Posted on: 08/23/2025 13 minute read

Introduction

Who would willingly subdue themselves to camping out in Washington for 5 weeks AND swing tools for 8 hours a day on top of that? ME!! There’s a beautiful world beyond my private school/Irvine/urban city security bubble that I’ve never been able to experience before. I’ve never been in a position where I was in a non-specialized subordinate role, nor have I ever set foot in a laundromat, enjoyed huckleberries, leaped into a lake, or willingly consumed bell peppers (?!?!?). Working with Northwest Youth Corps this summer unlocked a part of Earth that I’ve never been able to see before, and if it weren’t for this program, one that I may never see in my life.
What I thought to be unbearable- living 5 weeks in the middle of nowhere without my phone- revitalized me. Instead of becoming an electronic work zombie, the experience has made me become human again. In this blog I’ll go over the overall experience- week by week- and just some of the amazing lessons I’ve learned from this program.

Table of Contents (Click to jump)

• - How did I find this program?
• - The Program
• - Meet the Crew
• - Life at Northwest Youth Corps
• - Typical Workday
• - Food Information
• - Week 1 – Elbe - Washington DNR
• - Week 2/3 – Winthrop – Backcountry Horsemen of Washington
• - Week 4- Irving Pass – USFS
• - My Birthday
• - Week 5 – Lake Chelan – USFS
• - Reflection




How did I find this program?

Two summers ago, I had the spontaneous birthday wish of getting outdoors. I pulled out google maps, closed my eyes, and by chance, pointed at the closest national park to my home, Joshua Tree. My father and I drove there immediately, and we stayed until 1 am embracing the cool desert breeze and gazing upon the meteor showers in the coal black sky. That was the first time in my life of which I, on my own volition, decided that I wanted to connect with the outdoors. What followed was a series of excursions leading up to my first camping trip one year ago and my first backpacking trip in the same summer.
Indulging in the outdoors soon became one of my most favorite pastimes, and as I spent more and more time outdoors I couldn’t help but feel indebted due to the peace and solitude nature offered when I needed it most. I soon found my calling following the institutionalization of DOGE and its mass layoffs across public lands. With the understanding that the parks cannot be maintained without regular upkeep, I sent 14 applications and cold emails to local parks and non-profit organizations across America until I heard back from Northwest Youth Corps (NYC).




The Program



Northwest Youth Corps offers residential employment in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. What that meant for me was that I didn’t need to get a hotel/rent a place in order to work with them because housing was provided. I applied immediately after I noticed that it was a residential program that was still taking applications in February. Approximately a month later, I heard back from the hiring manager, Carson, who set up a call and provided me with an overview of the program.
Every day, I would be camping out in tents with up to 10 people (~2-4 people per tent) including 2 experienced crew leads. Each crew member was paid an average weekly stipend which after food, laundry, and showers amounted to $450 a week for 37 hours of work. My crew’s work assignments were in collaboration with various organizations from federal ones like the Forest Service to non-profits such as the Backcountry Horsemen of Washington (BCHW). These project partners tasked us with trail building, invasive species removal, and recreational site development.
What I found the most interesting of all though, was the program’s phone policy. Phones were collected at the start of the program and put in a safe in the field office; workers were not allowed to access them. This worried my parents who are protective of my safety, but I found that the phone policy would be a good detox from constant social media usage.




Meet the Crew



People are organized into 10 person groups called “Crews” and named in accordance to their helmet color. My crew was called Yellow Crew and was comprised of hardworking and environmentally passionate people. My two crew leads, Monty and Quentin, were excellent role models in both managing the crew through difficult situations and at the worksite. There was this time that 5 people were trying to move a heavy rock for 30 minutes with no real progress. When Quentin arrived, though, he was able to move the rock by himself in under 10 seconds, demonstrating his masterful expertise. Aaron, Alex, Analise, Calder, Lilias, Rafael, and Ryan were all the other members in my crew hailing from all over the United States- from California all the way to Louisiana. As a result, I had the privilege of listening to many of their unique life stories. For example, how some of them own goats/horses in lieu of dogs, how they WALK to the national forest just outside of their backyard to sleep there regularly, and how they have cool car expeditions across America. These experiences I have not and may never try out in my lifetime, which is why I cherished every moment I had with them and everything that they shared with me.




Life at Northwest Youth Corps

Typical Workday

For the duration of my program, wakeup time was anywhere from 4-6 AM depending on project partner requirements. We have chores assigned to the crew to keep camp life clean and efficient, one of which is to prepare breakfast. A member who is assigned to this chore wakes up 15 minutes before everyone else so that food can be ready on the table once everyone wakes up. After everyone eats breakfast, we ready our work uniforms and a leader inspects our gear to ensure work readiness. An hour after breakfast, the rig (fancy word for van) drives off to the worksite usually situated 10-15 minutes away from our camp.
At the worksite, the crew circles up for stretch and safety wherein we go over safety concerns, our OSHA endowed rights, and stretch to mitigate the risk of injury. We hike in from the trailhead with tools (including the lopper, grubber, hazel hoe, Mcleod, saw, and Polaski) and personal gear such as our packed lunch and 3-4 liters of water. During the workday, we have 2 paid 15-minute OSHA mandated breaks and 1 unpaid 30-minute lunch break. Time such as hiking and driving into worksites are accounted for to ensure that we do not work for over 8 hours a day. The work that we do can be very physically and mentally taxing, many members have experienced heat exhaustion during the work day as well as having been stung by wasps. I have had muscle soreness that lasted more than a week after the program.
After we drive back to camp, many crew members choose to wash off in the river to cool off and maintain cleanliness after a long day of work. Then, people begin working on their camp chores which range from cleaning the van to cooking dinner. Once all the chores are completed, crew members have a few hours of free time before dinner and debrief. Debrief is a crew-wide activity wherein the workers get to express their concerns ranging from a lazy/dirty campmate or ideas for making work more efficient. Our debrief is structured the following way:

• 1. Appreciations and Ownerships
• 2. CFORs (Concerns, Feeling, Ownership, Request)
• 3. Feedback for leaders/leader of the day
• 4. New information such as upcoming schedule for tomorrow

The debrief session stands as an effective method of ensuring that all members have an opportunity to voice their thoughts to the crew whilst holding their full attention. Following debrief, there is usually an hour or two that we may have before we’re sent to sleep. We always get 8 hours of sleep. If we are waking up at 4 AM it means being asleep at 8 PM.



Food Information



Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner are made with our weekly ~$500 food budget used to feed 10 people. Depending on the appetite of the crew, this budget may or may not be enough to sustain them for a week. In my crew, this was not always enough and we often found ourselves buying personal goods from grocery stores as a result. Depending on a participant’s needs, it may be a good idea to bring spare cash for the program.
The quality of Dinner is also entirely dependent on the cooking abilities of the crew. I was fortunate to be in a crew with hearty cooking skills and they almost always made delicious meals.

Week 1 – Elbe - Washington DNR

The Work



Wheels up at 6. That means that all of us in the crew should be in the rig at 6 AM with all of our personal protective equipment (PPE) ready so that we can start the workday. Our worksite for the first week was at the Lower Elk Spur Trail (equestrian) in Elbe, managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). They wanted us to expand the trail from 18 inches to 4 feet by .75 miles so that ATVs are able to navigate the path in the event of an emergency. To expand the trail, we had to actively dig into the backslope of the hill and remove any vegetation that may be hampering the trail such as roots or weed. When digging into the backslope, we first checked to make sure that any and all duff (detritus/dead organic matter) are off of the trail. Then, we utilized the Grubber and Hazelhoe to dig a 45 degree angle into the backslope. This is done to ensure the longevity of the trail by reducing the rain's erosive effect on the trail.
While at work, I was exposed to my first wildberry- the Salmon Berry. The Salmon Berry resembled a typical Blackberry except for the fact that it grew on a thornless tree-like plant and that the berry itself was yellow and had a tart taste. The wildlife we encountered while working included many banana slugs, elk, a bear, and deer.

Elbe Camplife

Our campground was ironically named Sahara Creek which was fitting because if there was a creek at all, it was dry as the Sahara Desert itself. Nonetheless, we were still able to obtain drinking water from a spigot adjacent to our campsite. The spigot, which provided freezing cold water, was also how we were able to take quick showers and maintain a degree of cleanliness. Due to the spigot’s relatively low height, I had to crouch under the spigot and try my very best to get the soap and water all over my body whilst also doing it quickly enough that I don’t freeze to death.
At camp, my crew also constructed a makeshift baseball bat out of felled branches. Playing baseball then became one of our favorite pastimes.

Week 2/3 – Winthrop – Backcountry Horsemen of Washington

Imagine the climate of Washington, stereotypically speaking: raining almost all the time, lots of greenery (literally called “The Evergreen State”), and full of tech-startup high rise buildings. Now imagine the opposite of that. Desert, desert, and evidence of recent burns everywhere. That is where we were for the following 4 weeks. Some were relieved due to the change of scenery away from humid days and freezing cold mornings, but most were fearful of the hot temperatures to come.




The Work

Down in the Pasayten Wilderness lies Lake-Creek Trail: a trail so overgrown that given just a few more years, many would seldom classify it as a trail. In fact, for many sections of the trail the bushes (Ceanothus) covered the trail so much that looking down at your feet became an impossible challenge.
We were tasked with making the trail walkable again by clearing the brush along the trail. The project partner requested us to construct a 10 foot corridor with a 5 year tunnel vision. This means that, to maintain the longevity of the trail and enable to passage of pack stock (horses and mules), we were asked to cut each and every obstructing plant within a 5 foot radius of the trail. In addition to that, we also had to cut any obstructing plants that may grow into the corridor within the next half decade. The primary blockage in the trail were bushes called the Ceanothus. They may grow an upwards of up to 2 feet a year, allowing the plant to rapidly cover up the trail if growth isn’t controlled. As such, any Ceanothus growing into the trail cannot simply be trimmed, they must be killed. All the plants we’ve cut with our loppers are cut at the base- flush with the ground. This not only makes it so that the bush stumps aren’t eyesores/tripping hazards to hikers, but also ensures that no more branches can grow out of the stump.
We did this every day, 8 hours a day, for 2 weeks. Waking up at 3:45 AM to start the day and beat the heat. Our hard work paid off as during the middle of the second week, we have made the path accessible all the way to Black Lake. Methow Valley news interviewed and reported on our work at this site, you can find their news article here.

The Fun



One factor that made our campsite (Camp 4) amazing was that it was situated directly adjacent to a river. The cold, 10 hour old snowmelt water in tandem with the hot climate of Eastern Washington made for an enjoyable experience while bathing in the river.
In addition to this, we also got to experience the local culture such as the Bavarian themed town of Leavenworth (tourist trap), visiting a farmer's market, being scammed at the flea market, and hiking to a popular lake overlooking the cascades.
At one point, we had a visit from the Methow Valley News who visited our camp and interviewed us about our work. Then, we had another visit from the Methow Valley Conservancy who came to educate us about their work and how nonprofits protect the State's natural resources. THEN we visited a Forest Service Pack Mule ranch. Reverse chronologically ordered (lol).

Week 4- Irving Pass – USFS



At dusk, when all of us are in our tents ready to go to bed, the sounds of the forest awaken. Some of us hear foxes, some, bears fighting, but the most mysterious of all was a loud “BORL” sound echoing through the woods. Our new valley campsite (nameless) looked as if we have been dropped off directly into the middle of the woods except that some people were kind enough to pound down the ground and make it tent-campable.
But the worksite? Oh, it’s just the coolest thing imaginable. Our worksite was a fresh burnzone from a fire just 2-3 years ago; vegetation was already slowly starting to grow back in the region, but the carcasses of dead trees still towered above us.

The Work

With 3 weeks of experience under our belt, the new work was a breeze. We did some regular trail maintenance near the trailhead trimming back live vegetation in the first 2 days of work. On the third day onward, we approached the burn zone where our new job became to make the trail safe to walk again. This meant that we had to remove dead roots from under the trail, trees that posed a threat of falling on/obstructing the trail, and paving trail reroutes around dangerous/ambiguous areas.
The view from the worksite was incredible, we got to see snow-covered peaks towering over the valley and US fighter jets frequented our region. At one point, a fighter jet flew almost directly over me- 2 treelines above where I stood- and would have burst my eardrums if I had not covered it in time. This worksite was definitely my favorite of the 5 weeks

My Birthday



The night before, I dreamt that Nelson told all my friends to text him birthday wishes and then forwarded them to me. I woke up and remembered that I didn’t have my phone and I was in the middle of nowhere. When I got on the rig for work, I remembered that in Taiwan during a beach party, I was handed a letter for my birthday. I opened it on the rig to find that my friends have prepared me a birthday card with birthday wishes from everyone (you know who you are, thank you so much!!!). I cannot express how much having a taste of the outside world meant to me, it was arguably one of the best birthday gifts that I’ve received.
The workday proceeded normally and when we got back, the crew cooked spaghetti and I was able to blow out a candle while everyone else sang happy birthday. This was the first time that I’ve spent my birthday without my family but also the first time that I spent my birthday with my close friends. I slept happily that night knowing that I can go to federal prison if I were to commit a crime from that day forward.

Week 5 – Lake Chelan – USFS



For our final week we are assigned to recreation site maintenance at Lake Chelan, the 3rd deepest lake in the United States. The 15 acre ferry point of which we’re working is owned by the Forest Service but managed by Holden Village. But that just means that they collect the parking fees, manage ferry schedules, and the confectionary stand.
The worksite consists of a parking lot, a dock, and a small park for visitors wanting to view the lake. This week was special because we camped directly at the worksite inside the small park, meaning that we didn’t have to drive over to work. My tent was set up exactly 5 yards away from the parking lot because it was one of the few shaded areas in the whole park and anywhere else ran the risk of having the tent sprayed by the garden sprinklers during the night.

The Work

The project partner arrived to greet us before we have even begun the stretch circle. He introduced us to a myriad of new tools: weedwhackers, sit-down lawnmowers, brush cutters, leaf blowers, garden rakes, pole saws, billhooks, and tools that were brand new to us until that day.
He explained that blackberries were invasive to Washington and abundant sections of it around the site need to be eliminated; roadways with encroaching brushing needed to be cleared; and grass around the site needed to be trimmed to maintain an orderly, front country quality appearance. Work there was especially difficult because the heat rose up to 95 degrees Fahrenheit and made us lethargic. The leads also had to operate the more hazardous power tools so more work was entrusted onto the members.
The work was so straining that in the last few days of the week; I experienced severe soreness in my upper right back that persisted a week after the program ended.
Though, we were able to ride in a forest service vehicle, learn how to properly fell trees with a chainsaw, and enjoy the beautiful landscape while we worked.

Reflection

Prior to the program I had never worked a day in my life. The people who surrounded me are the same- they didn’t need to work because they had the financial means to obtain all they needed to be happy. However, it’s important to note that many people I know are not expected to work while in highschool. In the words of my own mother, “You don’t have to do this, you were not made for this”, implying that because I come from a more privileged household, I should not be undertaking any blue-collar summer jobs. In fact, I’m encouraged not to work because working takes time away from studying and would therefore be considered academically counterintuitive. While a great portion of Americans take their first job as a coming-of-age moment and gain very necessary life skills, it was never an expectation for me. The Irvine/Private International School Bubble shielded me from the realities of life that are true for the majority of people around the world. That was why when I spoke to my fellow coworkers in Washington, it felt that I was speaking to real Americans -real people- for the first time.
Within just a week of being in Washington, my understanding of the world grew to a scale that no academic institution advertising a “global perspective” could ever achieve (The joke is that schools like those never do enough to meaningfully instill anything). For the first time in my life, I was able to connect at a deep level with people from the full spectrum of economic and social brackets and gain valuable insight into how the vast majority of Americans actually conducted themselves.
With each passing day I found myself getting stronger; going from hiking over 100-300 yards behind everyone else to leading the group in just 3 weeks. I also saw my interpersonal skills as well as leadership grow with each interaction. When you live with 9 other people from super diverse backgrounds, you really see the world in a way that you never would have before. There are some programs that are good for fun, some good for your resume, and some that are good for life because of the things you learn. Northwest Youth Corps is one of those programs that are good for life.