The making of a crew

By: Danielle Yaste

The last few months have been a whirlwind of adventures and mishaps, from stormy nights to sweaty days, the Moose Lake Crew has been anything but bored.  Some of those adventures have made their way into blog posts, others are stories that are just goofy enough that they’ll be retold for years.  But to truly understand the adventures of past blog posts, some vital context is necessary.  My crew has acted dutifully as my models and sources of information throughout my time blogging—they are the backbone of every project and the cast of every story.

Amber is the fearless leader, she’s tiny but scrappy, while also being sprightly and sassy.  Amber is one of the hardest workers I have ever met.  She is driven and sets a high standard, that standard has been passed through our crew.  Though hard working, Amber is also goofy and adventurous.  She is filled with giggles, awkward jokes, and a strong passion for fishing.

Amber’s goofy qualities and love of fishing are shared with Jack.  Jack is one of the funniest people I have ever worked with—he can find a reason to laugh or smile in any situation.  When Jack isn’t laughing or smiling, it’s because he is in the middle of singing to the radio—one of his favorite activities.  And when it comes to fishing, Jack does not mess around.  Jack takes his fishing seriously, and typically has an area scoped out before we even arrive at a project.  The only thing that Jack takes more seriously than fishing is his family.  If there is a family event, Jack is there.  Jack is basically a cool, goofy, fishing family man.

Jack is one of the three guys that comprise the rest of the crew members.  The two that remain are known as the “Pennsylvania Boys.” Both Josh and Nick are from Pennsylvania but had never met before they began the trek to Minnesota.  Josh is described by many as the kindest guy around, and that kindness is coupled by an authentic interest in the people and places around him.  Josh also possesses a large amount of factual knowledge about the biological world that surrounds him.  If he doesn’t know what something is, he finds out.  Josh is also known for his ability to fix things in unorthodox ways—the engineer of the group.  Josh can fix just about anything with duct tape, pbc piping, and duct tape.

Rounding out the team is Nick, the other half of the “Pennsylvania Boys.”  Nick is the conversationalist of the crew.  Nick can have an in-depth conversation about just about anything with just about anyone.  This quality shows on a consistent basis while in the field.  Without fail, when we meet someone in the field, they are drawn to Nick.  Nick’s other strengths can be found in his ability to fix things, take initiative, and thrive when challenged.  His sarcastic humor, mixed with his taste for classic rock music, perfectly balances out the rest of us, completing the awkward quirky family dynamic that is the Moose Lake Crew.

Together as a crew, we have had projects we’ve loved, projects that pushed us, and experiences that molded us.  The reality is, some days have been really hard but making it through those days together has allowed us to work better as a team and to support each other more in our individual lives.  Placing five people together who barely know each other to work in close proximity with one another for ten months can be a gamble, but we make the choice to make it work, and through that our relationships have become authentic.  No, we do not get along all the time, but a lot of the time we chose to get along, to laugh at the bad days, to accept the challenges, to see the good in the situations, and to work as hard as we possibly can. Together we’ve created a goofy, fun-loving, always fishing, food-loving, occasionally bickering, awkward, but great crew, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.