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It’s 5 p.m. on the first day of the final hitch for Wyoming’s first women’s Conservation Corps crew. The August sun blazes down at Keyhole Reservoir. Dripping swimsuits hang in the trees. A semi-circle of tents stand on the cliff overlooking the water.

Jaden Brutsman and Sophia Hoff, who just met this summer, hold each other after dinner on July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

By now, the girls know the drill. After a quick dip in the reservoir, they disperse across the campground to their assigned roles. Some set up tents, others cook salmon, rice, veggies and tofu. A few women on clean-up duty take to a nearby hammock to relax and read.

Helmets and a box of sanitary products sit in the back of Bertha, a crew vehicle, along with snacks, tools, sunscreen, bug spray and extra wat…

At this point in the summer, Annabell Miller, Bella Lucente, Jaden Brutsman, Sophie Hoff and Kelly Parkman are a well-practiced team. A team of far-flung twentysomethings who grew together during weeks in the Teton heat spraying invasive species, managing trails at Laramie Peak while wildfire smoke filled the sky and scraping paint off cabins at Keyhole State Park. The women’s 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. shifts passed each day with a buzz of conversation and the hum of nature as they worked side-by-side. Even during their four days off between hitches, the girls would journey together around the Mountain West. Parkman took Miller and Hoff on their first backpacking experience in the Bighorns.

As with any team that spends three months together, the time wasn’t without difficulties. Disagreements over food, breaks and leadership caused bumps in the road. But they also formed a supportive network of women in the outdoors. Women who taught one another how to explore, how to set up a tent and go backpacking. The experienced took the novices under their wings.

In an hour, they will all gather around a metal picnic table. They’ll gossip, laugh, exchange stories. The girls are excited to get back to their respective homes in places like Colorado, Vermont and Virginia. Soon, they’ll be able to bathe daily, sleep in beds, heat up their food in the microwave. Still, there is something melancholic in the air as Lucente serenades them on her guitar. The sun disappears under the trees and sets over the reservoir’s blue water.

Jaden Brutsman sprays invasive plant species with fellow team members on July 14 in Grand Teton National Park.

A towel dries off in the sun after a post-work dip on July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

Annabell Miller braids her hair while chatting with the other girls in the cook tent before heading to their project restoring old cabins on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Jaden Brutsman, Sophia Hoff and Annabell Miller read, laugh and write in their hammocks before bed as the sun sets and Bella Lucente plays guitar for them on July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

Jaden Brutsman and Sophia Hoff, who just met this summer, hold each other after dinner on July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

Helmets and a box of sanitary products sits in the back of Bertha along with snacks, tools, sunscreen, bug spray and extra water on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Jaden Brutsman uses the power washer to take off old paint on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Kelly Parkman heads to the trailer to grab supplies for the day as others get ready and make lunch on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Kelly Parkman learns how to use the pressure washer to restore old cabins by taking off chipping paint on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

The cook tent is seen a little before 6 a.m. on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Jaden Brutsman and Sophia Hoff work together to cook a dinner of rice, salmon, veggies and tofu for the team on July 14 at Keyhole State Park. The girls decide as a team at the start of every hitch what chores everyone has.

The Wyoming Women's Conservation Corps works by hand shaving off old paint on cabins on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Bella Lucente cools off in their car Bertha while waiting out a thunderstorm during work on July 14 in Grand Teton National Park.

The Wyoming Women's Conservation Corp learns how to build fence during the first day of training for the 2022 summer programs with the other teams on Tuesday, May 24 at Curt Gowdy State Park.

The Wyoming Women's Conservation Corp rests in the shade while spraying and charting invasive plant species on July 14 in Grand Teton National Park.

Jaden Brutsman and Sophia Hoff talk and laugh in a shared hammock before bed on July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

Annabell Miller uses Bertha's reflection to put on sunscreen before working all day in the heat on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

The Wyoming Women's Conservation Corps works by hand-shaving off old paint on cabins on July 15 at Keyhole State Park.

Sophia Hoff blows up her mattress pad and sets up her tent for the final 10-day hitch July 14 at Keyhole State Park.

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The Wyoming Conservation Corps' first all-women's crew tackled its first project this past week. Its founders hope this summer can pave the way for future women's crews — and for women who want to work in conservation. 

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