Luz Lara: What Makes a Difference

Like many trail workers, Luz Lara came across this esoteric profession inadvertently after a series of connections and opportunities ultimately led her into the mountains on a trail crew. Also like many trail workers, Luz has developed her own ethos of trailwork that motivates her to persevere despite work-related injuries, social obstacles, and the stresses of a nomadic lifestyle. 

For Luz, trailwork is a crucible in which communities are forged, and where trailworkers can develop their skills in pursuit of excellence. And her skills are nothing short of excellent. I worked alongside Luz this past winter in one of the wettest years in recent history in California. Our crew spent many days working in bone-chilling rainstorms, sometimes going weeks without sunshine, usually covered in mud. Luz cranked out superb work, despite the grueling conditions and her own frequent struggles with chronic nerve pain and migraines. Luz is tough, and she is very good at what she does. 

She could get a job just about anywhere, but she is very intentional about where she directs her skills. She has once again returned to Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps (ESCC), a program focused on inclusivity and community that is a model for the future of conservation work. I spoke with Luz before she left for her current position with ESCC to record her story and her motivations. 

Joe Gibson: How did you get into trailwork? And where have you worked? 

Luz Lara: “I was posting on Facebook, promoting a fundraiser to study abroad in the Galapagos. Somebody messaged me about the [California Conservation Corps] and that I should look it up. I was like, ‘nah, I’m not really interested in that.’ But out of nowhere, before going to the Galapagos, I was like, ‘you know what? I’ll give it a try.’ And I signed up.

I started off in the C’s at the Inland Center in San Bernardino. I was there for about two and a half years.

I started off on a CalTrans crew and then I asked to be transferred over to the trail crew. We worked in San Jacinto, Torrey Pines, Mojave Preserve. Then in 2017, I did the Backcountry Trails program, and we went to Yosemite. 

The Backcountry Trails Program is a program run by the California Conservation Corps that involves a full 3-5 month season of working in a wilderness setting. Joining the program involves a significantly more competitive process than the traditional CCC program. 

Right after Yosemite, I got accepted into the Australian Exchange Program.

So I took off to Australia, to Queensland. We were there for two and a half months removing invasive species. And then when I got back to the C’s I stayed for a few more months and then I quit to join Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps (ESCC) to be in the Wildlands Tech Crew. 

We worked in Inyo [National Forest], Devil's Postpile, and Lassen. From there I became a sponsor at Yosemite for the Backcountry Trails program. I did that for about three seasons. In the winters I was in the Bay Area working for State Parks. Then I returned to ESCC as a supervisor. Now here, [Golden Gate], and next back to being a supervisor for the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps. And after that, I don't know where my life is gonna take me. 

JG: What was the work in Australia like? 

LL: It was shit. It sucked. It was so hot and humid. And everything was just out to get you. The trees had a bunch of thorns. As we cut them, they would scratch us. Spiders, leeches. I got leeches all over me. It was hard. 

But it was beautiful and a great experience and I'm still glad I did it. 

JG: Is there a moment or time when you realized you wanted to keep doing trail work as a career? 

LL: It’s funny because I started the C’s only wanting to do one year and then getting out. But when I joined the trail crew, I was like, ‘Whoa.’

Doing CalTrans work on the side of the highway is completely different than going into a backcountry spike. My first spike was when I was like, ‘Whoa, this is so cool.’ It was also the first time I set up a tent. The first time I started a campfire and sat around a campfire. The first time I saw stars. So I was like, mind blown, completely.

That first spike was like, ‘Shit, this is hard, but fuck, this is beautiful.’ It was so rewarding at the end of every day and very satisfying. 

JG: Why do you do this? Why is it important to you? 

LL: I'm sure as people see me work, they're probably thinking, ‘Oh, she must enjoy conservation work,’ or ‘She must wanna do something good for the trails.’ But in reality, I feel like it is for myself. 

I find beauty in this work and how hard it is, how satisfying it is. So when I do it, I'm doing it for myself, for my own satisfaction, to gain skills. It should be about making the trail better or more accessible for hikers, but I don't think I really think about that when I work.

I just think, ‘This rock is cool,’ or ‘This step looks really good.’ I think I see it in a different way than others might. 

There is the offering of service as well. For example, with ESCC, you're offering the service of teaching them your skills and your techniques and you are offering something back. That’s something I really enjoy with conservation corps. I get to form and build my own little trail workers that are gonna be released into the trail world. 

JG: What gets you most excited on a trail project? 

LL: Seeing the mess of the trail. Going into the backcountry and being asked to fix the trail. To see how shitty the trail is and knowing what we could do in order to make it better. 

That is very exciting. Collecting your rocks or your material and being in control of exactly how this new trail is gonna go. There's artwork and beauty in it all. 

JG: What would you like to see more of in the trails community?

LL: I came into trails not knowing about the culture or [lack of] diversity. I was just there to work. And then ESCC opened my eyes to a new world of how it should be and who we should see around us. Who we should let in, who we should accept. 

Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps (ESCC) is a conservation corps based in California that prioritizes recruitment of youth and young adults from populations that have traditionally been underrepresented in the outdoor and conservation field. 

Being at ESCC, it was great to feel like I didn't have to worry about my background, where I came from, what language I speak, what words I could say correctly or anything like that.

It didn't matter. We were all accepting. And that's very rare to see sometimes. It should be that all trail crews and all trail work is more accepting of diversity, that word reaches those who don’t think they’re capable of doing this, or it’s not for them because they’re not a white male.

There's comfort in being surrounded by a diverse group, whether it's people of color or women or trans folks. It’s harder to find that in trails, and when you do find it, it makes a difference. 

Yeah, It makes a difference.”