Better than Ice Cream

We all made it back from West Glacier in one piece. My camping trip to the North fork had to be postponed due to car trouble…not with my car at least. I decided to drive my own car over so that I would be able to go camping after training and get some groceries. I had driven the white government van over to the west side the day before for orientation and took it on route 49 which is a narrow road with many twists and turns. One wrong move and a car could easily end up over the edge. I remembered saying to one of my co-workers, “I wonder how long they are going to keep this crappy van…its beginning to scare me a little bit.” I laughed at the end of the next day when we left the broken down van sitting in the gas station parking lot in East Glacier. Sierra had been driving the van just behind me and when I reached the end of route 49 I pulled my car over because I did not see them behind me anymore. I waited 5 minutes and started to get a little worried. After about 7 minutes I decided to turn around and go back for them. No sooner had I turned around did I see them coming around the bend very slowly, turn the corner and roll in to the gas station. Apparently the van was making some interesting noises and since there was no mechanic in town we had to ditch the vehicle and cram as many bags and people into my car and Amy Maries little Subaru and my Escape as well. We made it there eventually, 40 minutes late for training and with one less car. It must have been serious enough because it was towed and we still don’t have it back…

More and more people are arriving now and all divisions should be fully staffed now. Saturday morning I woke up hoping to possibly get out on the trails at some point before our second week of training and work begins. I looked out the window to see a fresh 3 inches of snow. Well so much for that I thought, and went back to bed. I did eventually get up and outside to take some pictures as the snow started to melt out. We all could feel the front moving through the day before as the wind began to pick up. Some of the visitors were warned about the snow but they didn’t seem to believe us. I wonder how they are doing today as they crawl out of their tents. Some tourists from Florida were taken by surprise as well.

We now have a bear trap in St. Mary because of a problem bear that we have been having in the housing area. Audrey told me that we had a bear on our front porch this past week and he went barreling off into the bushes as soon as she opened the door. Living in the trailer loop definitely has its perks. As much as I miss the dorm it is a nice change to have my own space, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Now I have a whole lot of room to throw my stuff around in and not just one room. My Wii has become quite popular and I am glad considering that is why I brought it. I am in the dorm quite often though as we have quite an interesting group this season. Last year training seemed very quiet compared to this year. We have strong and outgoing personalities this year in the interpretive division and so far have been really enjoying myself. At the end of the day I can leave the noise and head back to a more secluded area to unwind. I think I have found the best of both worlds.

I hear rumors of more movie showings at the St. Mary Visitor center. We recently saw V for Vendetta as a group. Why not? We have this amazing new surround sound system so why shouldn’t we enjoy it for ourselves once in a while? We watched the Wizard of Oz last week before training that lead us into our theme for this year. In many ways Glacier National Park is like the wonderful Land of Oz…. Visitors to the park can relate to Dorothy because they are visiting a magical place where there are all sorts of interesting this to see and experience. When they return home they will be forever changed. Home might be the same physically but this place does seem to have an effect on people. One they get to this park many different things lay in their path that interpreters are trying to help them find. We provide them with intellectual connections that help them to understand the meanings of the resource (Scarecrow…he is the symbol of intellect). They will hopefully also make emotional connections (Tin man). As interpreters we are taught to use the resource and our creativity to bring about these emotional connections. This will allow visitors to care about Glacier then hopefully care for Glacier. And finally courage is what makes this all possible (Lion). We must have the courage to try new things, break out of our comfort zone and allow ourselves to be surprised.

After the snow on Saturday a few of us decided to go on a trek up to Scenic Point in the Two Medicine area. We knew that it was going to be snow covered but we welcomed the adventure and started out early on Sunday morning. We saw a cinnamon black bear and a moose on the drive up and another black bear on the drive out. One might think that that would be a great day in itself but the hike and some time by the lake were spectacular. We ran into more and more snow on the trail as we climbed in elevation. At one point we missed one of the switchbacks because the snow was so deep that we couldn’t see the trail….we figured that since Scenic Point was at the top I was pretty hard to miss. Eventually we rejoined the trail and made it to a large rock at the top. Scenic Point was in view but a large snow drift kept us from going all the way. The drift was on a ledge…Bryan was convinced that we could make it but after looking at it closer he was eventually outvoted. I told him that I think we are recognizing limits and respecting them. After the Mt. Jackson incident last summer I am beginning to respect those limits more often.

The view was incredible with all of the snow covered peaks in the distance. We had lunch on the top. Food always tastes better after a long hike. Bryan continued to say, “There is nothing better than an apple at the top of a mountain. That first bite is better than ice cream.” Sierra, Shari, and I completely agreed and enjoyed the view for about half an hour until heading back down. We then spent another hour on the shore of Two Medicine Lake. There were then 15 attempts at a picture of us jumping in the air followed by a short swim. I thought they were crazy but they went in and I just took embarrassing photos which I will not post at this time in an attempt to keep the friends that I have made.

It was my first shift in my full park service uniform today. I came into the visitor center at 8am and as people came in for training and computer use I was greeted with, “Awwww look at you.” I guess I failed at the attempt to look like a bad ass. Haha…just kidding. Sarah then insisted on getting about 5 pictures of me behind the desk. The visitor center has been slow and I can honestly say that I was bored today. Hence the pictures….and sneaking in to watch bear training…and looking at mountain lion pictures. Soon enough the VC will be flooded with visitors and programs will commence. I applied to my first winter job today as well…seems really soon but it will be here before we know it.

Brains, Heart, and Courage in the Real Land of Oz.

Adrien and I took a 9.5 mile trip out into the Red Eagle Valley yesterday for a bit of an adventure. Much to my own detrement I am now really sunburned and have started the infamous ranger tan. Not that I have really gotten the chance to wear my new uniform yet but the sleeve line is in the same place that it will be all summer. I have finally cured my hat envy that I had all last summer because I now have a beautiful new stenson hat of my own and can't wait to wear it on the job very soon.





Training has started officially and I will be off to West Glacier again tomorrow to start the first week of training. During our second week of training at Many Glacier I will be in and out of the valley, attending training on some days and working the St. Mary Visitor Center on others. Our training theme this year is Brains, heart, and courage in the real land of OZ. I can't wait to see what Mark has cooked up for this. I know one thing for sure...I will be bringing my camera because Mark tells me that there will be some YouTube worthy sessions. I look forward to training because you never know quite what to expect and everyone enjoys themselves at least some of the time whether they expect to or not.

Road Trips and Warm Weather...

So...I graduated on Saturday (May 23)...drove home on Sunday...packed the car and headed for Glacier on Monday. I drove out with one of our new interns who lives near Syracuse as well so as least I had some company. It was defintley a whirl wind couple of days. We drove from Syracuse, NY to St. Mary Montana in just under three days. This included stops at Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. They have put up a new memorial at Mount Rushmore which is a large granite archway including a column for every state with the state flag hanging from each column. Visitors walk through this as they the come upon the viewing area for Mount Rushmore itself. We watched many visitors taking pictures of this new addition with the presidents faces falling in the center of the structure behind it. I felt that a project this size kind of takes away from the sculpture itself. I was unimpressed. I don't like when people try to make something grander when the original is already enough to make you stare in awe.

On our the third day of our journey I was ready to leave the car and walk the rest of the way just so i could get the feeling back in my legs. However, As I saw the mountains come into view to the west I forgot all about my legs and my heart started pounding with the excitement of being back in St. Mary again. We arrived and quickly picked up our keys and unloaded half of the luggage when I got a call from Jamie asking me if we had made it yet. We left the rest of the baggage in the car and headed up to Sun Point to join the group at St. Mary falls. We met up with Jamie, Mark, and Elizabeth whom I was so happy to see again. I then we introduced to the rest of the St. Mary interp crew. I was imressed with how outgoing all of the new interns are. We are going to have a great season there is no doubt about that.

When entering the visitor center I noticed that we now have a variety of brand new signs. One is on the outside of the building and includes the NPS arrowhead. We have beautiful signs inside the visitor center that help visitors to distingush between the information and backcountry desks as well as a new sign for the Glacier Association book store. As I went upstairs to check my mail I found the letter that informed me that the program that I submitted last year certified. As I read through the comments I began to smile. After only a few suggestions for improvement the statements ended with the words , "Nicely Done!"

The weather has been unusually warm for the past few days on the east side of the park. When I drove up I was expecting 60's and maybe some rain. It has reached the 80's for three days in a row this week, but looking like it might cool off a little bit this weekend. The interns seem to be making a fast adjustment to life in the park and we are still expecting the last member of our crew to arrive later this afternoon. It is definetly a sea of change in St. Mary. Besides Jamie, Sarah, Elizabeth, Adrien and myself I am seeing new faces all around me, not just interp but in Law Enforcement, Entrance Station employees, and Backcountry as well. I look forward to meeting new friends as the summer progresses and also catching up with old ones. Adrien and I have planned our first hiking excersion for tomorrow and should be nothing short of entertaining. I am also looking forward to our potluck tonight which will bring everyone together for a good time. Stay tunned for more updates soon...

Santa Claus is coming to town

I saw Santa Claus today as I was driving into Walmart. This guy was heavy set, with long white hair and a beard. To top it all of he was wearing a red shirt and a santa hat. As I drove in I could just imagine what all of the customers under the age of eight must have been thinking. All of them pointing and tugging at their parents jackets saying, "Mommy, mommy its Santa!" And later that night they will be asking, "Dad, how come Santa drives a Ford?"

One my way home on the interstate A tan Dodge Intreped sped past me and I had to do a doubletake. Fastened to each side of the roof were reindeer antlers (obviously fake). People take Christmas seriously in Syracuse.

Good Luck.

Today I unwilingly woke up early to deliver an application to the post office. I never realized just how much I hate the cold until this morning. I've decided that I am moving south next winter. The snow scraper seemed to have little effect on my windshield and I could hear her groan and she struggled to start. As long as I am moving south, I might as well get a new car while I'm at it. Zola is on her last legs. Once i finally got all of the snow off of my windshield and got the car started I headed down to the post office.

I walked in the door, waited in line. When I finally got to the counter the women there was very friendly. She had on reindeer antlers. I think she is one of those people who gets overly excited about the holidays. I am not one of those people. I simply smiled and handed her my envelope addressed to the National Park Service. She weight the envelope and sent it on its way. She handed me my reciept and smiled. "Good Luck!" she said to me. I was actually quite shocked that she new that it was an application. I grinned back and thanked her. This has to be a sign right? Well I will keep telling myself that it is.

Good luck? Yeah. I need that for my finals.