More Than Just a Job

Ryan Ghelfi

May 29, 2025

Sometimes I get the sense that people who work in the Wilderness to maintain our trail systems feel like they have to explain or justify why they don’t have a “real job” yet…why they are still working seasonally, cutting logs out of the trail corridor, and digging in the dirt. I can empathize with this sentiment. I, too, at one time, felt like I needed to explain my life decisions and why I hadn’t gotten a “real” 9-5 office job.

One of our esteemed board members, Nick Hazelbaker, wrote a terrific poem entitled “More Than Just a Job.” This person spent their whole career working in the Wilderness, working on public lands for the benefit of all people. After hearing this poem read aloud, I could not agree more with the specifics and the sentiment. Whether someone spends a year or a career working in the Wilderness, those times, efforts, and memories are irreplaceable. The work itself and the value created are potent, tangible, and as meaningful as any line of work I can imagine.

Some might think I am speaking in hyperbole, but I mean every word. The esteem I hold for each person who chooses to dedicate their effort and passions to working in the Wilderness is of the highest regard. I consider these jobs to be as real as it gets, and frankly, far more than just a job. For me, having the privilege of helping lead this fine organization is far more than a job, it’s a calling that I could not say no to.

So, for all our folks at SBFC, and all those folks working in the woods, on trails, and wildlands across our whole country, the question “when should I get a real job” might need to be rephrased, flipped on its head. I think the real question ought to be “when will I choose to leave my real job behind,” because it’s safe to say, there is no job more real than working outdoors helping to preserve our nation’s Wilderness legacy.

As always, I welcome your thoughts on this topic!