This entry was originally written as a mass email on Monday, May 26, 2003:

Whether you knew it or not, I, Seth Naser, am spending the summer in Colorado.

I am at the YMCA in Estes Park doing the Lord's work in the form of making beds and cleaning toilets. Just don't tell my parents that I'm able to do these things, or they'll expect me to do them when I'm home (and I'll only do it if they pay me $3.80 an hour).

Arrived on Thursday, May 22, after leaving Red Oak Wednesday afternoon and spending the night in the at a rest area. Went right to work 8:00 Friday morning (been a long time since I was up that early, especially on a Friday). Cleaned 15 cabins that day--not single-handedly, with a group of six other people--but my supervisor, Ellie, who holds the record for cleaning 20 cabins in an eight-hour shift, told me that I was a quick learner. As the big kahuna housekeeping director Brad says, "it's brain surgery and rocket science."

Have today and tomorrow off, but have orientation tomorrow. I am told that is when they put the fear of God in the employees, instructing us about the deadly bears, mountain lions, ticks, black widow spiders, lightning, etc. Should be highly informative. Planning on going into Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) a little later today in order to refamiliarize myself with the park, maybe do some easy boardwalk/tundra hikes as a warm up for Long's Peak (this is my trademark sarcasm here, as Long's Peak is a 16 mile roundtrip hike that ascends 4000 ft and on which 55 people have died in the past 90 years. But I didn't expect you to know that).