Writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau spent two years living in a cabin by Walden Pond and documented his experiences in his book Walden, which I read. Thoreau’s message in Walden spoke to me—he wrote of the importance of living a mindfully rich life by being close to nature. In the second chapter of Walden, Thoreau writes, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”

I, too, wish to live deliberately. But what does it mean to live deliberately? To me, it means to live consciously and thoughtfully, and I believe that serving as a YCC Crew Member will help me do so. I believe that to live deliberately, I must fulfill my social and environmental duties by taking action to preserve