Vincent Bilms
I have participated in Landmark Volunteers over the past two summers. My first program with Landmark took place in Acadia National Park in Maine, where the team did a variety of constructive work including repairing carriage roads throughout the park, clearing vista sights to grant tourists greater views of the magnificent scenery, and restoring worn down hiking trails. After having one of the greatest experiences of my life in Acadia, I decided to enroll in the Landmark program again the following summer. I took advantage of Landmark’s various programs throughout the country and enrolled in the program at Glacier National Park in Montana. My time in Montana proved to be one of the most eye- opening, memorable, and exciting experiences of my life.

As I boarded my flight to Montana, I eagerly awaited meeting all of the other volunteers as well as seeing Glacier National Park, which I had heard so much about. Upon arriving at the airport, my team and I introduced ourselves to one another, and I could immediately tell that everyone else was as excited as I was. We soon drove to our campsite where we would stay in tents of two people each for the next two weeks. After our team leader, Brad Martell, gave us an overview of our plans for the next two weeks, we made a quick dinner over a gas stove and went for a swim at the nearby Lake MacDonald. Although rather cold, the lake would prove to be a perfect refresher after working hard all day throughout the trip.

Starting the next day, the team would wake up at seven, have a quick breakfast, and wait for the Glacier Trail Crew to arrive and bring us to our worksite for the day. The workload was mainly constituted of restoring both hiking and horse trails by removing large dangerous rocks, preventing future erosion to trails, and leveling out steep trails. Our progress at each worksite was clearly noticeable to both the team as well as passing hikers. Although the workday was long and the work was not easy, everybody seemed content because we were both having fun and working simultaneously. The team would finish work between three and four each day and return to the campsite. After a quick dip in Lake Macdonald, different members of the team would cook dinner each night while the rest of us relaxed, tossed around a football, or took sun showers. Our evenings consisted of going out for ice cream in a nearby town, restocking our food at the grocery store, and best of all talking with one another under the crystal clear Montana sky.

On the weekend, the crew decided that we would take advantage of the park and go on a ten mile hike called Siyeh Pass. This day contains some of my best memories from the trip including seeing mountain goats, hiking to an altitude of over 8000 feet, having a snow ball fight in the middle of the summer, and sliding down glaciers at the top of the trail.

As for the social aspect of the trip, it is safe to say that I both met some of the greatest people in life on this trip as well as developed lasting relationships with every member of the team. Everyone had something different to offer to the team with kids from all over the country, including Florida, New York, Minnesota, and California. This trip has left me with countless memories which I will remember forever and I would strongly suggest that anyone interested in Landmark Volunteers consider Glacier National Park. My experience with Landmark Volunteers has been simply amazing.

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