The trees were beginning to reach higher as the highway started to whine. The road had changed. I was heading South East when I began to notice that the road was all double lines; no passing. There were hills here. I wondered what the National Forests of East Texas would be like.
The three and a half hour drive didn’t take longer than that. I rolled into Lufkin, Texas on a Sunday evening and didn’t see the roaches on the floor of the Motel 6 until the next morning. I didn’t have to worry about another morning there as my internship mentor, Tom, had gone the extra distance for me before we had ever met. He had organized a possible place for me to live from a work colleague. All that I had to do was approve of it and move in. The place was in the middle of the woods and not a neighbor around. There were two stray dogs, a cat, and a bull and his mom to keep me company. It was very private.
On the first day I met Tom. He was different than I had imagined. His calm and patient voice on the phone did not prepare me for how he looked in real life. He was a strong fellow and a veteran. I could tell that he was used to the forests but had no idea how much he knew until the next day. He finished my paperwork that first day and I had two combinations to memorize as well as a handful of rules.
We had car trouble on the first day and almost got stuck on the second; but I’m not there yet. Tom introduced me to many people and one of them was Alan. Alan and Tom work on projects together. It was fascinating to ride in the back of the NRCS Suburban and listen to the two of them discuss the plants that they were developing together. Alan is a Master in Chemical Biology and the Manager / Supervisor for the NRCS’s Plant Research Center; otherwise known as the Experimental Forest. Tom is an experienced Botonist. So you can imagine how much info there was to take in from these two in a one hour setting (or driving).
I’m going to slow this blog down after I tell you about the second day because it is why I chose this direction in my life. Tom asked me to come in early on Tuesday and I did. I followed him out and watched his every move in order to prepare myself for the day that I would walk alone. There were backpacks and leg wraps to detour any snakes and ticks from reaching skin. Water, compass, a snack or two and something to write stuff down. I listened as he told me how to leave a trail in case I get lost. There were dartboards and sheets with check-in and out and a line for signatures.
He told me the codes and showed me where the keys were and after memorizing the codes we were driving in the Forest Service vehicle. He made one more stop and in stepped a long blond haired man in flip-flops and a T-shirt. The two talked together as they had done a million times before but I had no idea at that time what the day held in store or the fact that the flip flop guy was a scientist as well.
We drove for an hour and a half and entered the Sam Houston National Forest. I learned many words that day as we walked for TEN hours through the forests of East Texas and “stand” was one of them. I learned that a stand of trees was nothing complicated other than how they were standing in organization in the woods. The two that I was with began pointing out plants to me by their scientific name as well as their common name. I was slapped in the face with the reality of the fact that I had much to learn and following these two guys was a great place to start.
Ten hours was a long time to walk but it seemed to bother none of us. The forests were beautiful. Ten hours was blink of an eye. We almost got stuck leaving the first stand and I was got to help push. The spin of the tire threw mud all over me a few times and we finally made it out. Tom walked passed me and stopped and had a look at me. He simply said with that calm quiet voice, “Welcome to the Forest Service.”
To be continued…