Jacquelyn Bouchard
Wilderness Ranger Fellow
Bighorn Crags | Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness
July 30-August 6, 2025
My final hitch with SBFC took me to the Bighorn Crags in the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness, working alongside an all-women’s volunteer crew. It was the perfect way to close out my summer of trail work- sharing the wilderness with a group of people who poured their time and energy into caring for it.
Pack animals bringing our supplies to camp (Photo Credit: Shannon Anderson)
Our project focused on repairing a washed-out, rocky section of trail that challenged both hikers and pack animals. We built check steps and water bars, moved in loads of dirt, and crushed rock to fill and level the tread- turning a rough, uneven stretch into a safer, more accessible path.
With only a couple weeks of rock work experience under my belt, I’ll admit it was a little intimidating to give instruction and advice to the volunteers. Rock work can be slow and meticulous. It’s like a puzzle where each piece has to fit just right, and we were all figuring it out together. On the first day, I sensed a bit of discouragement from the group, but once we got the first check step in place, the energy shifted. They began to understand the rhythm and expectations, and soon we were working steadily, swapping stories, and soaking in the views.
Crew discussing course of action to build a check step (Photo credit: Samantha Birch)
There’s something special about being in the wilderness with people who haven’t spent the whole summer doing this kind of work. Coming from Florida, I’ve been surprised by how quickly I got a bit desensitized to the scenery here. For them, though, the mountains and forests were fresh, and seeing their excitement reminded me to slow down and appreciate it all over again.
On a typical hitch with the other fellows, everyone is on their own for meals. For me, that usually meant a steady rotation of beef jerky, lentils, and peanut butter. All summer, I’ve bounced between the backcountry and a campsite near town, and the most notable culinary upgrade was simple but glorious: eating my chicken from a can instead of a packet.
Volunteer hitches are different. Meals are shared, and fresh food in coolers rides in on pack animals. We happened to have a professional chef in the group, who casually mentioned cooking for Eddie Murphy and working with Martha Stewart. Needless to say, we ate well. Meals included risotto, pancakes, and curry. Everything tastes better in the woods, and as one volunteer put it, “the best seasoning is hunger.” Not that “seasoning” was needed- I would have happily eaten those meals in a house, unlike my usual cold-soaked lentils and chicken packets.
Ship Island Lake, only a short hike from our camp site. (Photo credit: Samantha Birch)
I was lucky to spend my last hitch with a great group, and knowing it was my final one, they kept asking about my season. I told them about my new backwoods routine of waking up early to enjoy my book for a while in my tent- something that my usual night-owl self would never do outside of the woods. I shared stories of hard work and quiet reflection, but I also confessed to the more unexpected ways my mind wandered- like hiking with one line of a song playing over and over in my head, lying in my tent staring at the bugs running around on the outside of the screen to distract myself from my own smell, wondering why my toenail is gone, or finding myself way too engrossed in the nutrition information on my protein bar at lunch.
Wrapping up my last hitch, I appreciated the work we did and the company I kept. It’s the small moments and the unexpected ways they have stuck with me that I will remember the most.
Jacquelyn Bouchard
Bradenton, FL
University of Florida- Natural Resource Conservation
Jacquelyn grew up with a strong connection to nature, spending her childhood camping, hiking, and exploring the outdoors. Her passion for conservation led her to work with the Virginia Youth Conservation Corps, where she gained hands-on experience in trail maintenance and park infrastructure projects. Jacquelyn further honed her skills during backpacking trips with the University of Montana, combining outdoor adventure with research. Her time as a raft guide on the Ocoee River taught her valuable leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills, while her training in fire ecology provided practical experience in high-stakes, physically demanding environments. These diverse experiences deepened her commitment to preserving natural spaces, which ultimately brought her to SBFC, where she will continue to grow and contribute to the protection of wilderness areas.