One of the most important things about work to Ash Gunter is that she find value in the job. For example: She’s been a paramedic for 15 years, including in Pinedale for the last four years. “I feel like I do a ton of good in EMS,” she says. “I wanted to find another job like that.”
Enter FBT’s Forest Corps’ Continental Divide Trail Crew. “Being a person who uses these trails, I like the idea of stewarding them and taking care of them for other users, too,” says Ash, who still works and teaches part-time for Pinedale EMS. “I like fishing, camping, and hiking. Forest Corps is getting paid to do those things.”
Growing up in Pendleton, South Carolina, Ash’s family had her fishing as soon as she could stand. But, when she arrived out West, fly-fishing was new to her. “It’s incredibly hard to learn,” she says. But that hasn’t dissuaded her. “There is just so much to fish and explore around here. I joke that I got stuck here because of that.”