Paul Anderson admits he won't miss the gravel.

For the past two weeks, his life has been full of it.

The 16-year-old Woodburn native is part of a 10-teen work crew from the Eugene-based Northwest Youth Corps hired to build a mile-long trail through the scrub brush of Hat Rock State Park.

The crew of six boys and four girls between the ages of 16 and 19 began the project by pulling weeds and digging roots to prepare the trail. They then put down a six-foot-wide weed guard before finally hauling nearly 500 tons of gravel and applying it to the trail. ''It's heavy,'' Anderson said of the gravel. ''I've spent the past few days making sure the trail is exactly four inches tall. It's not that fun.''

Northwest Youth Corps was never intended to be like summer camp. It began 20 years ago, something like a Great Depression-era work camp that provided inexperienced youths with the chance to work outdoors while gaining environmental knowledge and practical job skills, such as writing cover letters and learning interviewing techniques.

But work is the backbone of the camp. A help-wanted ad would read something like this: Sleep in a tent with six of your newest friends, rise near dawn each morning to perform back-breaking work beneath a blazing sun for eight to 10 hours a day. After work is complete, there's another hour of camp cleaning, cooking dinner and washing dishes. Then, there's 60 minutes of classes and group meetings. All for $6.90 an hour.

''Some days you'll be so tired, and your shirt will be soaked with sweat, you'll want to just lay down,'' Anderson said.

With all the pulling, cutting and hauling it takes to make a trail of such length, Northwest Youth Corps does have its social and economic advantages. For teens wanting to work, this summer's job market is the bleakest in 40 years, according to a study by Northeastern University. The group also appeals to many teen's sense of adventure by giving them a chance to work outdoors.

''I am a city boy,'' said Laurence Kimler, 17, of Miami. ''It's nice to get out to rural areas - it's beautiful out here.''

For advantages, crew members also cite meeting new people from Oregon and the rest of the country, and learning to work as a team to complete a large project.

Each work crew completes three two-week projects during the summer. Crews work five days per week and gather with other groups during weekends for recreation time. Northwest Youth Corps works with local groups to set up work projects. For the Hat Rock project, they, worked with the Umatilla County Commission on Children and Families.

Most crew members said Hat Rock State Park is much less primitive from the other camps they've worked at. There is no three-mile hike to the work site, as in Fall Creek in Lane County. The nearby Columbia River provides a refreshing bath after a hard day of work.

The biggest bonus is the park's general store, so nobody must rely on care packages to keep the Skittle supply replenished. Partly because they don't melt in the sun, Skittles have become entrenched within the crew's diet. One day crew members found themselves enjoying a lunch of peanut butter and Skittles sandwiches.

''M&M's get all nasty,'' said Kyle Purdy, 17, of Yamhill. ''Skittles last forever and they're all tasty.''

Because they finished the milelong trail a day and a half ahead of schedule, the crew celebrated by digging a 400-foot-long trench, three feet wide and one foot deep. After finishing this small project, they relaxed at Hat Rock during the weekend, and then will move Sunday onto their next camp.

Most campers have already been in the field four weeks, so the next work camp will be their last. After spending more than a month away from family and friends, many are burning to get home. Plus, their paychecks will be delivered when they complete the program. Most have dreams of using the money to travel to Europe or buying a car. But after so many days between hot showers, Brenda Kelley, 16, of Eugene, knows exactly what she will do with her paycheck.

''I am going to spend it on clothes, make-up and getting my hair done,'' she said.