better to scout from the truck for the rest of the day.
3:00-4:00 PM – Scout on 2257 Road by Marion Forks.
4:00-4:26 PM – Drive to the gas station and fill Yappers up with gas.
4:40 PM – Arrive back at Detroit Ranger Station.
4:40-5:29 PM – Ask Heidi about specimens collected, check email to see if there are any new messages from CBG, and work on the native seed slideshow we created to better recognize the plants we are collecting in our forest.
5:30 PM – Clock out and walk back to the bunkhouse.
This concludes an average Tuesday as a CLM intern stationed at Willamette National Forest.
Not in Kansas Anymore
The journey started when I left my sweet college town of Manhattan, Kansas. I packed up my Ford Fusion, filled a bucket of ice to supplement my broken AC, and set off west to Willamette National Forest. As I looked through my rearview mirror, the cornfields faded away behind me, and the forest area that I would call home for the next six months appeared through my window.
Once I got to the town of Detroit, Oregon, I was amazed by how beautiful the forest looked. Driving through the valley, I had an amazing view of Mount Jefferson and the neighboring mountains. When I arrived at the Bunkhouse, I arranged my things, said hi to my roommate Ash, and made a list of things to get from the store the next day with my other roommate, Katie. I realized things were about to be a lot different. The town was an hour away, which required planning for meals and other necessities, something I was not used to. On the way into town, we stopped at the gas station, where we were approached by a man who came up to the car. Katie screamed in fright, as one does, at the man, and that’s how we found out you don’t pump your own gas in Oregon—another thing we both were not familiar with.
Our mentor Heidi took us to the area they call “the black,” where the forest was burnt down. This was an intense sight to see because so much of the forest burned down in 2020. Heidi showed us all the things the fire impacted, such as invasive species that started to grow in the burned areas and take over the once diverse forest landscape. Throughout the week, we did more training and hiking through the forest. We saw many cool sights, including waterfalls, snow on the mountains, and even a bear. Since starting work, we have done lots of reading and learning about the native species in the area so we can be prepared for when we go out and start collecting seed. Oregon has many more different plants and insects than I am familiar with, but it has been fun to learn about all the new species out here!
On our off time Katie, Ash, and I have visited Portland, hiked more around the Willamette, went to Silver Falls, played board games, visited some lakes, and went to the Oregon coast. It’s been an awesome first month getting to travel around with Ash, and Katie and can’t wait for our next adventures!
