Final Reflections

Now that I have arrived 'home' in New Hampshire, I've had some time to reflect back on my experiences during the past couple of months.

After graduating from college and almost immediately taking a 4-day train ride out west to Montana, I was full of optimism. Graduating is an exciting and scary step, and it challenged me to take the 22 years of knowledge and life experience I've gained and start an independent life of my own. This challenge continues to prove itself rather difficult, in the best ways possible.

When I first arrived on the prairie my optimism was shattered. I had an incredibly rough first day due to harsh conditions I had not anticipated (aka.. the heat. Fair skinned, red hair? not the best for coping with sweltering heat with no shade or wind). Although my crew was super supportive, it took me a long time to bounce back from that crash in confidence. I wanted to get out of the endless grasslands and seek shelter in the comforts of New England. No way. As much as I wanted to take the easy route, I have learned time and time again that adventures and memorable experiences do not come about when taking the easy route.

Soon the prairie became more beautiful to me. Any resentment I held toward the landscape evaporated and I was able to see the beauty it held: the rolling hills, diverse vegetation, the vastness of the land, the night sky, the solitude, the storms, the wildlife, etc.. My reasoning for coming to the prairie was not only for the adventure, but our work towards conservation. I could feel my bitterness begin to shift inside me as I became more passionate about the wildlife and their roles in the ecosystem. Also, both my mind and body started looking forward to the hikes, as they became somewhat therapeutic.

The trip to Glacier National Park was incredible: backpacking in impressive mountain valleys after watching the landscape shift from flat grasslands to steep, snow-caped peaks during the 6-hour car ride. I expected Glacier to make the prairie a dull comparison, but it was anything but. Coming back to the prairie after Glacier allowed me to appreciate it more because they both hold their own unique beauty and harshness.

I know I will visit the prairie again. It was an adventure and the prairie was an incredible teacher that I will value forever.

The Little Rockies sunset 

Supermoon on the prairie: no headlamp required

Last time seeing the herd!

One week on the prairie

One week on the prairie completed! And boy has it been a wild ride.

I left Boston last Saturday to travel to Malta, Montana by train. That's 2,260 miles on a train. I overnighted on the train from Boston and arrived in Chicago 7 hours behind schedule, causing me to miss my train to Malta. Amtrak put me up in the Hyatt in Chicago for a night, which gave me one more night of comfortable sleep and one more hot shower - I wasn't complaining.
The next train journey was delayed and ultimately ended up arriving in Malta 6 hours late. So my 2,260 mile train journey to Malta took me 3.8 days. A message to all travelers out there: if you plan on traveling across the country by train, give yourself 4 extra days. The freight trains cause ridiculous delays...

I was the only passenger to get off the train in Malta, and the conductors were making fun of me, asking why on earth I'd be going to Malta, MT. In fact, many people asked me that question, and when I responded with 'to do a conservation project on the American Prairie Reserve 40 miles south of Malta' I'd get a wide-eyed response of 'Wow, that's ambitious...'. This didn't phase me. But when I arrived on the prairie, I understood why they responded in that way.

The prairie is a land of extremes. Our first hike almost killed me. We were out on a 95 degree day, with no shade or breeze hiking during the peak hours of the day for 8 miles. And coming off a 4-day train trip with little food, sleep, and water did not help me any. I suffered greatly from heat exhaustion and found myself rather ill for the rest of the day. And when I went to sleep that night, I vomited in my tent. ..What a great first day.

The first couple of days on the prairie were very hard on me. Blisters, heat exhaustion, dehydration, homesickness. I wanted to jump back on the train and head back to New Hampshire. What have I gotten myself in to?! Two months in the middle of no where...? Oy

Since then, however, I've started to change my frame of mind. 
The reason I'm here is to help gain a better understanding of this vast landscape in the name of science and conservation, and it is certainly an incredible place. 10-mile hikes on specific transects in groups of two everyday allow us to see animals in their natural habit. Bison, mule deer, sage grouse, jack rabbits, owls(!), prairie dogs, elk, white tailed deer! We record what we see on a GPS and document them. At first I thought this place was boring and flat, but now I'm realizing the diversity and beauty of the landscape. Nonetheless, it still scares the crap out of me.

My beautiful blisters (2 of 5)

Grouse Camp (not where I'm staying, but where fancy people pay to stay for a 'rugged' camping adventure)

Fourchette Bay, where we go nearly everyday for a quick swim after our transect hikes

Mosquito protection during sunset wildlife

scope. 7 July 2014

Sunset during wildlife scope, looking at the Little Rockies (where Zortman is - more about Zortman to come later). 7 July 2014

Eastern Screech Owl seen on transect on 8 July 2014