In order, an image of a grizzly bear... Haystack Falls... Otokomi Lake, frozen... Two Medicine Lake... Upper Saint Mary Lake, about a quarter of a mile from the lodge...Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Photos
In order, an image of a grizzly bear... Haystack Falls... Otokomi Lake, frozen... Two Medicine Lake... Upper Saint Mary Lake, about a quarter of a mile from the lodge...
Life Lessons
Before I can begin sharing stories of my adventures in Senegal, I have to share a few life lessons learned during my glacial adventure in northern Montana.
1. Always check the expiration date. Without fail, many foods served in the Employee Dining Room (EDR) were leftovers from the lodge's restaurant. Any food that was too old to be served to customers came to us, and more often than not the milk had expired over a week earlier. I couldn't help but notice that after we through out rotten bananas from the grocery store, we had banana pancakes, and after we threw out rotten tomatoes and celery, we had chili. Coincidence? I think not.
2. Be nice to people. Even the slightest gesture of kindness can go a long way. For example, a friend of mine that worked in the coffee shop was not given a dinner break, so in order to eat from the EDR she either had to sneak out of work, run over, and bring back a plate of food, purchase something from the grocery store after her shift, or forego the meal. I offered to bring her a plate whenever I could, and in exchange she frequently provided me with free fudge, hot chocolate, or (my favorite) huckleberry iced soda. It was a pretty sweet deal for both of us - excuse the pun.
3. Appreciate hot showers. It took about ten days to get hot water installed in my cabin. In fact, we didn't even have lukewarm water for a while, but instead it felt like pure glacier water, so cold that it made my head hurt. Instead of suffering through that (or being dirty), I went to the cabin next to me to use their shower every day. Again, refer to lesson number two.
4. Having a work uniform is awesome. Every day, I knew exactly what to wear and didn't waste any time staring at my (small) wardrobe. Everything I had packed comfortably fit into one suitcase. There was no comparison among employees, and my morning routine was very quick and simple. I was even allowed to wear my hiking boots instead of the black shoes required for most positions.
5. Stay flexible. My experience in Montana was not what I expected. Instead of working at the front desk, I enjoyed the grocery store. Instead of hiking daily, I went on long and grueling thrice weekly hikes. And instead of feeling very secure, I met the most eclectic and eccentric assortment of people of my life. While the experience did not carry through the entire summer as expected, I made the most of it and will always remember some of the great (and crazy) people and hiking trails.
6. Look for the good things! This is directly related to lesson number five. As Padre always says, if you look for the good, you'll find the good, and if you look for the bad, you'll find the bad. On a bad day, I stopped to think about how many timeless stories I was accumulating, how beautiful the bear grass looked in bloom, and how much I enjoyed having a philosophical conversation with my new Kazakh friends. Suddenly, any kind of day just isn't that bad...
6. Look at the sky every now and then. Since I was in Big Sky country, I took a few moments every day to enjoy the sky and appreciate being in this beautiful corner of the world. One night, after working the late shift, I walked back up to the EV in the dark, lit only by a full moon. I was impressed by how bright my path still was and had the opportunity to admire the light's reflection in the pond alongside the road, the crisp breeze, and the peacefulness of a still night.
1. Always check the expiration date. Without fail, many foods served in the Employee Dining Room (EDR) were leftovers from the lodge's restaurant. Any food that was too old to be served to customers came to us, and more often than not the milk had expired over a week earlier. I couldn't help but notice that after we through out rotten bananas from the grocery store, we had banana pancakes, and after we threw out rotten tomatoes and celery, we had chili. Coincidence? I think not.
2. Be nice to people. Even the slightest gesture of kindness can go a long way. For example, a friend of mine that worked in the coffee shop was not given a dinner break, so in order to eat from the EDR she either had to sneak out of work, run over, and bring back a plate of food, purchase something from the grocery store after her shift, or forego the meal. I offered to bring her a plate whenever I could, and in exchange she frequently provided me with free fudge, hot chocolate, or (my favorite) huckleberry iced soda. It was a pretty sweet deal for both of us - excuse the pun.
3. Appreciate hot showers. It took about ten days to get hot water installed in my cabin. In fact, we didn't even have lukewarm water for a while, but instead it felt like pure glacier water, so cold that it made my head hurt. Instead of suffering through that (or being dirty), I went to the cabin next to me to use their shower every day. Again, refer to lesson number two.
4. Having a work uniform is awesome. Every day, I knew exactly what to wear and didn't waste any time staring at my (small) wardrobe. Everything I had packed comfortably fit into one suitcase. There was no comparison among employees, and my morning routine was very quick and simple. I was even allowed to wear my hiking boots instead of the black shoes required for most positions.
5. Stay flexible. My experience in Montana was not what I expected. Instead of working at the front desk, I enjoyed the grocery store. Instead of hiking daily, I went on long and grueling thrice weekly hikes. And instead of feeling very secure, I met the most eclectic and eccentric assortment of people of my life. While the experience did not carry through the entire summer as expected, I made the most of it and will always remember some of the great (and crazy) people and hiking trails.
6. Look for the good things! This is directly related to lesson number five. As Padre always says, if you look for the good, you'll find the good, and if you look for the bad, you'll find the bad. On a bad day, I stopped to think about how many timeless stories I was accumulating, how beautiful the bear grass looked in bloom, and how much I enjoyed having a philosophical conversation with my new Kazakh friends. Suddenly, any kind of day just isn't that bad...
6. Look at the sky every now and then. Since I was in Big Sky country, I took a few moments every day to enjoy the sky and appreciate being in this beautiful corner of the world. One night, after working the late shift, I walked back up to the EV in the dark, lit only by a full moon. I was impressed by how bright my path still was and had the opportunity to admire the light's reflection in the pond alongside the road, the crisp breeze, and the peacefulness of a still night.
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