An Unlikely Journey
by Sandra Deacon, SCA Web Team
“Camping? You’re kidding! Trail building? It looks like labor and I would never wear one of those hard hats.” These were the initial reactions by Danny Nguyen and his friends to an SCA recruiting presentation at their school. Intrigued by the prospect of adventure, Danny eventually joined SCA Oakland and “unexpectedly fell in love with nature and the outdoors.”
The son of Vietnamese immigrants, Danny grew up in Oakland where he says, “All I knew were cars, noise, streetlights, and skyscrapers. Rarely had I ever been exposed to camping, parks, or nature.”
When he describes his first outing with SCA, you can still hear the delight. “We went to Slide Ranch where there was a little beach, rocks, waves, and beautiful sunsets. We were just hanging out sitting in the grass enjoying the fresh air. It was so quiet and peaceful. After so much school work, it was great to get outdoors in such a beautiful place.“
Two other SCA assignments would follow the high school program.
“I spent a summer at Hopewell Furnace NHS in southeastern Pennsylvania, where I lived with seven strangers in the middle of the woods. It didn’t take us long to become a family after we built trails together by day and socialized at night! My experience in Pennsylvania was eye-opening, because the environment was the complete opposite from home; never in my life had I seen stars the way I did out there as the light pollution at home seemed to make it impossible.”
The best thing about all this? “Definitely the lifelong friendships that were forged between people with a similar interest to conserve and protect what they love; wildlife and the outdoors.”
