VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT

A Volunteer Delivers Top-Notch Service

By Andy Crowley

Being outside has always been a big part of Jen Cahill’s life. When she was young, her parents instilled in her and her younger brother a love for the outdoors by taking them on vacations to Maine and on day trips to the White Mountain National Forest in the summer. “I’d walk barefoot as much as I could,” she remarks. “That was the life we lived. It was fun!” As she got older, Cahill began to appreciate hiking more and more as she went on trips on her own and eventually with her family. She knew getting her two kids outside at a young age was important, so she started taking them to the mountains and she hasn’t stopped since.

Living in southern New Hampshire, Cahill travels north nearly every weekend to hike in the White Mountains. After using the trails for so long, especially during the pandemic, she felt it was time to give back to the places she loves. In 2021, she started doing volunteer trail work by adopting a remote hiking trail in the Wild River Wilderness of the White Mountains through the U.S. Forest Service’s Trail Adopters Program.

After spending weekends camping and doing trail maintenance, she’d return to her work at UPS in Manchester, N.H., where she’d share stories of her wilderness adventures with her coworkers. A lot of people were interested in hearing about her hiking trips, and it became a familiar topic of conversation at the office. When coworkers heard about the amount of volunteer work she was doing, they recommended she register her hours with UPS’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor volunteer work tracking program. Inspired to do more volunteering last summer, Cahill signed up for the Forest Society’s Monadnock Trails Week after seeing a post online. “I was very apprehensive to do trail maintenance, but I knew it was something I wanted to try…My theory was that if I didn’t like it, I never had to do again,” she notes. Volunteering for trails offers participants the opportunity to learn more about nature and oneself, which is something Cahill valued after spending time on a trail crew. “I learned that I didn’t need to be the strongest, and I had some great ideas that contributed to the success of the team. I just had to be willing to learn and help and those ideas would present themselves. I also learned that I shouldn’t be afraid to get a little dirty!”

It was her sustained 4-day effort totaling 32 hours during trails week that caught the attention of the UPS Foundation, who would later generously contribute $15,000 toward volunteer efforts with the Forest Society. This summer, Cahill plans to return to trails week to get a little dirty and possibly participate in all 4 days again. Forest Notes caught up with Cahill to learn a little more about her passion for the outdoors and her motivation to volunteer.

Jen Cahill takes a selfie at Monadnock Trails Week 2021.

What is so great about getting outside?

Jen Cahill: You could ask anyone who’s hiked with me, and they’ll tell you that’s when I’m the happiest. I meet new people more easily when I’m out on the trails and I make new friends. That’s where I consider my home. I smile the most when I’m on the trail. It could be a miserable day, pouring rain, but it doesn’t matter. It’s hard to explain that euphoria. It’s a simple way of life: you walk a little, you see something pretty, and even when it’s miserable and it’s that type-two sort of fun, it just makes for a great story to tell later on.

What advice do you have for others thinking about volunteering?

JC: Don’t be afraid to get involved— just do it! You’ll meet some great people. Everyone is out there for the right reason, and trail work attracts the type of people that make for great company. Don’t fear the hard work because when you do it as a team, it’s so much easier; you get so much accomplished together and it’s so rewarding. If you’re looking for a way to get involved and give back, then Monadnock Trails Week is definitely something to look at. The experience is priceless.

What did you enjoy most about volunteering at Monadnock Trails Week?

JC: I really enjoyed how the group [of volunteers at Trails Week] had a mix of newbies and seasoned trail workers all working together with Forest Society staff and state parks employees. It was really neat to work with the huge array of people because everyone had their own individual interest and talent, but they shared the same vision of how to get the project done. It was a very educational experience for everyone.

Andy Crowley is the stewardship projects manager for the Forest Society.