Off to clean culverts

Monday morning not knowing what to do with myself now that I was back in Killington. I got a text from a friend early in the morning asking if I wanted to help clean out some culverts around her house. We had rain predicted and wanted to make sure they would be ok with a couple more inches. This was exactly the sort of thing I was looking to do and I am always up for a new adventure.
 

Neighbors helping neighbors is really what makes Vermont great. I headed over to Heather’s house armed with an Apple Pie, grapes, cucumbers from my garden and a few PBR’s, have to remember to hydrate. I got to her house we caught up on the past week. She had been in Pittsfield stranded with her boyfriend helping out the community. In fact she was the one teaching the kids on one of the video segments I posted. She reinforced how great the whole community was and that they were working hard to get back to normal but it will take time. She was psyched to have fresh fruit. Then we headed to the shed to look for tools and got out to work. My tool of choice did not make it past the shed, in fact I don’t know what it was for, maybe some sort of antique hoe.
 

One of many rocks carried

It only took a couple hours with the three of us and it’s amazing how anything you can turn into training and Death Race training. After picking up several large rocks, chopping down large limbs to take out of the stream, pulling branches and tree trunks, and digging out a lot of silt, I was feeling like this was a scene from the Death Race. Heather, her boyfriend Tyler and I turned an activity that many might think of as awful into a time to clean, laugh and have fun. We waded through water, picked up rocks and mostly laughed. My bogs were the best boots for the job!
 

Always the teacher, she just found a new salamander

No real planned workout today, it ended up about being part of the community. Although one of the rocks was probably about my bodyweight. Also as Heather and I do, we dressed in style during the whole process. EMS, we are ready to do a sports bra ad! Think this look will catch on?
 

We caught me moving the biggest rock of the day on video. This one might have weighted almost as much as me. In the end it was a great day with great friends and topped it all off out at the Inn at Long Trail that night with my Fire Dept. Family.