florence

I went for a really great hike today with a few other employees here. Six of us total, we set off in search of some waterfalls. There was one trail that caught our interest because none of us had been on it before, so we parked and set off. After about two miles nearly straight down, we hit the first falls - a two-tiered bubbling stretch of the river that gracefully cascaded over the rocks. Because the water here is so clear, you could see deep into the pool at all the patriotically colored stones (red, white, and blue). From there we continued another 3 miles to reach the Florence Falls, our ultimate destination. This was by far the most spectacular waterfall I've ever seen. It began several hundred feet up the mountain and fell in a stepping stone manner, spraying mist everywhere and roaring so loudly I couldn't hear the person next to me. We rested there for a while before turning around and attacking the five mile hike up to the road. On our way, we saw a young doe who was much more curious than frightened. Since we all froze in our tracks, she walked very close to us before heading off the trail to snack. This brings the wildlife sightings to: deer (3), red fox (1), moose (0), bears (0), and assorted other critters (many).

In other news, the experience of living and working here continues to become more ridiculous every day. Let me introduce you to another character. Athena, as in the Greek goddess, runs the gift shop for the lodge. On a typical day, Athena wears a track suit of all one color - white, black, lime green - whatever suits her fancy - with an enormous, color-contrasting scrunchie to tie her artificially blonde hair. I don't think she knows yet that scrunchies went out of style in the early 1990s. She's not an enormous woman, but she's also certainly not a pixie. While she could stand to lose a few dozen pounds, she will proudly tell you that she is an exceptional athlete with focus on her sports 24/7. Athena is a truly accomplished woman, as she will tell you in no uncertain terms. She is an ordained minister, an acupuncturist excellent at working out knots, usuing your pressure points, and getting rid of inner demons, a world-class athlete, a heartbreaker, an aura-reader... Not only this, but she can accurately predict your future based of the flows and dips and curls of your handwriting! A direct quote: "Basically, I can do everything." Truly, Athena is a Greek goddess descended to our lowly, mortal level. I am honored to know this woman. Fortunately, my roommate works in the gift shop, so she is able to share all these hilarious stories with me...