More Bullets

Lots of things since the last post:

• We're in the planning stages of construction work in the Housekeeping Office. Within a couple months I will have my very own Lost and Found room. You must be as excited as I am.
  
• Lacy and the Loaders had a fun-filled--albeit rainy--trip to Estes. I cooked dinner when they arrived on Saturday: Sunday we did the tourist thing, including a outstanding steak dinner at Hunter's Chop House; Monday we were hailed on in the Park and rained on during our hike to Alberta Falls; and Tuesday we went up Pole Hill to see the fireworks--they didn't expect the "hike," so I thought I was climbing Calvary to my death. Homemade ice cream made up for it, though.
  
• The family just left today from a week's visit. I took an extra day off and we hiked Bridalveil Falls Monday and Timber Lake on the west side of the Park Tuesday. Wednesday we tried Chapin, Chiquita, and Ypsilon Mountains. We skipped Chapin to head onto Chiquita and Ypsilon, then on the way back the clouds rolled in and it started raining, then hailing on us. When we reached treeline, a lightning bolt struck in the valley no more than a mile to our north. We made it out drenched to the core and freezing cold but alive, thank God. And the visit was a great occation to eat: pork chops and Iowa sweet corn; T-bone steak; homemade chocolate ice cream; and Village Pizza. Mmm....
  
• David, my roommate from last summer, may be coming out for a visit this week, but haven't received confirmation yet.
  
• Reservations for the remaining summer months are still being accepted.
  
• I'm working out a very quick trip to Fort Dodge the first weekend of August for Grandma Anderson's 90th birthday party.
  
• Mary Lou, who had been a Housekeeping crew leader in the past but moved to a different Y department last December, has returned to us today. We now have a full crew leader roster, no vacancies.
  
• And sad news: we received word that a Housekeeper from last summer and a great guy, Tyler Downing, was killed by a drunk driver this morning in Missouri. Pray for him and his family and friends:
  
  Come to his assistance, all you Saints of God! Meet him, you Angels of the Lord. Receive his soul, and present it to the Most High.
  
  Tyler, may Christ who called you, receive you; and may the Angels lead you into the bosom of Abraham.
  
  Eternal rest grant to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

my left shift key is stuck. this computer is just two weeks old. What the crap?

national park update; a hiker with a broken leg had to be plucked from long's last Thursday, and a man died on old Fall River Road monday trying to stop his car with child from rolling backwards. you can check the Trail-Gazette for full details.

work was better today than monday, when i came close to sending my crew back to Romania in body bags. When they finished what they'd been doing, they'd sit down. That's not how we roll in housekeeping. When you're done with one thing, you look for other jobs that still need to be done.

i did manage to find pleasure in unexpectingly walking into a room where they were sitting down and chatting, which inevitably caused them to leap up from the chairs and beds with sheepish looks on their faces. i did this at least three times.

A scene that characterized the whole day came in the afternoon when we went to clean one of the reunion cabins. We treat them like a lodge; first clean all the bathrooms; then partner up to make beds; then dust, windows, vacuum, etc. one girl--who i think just looks sinister, and generally can't be trusted to do much work--made a double bed in one room, then grabbed the vacuum.

i stopped her before she went back into the room and said, 'Remember, we do this like lodges. finish all the beds, then you can vacuum.

''okay,' she said and then took the vacuum into the room; i finished giving directions to someone else when she turned it on.

'no, you need to make all the beds, then vacuum,' i repeated. 'okay,' she said and continued to do the exact opposite.

At this point, i took hold of the vacuum handle and flipped off the power switch. 'NO; BEDS FIRST, THEN VACUUM,' i said through gritted teeth while touching the bed to illustrate. Then i unplugged the damn vacuum.

'okay.'

i'm surprised that i didn't really lose my cool, considering i'm not as dumb as she plays. She just didn't want to do what i told her to do, so she though she could play the 'language barrier' card. please, the mexicans who are less educated than her can understand that much English.

i just have to hold out till november, then they go home.

Spent some time this evening making phone calls from Mountainside. Chatted with Dave-o, who's doing fine, and found out that high school classmate Stacy Heuer spent last Sunday night at the Estes Park Campground just down the road from the Y but couldn't get a hold of me.

Chatted with the parents, too. Mom scolded me for leaving everyone in suspence regarding my Park Service story. I'd wanted to tell them before I'd posted it, but didn't get the chance tonight. So without any further ado....

David's last Friday of work as host was at Friendship Lodge, where the family reunion that was checking out brought him about a case worth of beer that they couldn't take back with them. He gladly accepted it.

Unfortunately employees are not allowed to have alcohol on grounds, so we had to enjoy it elsewhere. The first site, Pole Hill in the National Forest is nixed by Christine, who suggests we go to the Alluvial Fan where we could also view the meteor shower. Christine never comes with us.

David invites Matt and a couple Slovaks he worked with, who in turn at the last minute invite a couple other internationals. There are twelve of us total so we take three cars, one of which is mine, and drive into the Park about 9PM.

It's not until the internationals have cracked open the beer and started drinking that I learn that they're underage. I make it a point not to supply minors with alcohol, and now I am in a National Park with six of them drinking. Oh good, I think, this is going well.

An hour later headlights pull up to the picnic area, and I'm not surprised when the floods come on. The park ranger asks to see everyone's identification, and of course the internationals don't have any with them.

As the ranger calls for backup, he separates us into different groups: drivers, underage, with IDs, without IDs. Then the dispatcher radios him with information on the licence plates of the three cars: two check out; the one from Iowa is expired. Whoops.

When the second ranger arrives he wants the drivers to perform a simple sobriety test. I am first. Follow a pen as he moves it around. I'd had one beer the hour before, I tell him. This would not be a problem.

The ranger moves me directly in front of the glaring floodlights, and with he and his pen now in shadows, asks me to remove my glasses. Uh....

"I have a lazy eye, if that makes a difference," I say. And I can't see without my glasses. "That's okay," he replies, starting to move the pen around. I do my best, but when he stops, he frowns. "Sir, your eyes show signs of intoxication. We're going to need you to perform a breathalyzer test."

Sure, why not. This being my first breathalyzer test, the rangers explain the process, and I blow a .01. "What's the limit in Colorado? .08?" one asks the other, "I guess you're okay to drive." Should I wear my glasses?

After pen-testing the other drivers, giving a verbal warning to the underage internationals, lecturing us about supplying minors with alcohol, and confiscating the remaining beer, the rangers sent us on our way.

There, wasn't that worth waiting for?

The body of missing Park ranger Jeff Christensen was discovered by hikers on Mt. Ypsilon's Donner Ridge this past Saturday. He died from a fall mid-afternoon on Friday the 29th, the day he went missing. A memorial service for family, friends, Park Service, and rescuers was held at the Y's Hyde Chapel this morning, which looks out onto Ypsilon.

On a lighter note, only a couple more days until most everyone leaves the Y for the summer. It's going to be sad to see some of them go; we've had a good time. But those fears of a second summer at the Y not being as fun or fulfilling as the first summer were unfounded. In fact, I dare say I've enjoyed this summer more. And though I'm looking forward to the winter, I'm really excited to see what next summer holds.

Slow day at work; done at noon. I'm taking the afternoon to pack for the weekend and that.

Dave-o and I had our days off coincide for the first time Monday. We went into the Park that afternoon and scrambled up the Alluvial Fan. A couple miles up we came across the Lawn Lake trail and decided to continue on. It was just a little farther than we thought (by about four miles), but we made it to Lawn Lake, where in 1982 the earthen dam broke and sent millions of gallons of water down Roaring River, ripping out lodgepole and ponderosa, carrying boulders like pebbles, gutting the valley, taking several campers' lives, and flooding Estes Park.

All along the way we came across rescue teams searching for a park ranger, Jeff Christensen, who has been missing since last Friday morning. He'd last been seen at the Chapin Pass trailhead, which he was going to hike doing routine permit checks.

It's looking pretty grim, so keep him in your prayers.

The middle school cheerleaders have arrived. They spent a good half hour yesterday cheering, "DE-FENSE! DE-FENSE!" and screaming. One of the many blessings of living on Y grounds.

Went to my first rodeo last Thursday with a bunch of Southerners. It was a good time. By far the greatest event was mutton busting, where little kids cling to the backs of sheep as they shoot across the arena. Good times, good times.

Was also very ecumenical this weekend. Went to the Rock on Saturday night, which was a nice service. Sunday night went with Mazvita (pronounced mah-GEE-ta) to Moraine Campground in the Park to hear roommate David's message at the ACMNP service. There were nearly 20 people there, and Dave-o's message was good.

But the best news of all is that I finally got my birthday present from Housekeeping Tina on Sunday. She handed me a Chinese takeout container decorated with birthday cake and candles, and according to Mazvita, the look on my face when I opened it was priceless.

I pulled out a necklace with a stone and two dolphins dangling from the end, tails and snouts touching, backs arching to form a kind of heart. "It's for your spiritual health," Tina told me. "The hematite is for healing. My mom was a hippy so I grew up on this stuff." It turns out the that the silver dolpins helps with grounding, and the copper connections will align my lower chakras.

"They're dolphins," I said. "I should tell you that I'm a man, Tina." She went on to explain that her bodybuilding brother wears a dolphin necklace, but that didn't do much in the way of persuasion.

It was nice of her to get me a gift, but I think I'll stick to wearing my Miraculous Medal, which, unfortunately, is not endowed with magical healing powers.

Went into the Park Thursday afternoon to see the improvements to Bear Lake Road and get on the trails. They reworked the Glacier Gorge Trailhead. It used to be a tiny parking lot in the curve of the road; now it's along the east side of the road about half a mile north from the orginal location. Lots more parking and space for the shuttle. Real nice.

I hiked up to Alberta Falls and then back to go around Bear Lake. I was testing out my camera and took lots of pictures of the snow capped mountains shrouded in clouds. I'll need to figure out a way to get them posted soon.

It rained again most of day yesterday, so I'm pretty glad that I worked overtime on my day off. Roommate David has been sick for about a week and we lounged around last night. Today, on the other hand, has been glorious: giant white clouds over the mountains, with a gentle breeze, and it's somewhere around 60 degrees.

Talked to Nennig Thursday morning after Mass about a friend of a friend who'd dabbled in witchcraft in high school and is now afraid she's being followed by demons. Then at lunch today, the people at my table started discussing demons. It was a different conversation coming from a Protestant perspective, but the proximity to my previous conversation is a little uncanny.

And speaking of interesting/quasi-Jesus related topics, a memo about the Rock was posted on our door today, which reads:

Saturday nights this summer--come experience the Rock at Hyde Chapel. The Rock is a weekly gathering for life--thought, worship-experience, and culture-fusion in a spiritual setting. Distinctly designed from a Christ-follower's perspective--but wide open to those who don't see it that way--the Rock is the beginning of a conversation about what is Real, bracketed in story and played with a soundtrack.

Can anyone decipher this? I've had a few people from Housekeeping ask me if I'm coming. I tell them I've got to go to town for Mass and won't be back in time. What I don't say is that I have to go to worship that's more trancendent and where I receive Jesus in to most Real way possible--in the Holy Eucharist.

I'm alive. I climbed that damned mountain, but there were a few moments when I thought for sure that I would be going home to Jesus.

Hopefully there will be more time in the next couple weeks to chronicle the Colorado trip, as right now I am very busy at St. Stephen's preparing for the Move-In Weekend and Welcome Week.

Send up some prayers.

Been a while. Since Xanga was down for a week, I've got some catching up to do.

Had planned on going up Longs on my days off last week. Monday night I didn't wake up early enough. Tuesday I arrived at the trailhead at 12:30am--the parking lot was nearly full at the time--and napped for a couple of hours. When I woke up, there were people mulling around making noise, and I suddenly had another "Safeway moment" (see Sunday, July 27, 2003 entry) where I envisioned 100 people on the trail and 50 people at the summit. Not my idea of an enjoyable hike. I realized that my summer wouldn't be a failure if I didn't didn't climb that one mountain, and since my heart wasn't in it, I went home.

Went to the Estes Park Brewery to eat on Tuesday night with my friends Jack, Mark, and Matt before Jack and Mark left the next morning. The food was OK; I had a beer brat and homemade rootbeer (as I'm not a beer drinker) and lots of laughs. Then Wednesday Matt, Frances, and I got food and sat on the Riverwalk. Good times, good times.

About 25 people left Housekeeping on Friday with another 25 to follow next week. That left us with one other driver besides myself so Saturday was a fun day at work. I drove three cleaning crews, not an easy feat to begin with, but then at one point I had to move one of Joey's crews and hunt him down because he had his two-way radio off. It was a little stressful.

Sarah, Andrea, and Ryan, friends from Red Oak, arrived on Friday morning. Sarah and Andrea worked here in the past and are the reason I found out about the place. It was great to see them. We went out to Lonigans and the Wheel Bar Friday and Saturday and hung out last night. They left this morning for Denver and head home after a Bjork concert at Red Rocks tonight.

Today was my last day of work, and I had the most fun in a long time. Tina gave me a card and a couple of lucky charms but still hesitated about the holy water. I've got a bit more packing to do tonight before I check out and hit the road at 8:30 tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow night I will be through the flatlands of Nebraska and into the gentle hills of Iowa. I will miss looking out my window to see the mountains. Three months certainly flew by quickly. But at the same time, it's time to return to normal, to wake up from this dream. I only hope that when I awake these memories don't leave me like mountain mist.

Today, once again following in my family's footsteps, I hiked up to Gem Lake and then on to Balanced Rock. The hike to Gem climbs all the way, pretty rough, but the lake area is worth it. The trail to Balanced Rock is unimproved but less strenous, I though, at least on the way out.

Tony told me the other day that he will be moving out this Friday. He's going to one of the other dorms. He just got a TV and DVD player, too.

Two more weeks and I'm on my way back through the flat plains of Nebraska to the rolling hills of Iowa. Where's the time gone?

More later.

Well, I've been doing my research on LT, GCM, and The Rock. I had no idea of the close ties.

You can research their websites, too, if you like, (check out the statement of faith) but the gist of the story is a group from Ames, IA, came out to Ft. Collins, CO, ten or so years ago and started Summitview Community Church, and five years ago decided a "revolution in church" was needed and launched The Rock, a worship service that is meant for college students and young singles. I think this Saturday might be the night I finally check out The Rock....

In other religion related news, another Lutheran convention is here this week--FLY: Free Lutheran Youth. My roommate Josh is half working, half participating; today he lead a service project in town. He also showed me a brochure his Bible school was distributing, which includes a picture of him on the cover.

The Association Free Lutheran Bible School is a two year school located in the Twin Cities has only about 150 students and six faculty. When I mentioned that I was taking an Old Testament class this fall from my public university, he said that the class was probably going to be alright, since the OT is basically history.

I found this to be an interesting comment coming from a student at a Bible college. Without the Old Testament, the meaning of New would be deminished. The NT shows how Christ fulfilled the OT. I thought at Bible school they would teach that the OT is much more than "basically history." But then what do I know about the Bible? I'm Catholic. Maybe he just misspoke.

In non-religion related news, I hiked up Estes Cone this morning on my "unusual" day off (unsual because it is not my usual day off...). Made it back down before the rain came. It's a rough one, climbing without many switchbacks to the top, then scrambling up the false summit, then down a bit and back up the summit.

Gotta go trim my beard.

More later.

Had meant to mention the bear attack that occurred last Sunday morning.

A group of five was backcountry camping near Fern Lake when a black bear tore through one tent and bit a camper on the head. When the man yelled the bear released him and moved on to another tent, where it scratched yet another man. The two men received serious lacerations.

It was the first case of a bear attack in RMNP in 30 years. However, this is a puzzling case because the group had taken all the necessary precautions to protect themselves, including storing food in bearproof containers and cooking away from their tents. Black bears rarely attack humans, which makes it even more strange.

The Park closed hiking in the area for the rest of the day and restricted backcountry camping for the following several days. I don't know whether the bear has been captured yet; if and when it is, it will be destroyed.

I'd posted on Tuesday, but it didn't actually post. I'm not happy; it was informative and highly witty.

The family is here, except for Brother, who does not love me enough to visit. Arrived on Sunday at Estes Park Campground, whick is at the end of the road past the Y. We hiked the Old Ute Trail East on Monday and the Loch/Timberline Falls/Lake of Glass/Sky Pond on Wednesday. They went into Estes yesterday as a break from hiking; don't know what they did today. Whatever it was, they did it in the rain this afternoon.

My UNI friends Josh and Ashley were here, too. Arrived Saturday afternoon, hiked Flattop on Sunday, Twin Sisters on Monday, and together we attempted Longs on Tuesday.

I'm not sure Josh can set or read a clock, God bless him. We'd planned on getting up at midnight to be on the trail by 1:00 to make it off the mountain before the impending thunderstorms. In reality, we woke up at 11:00 and got on the trail at midnight. Then a few miles in we came across a search and rescue team for acute altitude sickness. It had snowed up there on Sunday, and the rangers told us that there was snow at the Keyhole and it was a mess afterward.

So we just about made the Boulderfield before all the variables got to us--three hours of sleep, 40 degree temperature, wind, the snowy trail ahead--and we decided to turn back. It was not a total loss, though; I was able to hike halfway to the heavens with two good friends, which is still better than half the people here for the summer will do and more than most here for a day or a week. Besides, I'll be going back up in a couple of weeks, this time to the summit.

Had our busiest day so far last Saturday, working until 6:45. We cleaned up after the 2500 Lutherans, who weren't all that messy. Today was supposed to be very busy, but we were done by 4:00. They always lie to us about how much work we are supposed to have, then it turns out not to be that bad--except for last Saturday, of course. All this crying wolf gets a little annoying. Monday is supposed to be busy, too, and I'm scheduled to work.

Gotta go find the folks for a hearty camp stove-cooked meal. Hopefully they've dried off.

More later.

My weekend begins tomorrow, and much needed, too. Wednesday and Thursday I drove crews and cleaned; yesterday and today I only cleaned. That's more work than I'm used to.... Today was a easy day as far as Sundays go.

Hikemaster's last Wednesday was Orienteering. I can now triangulate and do all sorts of other nifty tricks with a map and compass. Interesting side note: the instructor told us that Fr. Gregory from OLM is a world class orienteerer. When he gets back from vacation in Europe, I'll have to talk to him about it.

Got off work early Thursday and Friday and went south to RMNP's Wild Basin entrance. Hiked Calypso Cascades and Ouzel Falls Thursday, Finch Lake Friday. That was six miles roundtrip and eight miles roundtrip, respectfully. Friday night I finished about 9:00 when it was just getting dark. The flashlight I had wasn't worth much, and to be safe, I sang Sinatra loud enough to keep the bears away.

Will be hiking Twin Sisters tomorrow with a Hikemaster-guided group. I want to know exactly what is expected of me if I become a Hikemaster.

Told Heider I would put some of my poetry up for the world to read. This one was published in UNI's student publication, InnerWeather.

Listen

While you are talking
in the harmony and cadence of your voice
my mind slips away
into the breakfast menu
the falling leaves
the time between heartbeats
the phoenix's nest.

When I return
you haven't left me
your eyes still ablaze.
Guilty, I pick up the breadcrumbs
and nod my head
and my smile veils my journey.

More later.

Wild day in the Rockies today, folks.

This afternoon we had our first big storm since I've been here. It hailed for a good half an hour, and poured and lightninged for twice as long. The water washed debris to block the entrance to the Y. B&G used the snowplows to clear the way. Then water flooded several rooms in our newest lodge, Wind River, and set off the fire alarms, causing an evacuation of the building. A couple of the cabins and other buildings, including Housekeeping, began to leak.

The fire alarms also when off in Eagle Cliff lodge twice, and the housekeeping crews there had to leave both times which set them back in their work. So three other crews, including my own, were send to help them finish. There was the entire second floor to do--fifty, sixty rooms--and we did it in an hour and a half. Pretty good considering the kids who had stayed the night left a disgusting mess.

Hikemaster's session last night was about geology. We went into Moraine Park in RMNP and looked at rocks. Of the three rock types--igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary--RMNP has only igneous and metamorphic. We also talked about glaciers and rivers and erosion. Tomorrow night there is another session of RMNP history, complete with slides. And Tuesday next week is the make-up for Snow and Ice Techniques; Wednesday is Orienteering.

Got my own postcard in the mail today, now I can get an EP library card. I love the used book store in town, too. Was there Monday and found Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor for $4. Plus the person who had had it before saved a couple of newspaper clippings on Keillor's '85 wedding and the "last" Prairie Home Companion in '87. I read LWD five years ago while we were vacationing here in RMNP.... It had to have been fate.

Will be leaving in a little bit to go to something at 9:00. It is something to do with LT. In addition to the Saturday night "Rock," there are things at 9:00 on Tuesday and Thursday. I say "things" because I'm not sure they're worship services so much as presentations. Tonight's topic: Sex. I'm curious to hear what the speaker will say, especially how it will be tied into any sort of worship. Plus I know what the Church says about sex; I'm wondering what GCM says. And being the Socratic gadfly I am, I will ask questions. This will be the first time at a LT/GCM function and not sure what to expect.

More later.

Day off today and woke up at 7:30 to go on a hike. Went with Sara Sanderman and her roommate Tamara into RMNP and hiked up to Mills Lake. Not too long a hike, two miles one way and climbs no more than 1000ft in altitude. I think we were gone a total of four hours including all the time lazing on the rocks by the lake. There's still snow on a surprising amount of the trail. Sara is from Nebraska and was my friend Sarah Hay's roommate here last year.

Went hiking after work Friday night as well with two different ladies. Went to Alberta Falls which is on the same trail as Mills Lake. Didn't go much farther then because it was raining/sleeting/hailing and lightning to boot.

Yesterday was our busiest day of work to date. We had 80+ cabins and hundreds of lodge rooms to clean. I was drove--the first time since Thursday; Friday and Saturday I was cleaning again--and partnered with a navigator, Scott. We went ahead of our two crews and found empty cabins to strip and stock linens. Then after 3:00 break, a third crew was added to our responsibilities. When all the cabins were stripped, Scott and I went back and made beds for our crews. Worked until 5:45, but we got every last cabin and room clean.

In one cabin, the guests left all their food behind--pasta, tuna, chicken, chardonnay. Scott and I took what we wanted...had to leave the wine behind, though. We figured the guests had flown out and couldn't take the food home.

Day off tomorrow, too. Think I will go purchase up a pair of hiking boots now that I got my first hefty paycheck.

Day off. Slept in this morning until 9:00am. That was after going to bed at 10:30 last night. Must have really needed sleep. Thus I was rested for my trip into RMNP.

Had to gas up before going in. Found what I think is the least expensive station in Estes: $1.74 at the Texaco on CO HWY 7--one of three Texacos in town. Had to get cash from the ATM, too, meaning a $2.25 surcharge. The downside to living in a tourist town is everything is ridiculously expensive. And I'm supposed to live off $155 a week? (Sarcasm: I probably lived off $15 a week at school.) Guess I'll just have to rough it....

Drove Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor's Center, which is not quite to the Continental Divide and is still surrounded by drifts of snow. The middle of the parking lot is full of port-a-potties because the center does not yet have water.

Went on a short tundra hike at 12000ft and got pretty winded. But it was beautiful; didn't see any marmots or the other rats whose name I can't remember, but plenty of rocks and alpine greenery. Then went back down the mountain to Bear Lake and hiked to Alberta Falls. Sat around there enjoying the view and was inspired to compose a poem--which I only now remember doing three hours after the fact. Should carry a pad and pen with me when inspiration hits.

Have tomorrow off, too. Might see if I can't round up a few other people and travel to Loveland or Ft. Collins for some less expensive shopping. Need to find some good hiking boots.

Am planning on taking a hikemaster's course the Y offers. It starts this Wednesday with "Snow and Ice Techniques" and goes every Wednesday until a written exam on August 13. Reasons for doing this are twofold: will keep me busy while doing something I love and will give me the opportunity to rise from the slums of housekeeping to the glory of hikemaster should I decide to return next summer. Will let you know how it goes.

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).