Kevin - Guadalupe - Blog 5

Our final day of volunteering began with moments of gratitude. We thanked all the park rangers for their continuous and over-the-top hospitality and they thanked us for our positive attitudes, hard work, and dedication to the park that we showed throughout the week. We started work by continuing where we left off the day before. Now very mechanic, the spreading and shoveling was very efficient. During this work, we noticed that physically we had recovered and had been well-acclimated; however, we were all mentally tired. We spent our breaks in between loads talking with park rangers instead of with ourselves. We learned about their journey to Guadalupe Mountains as well as their own goals and aspirations. Because of this, the time flew by and before we knew it, we had finished our week of service. Before we left the work site, the rangers informed us that because of our work, they were now weeks ahead of schedule. Humbled and grateful for their kind words, we departed McKittrick Canyon and set off in the van. I noticed that everyone looked back at the mountains more than once. Some looked with happiness, some with appreciation, and some with fatigue. However, no matter what the look was, there was still a glimmer of the original awe in everyone’s eye. The awe we all felt the first day on the job. In the van, we all commented that they work we had done was not a temporary service to the park, but a culmination of hundreds and hundreds of people before us who had worked so diligently to make the park where it is today. Without volunteers and the rangers to maintain the park, few would get to experience the humbling effect of nature that is so commonly overlooked. For all of us, it truly was a life changing experience.