a summer of ups and downs

Whooosh—WHAT? There goes another summer.  I’ve been in the Tetons for almost four months, now, and boy, did it go fast. 

A few highlights and lowlights from the summer in semi-chronological order, and then some pictures for your eyes to feast on.

HIGHLIGHT: getting to work in the most beautiful, most serene part of all of Grand Teton National Park.

HIGHLIGHT: working with fun, hardworking people, and having LOTS of work potlucks.

HIGHLIGHT: re-adjusting to society; after spending 8 months living with a wonderful Bulgarian grandmother and working with people who were all at least 10 years older than me, I’d forgotten what it was like to be around people my age.  20-something Americans are loud. And fun. But very, very loud. My first week back, I kind-of went into a reclusive shock, and spent all week like a hermit in my bedroom, only emerging to eat, go to the bathroom, and go to work.  I soon got over that, and had a lot of fun all summer.

HIGHLIGHT: getting paid to hike!  I developed fun (well, at least, I thought they were fun—I hope the visitors liked them) Ranger-led programs, hiked up to Phelps Lake a couple times a week, and got paid to do it.

LOWLIGHT: spraining my ankle mid-way through July.  I had hiked 4 miles on gently sloping ground, and had gotten to a flat spot when PING! there went one of my ankle-to-foot ligaments.  The foot doctor told me with a smile that I had weird feet.  I’m now in physical therapy (marvelous stuff! who knew?) and it turns out that because my back hurts all the time and my heels hurt all the time, I walk funny, and I was putting too much pressure on my ankle to begin with.  Huh.  Anyways, enough about me whining about my aches and pains.  I’m not old, yet.

HIGHLIGHT: being close-ish to my parents and little brother.  My bro works up in Yellowstone, only a few hours away, and my parents live in Bozeman, a 4.25-hour drive (with no traffic and slight speeding).  I’ve gone up to visit them a few times, and they’ve all come down here to visit me several times.  My little bro has picked up mountain climbing, and over the summer he’s climbed Mt. Rainier, Granite Peak (the highest peak in MT), the Middle Teton, the Grand Teton, Devil’s Tower, and Mt. Moran, along with whatever other peaks he has to climb on a day-to-day basis for his job.  Because of my proximity to great mountains, he’s come down to visit a lot!

LOWLIGHT: not being close enough to my grandparents.  I love the Tetons, but they’re just too damn remote.  I got to visit my grandparents at Christmas when I came back from Spain, but I couldn’t visit them in the spring or summer due to my work schedule, and I was just going to wait until I got to Portland at the end of September.  Unfortunately, my grandpa got very ill very fast, and I only could make one emergency trip out to Washington before he passed away in mid-August.

HIGHLIGHT: going to say goodbye to my grandpa and spend time with my grandma and the rest of the family.  Definite highlight: my grandpa was a wonderful, caring, hilarious person, and it was wonderful to sit with the whole family and tell stories about him.

HIGHLIGT: going up the gondola at the Village to the Couloir restaurant with my roommate and two of her friends from college.  The hostess happened to be one of the volunteers who I work with at the LSR; after a round of introductions, she sent the four of us to the bar.  We decided just to get one appetizer to share and one drink apiece (arriving after happy hour is PRICEY!), but after finding out that one appetizer (meaning 2 scallops artfully arranged on a plate) was $20, the four of us left the Couloir bar and went down to the bar on the deck outside.  Fifteen minutes later, a VERY cute guy and two minions came down with two plates of scallops.  The next day at work, I profusely thanked my volunteer coworker, and she said, "Oh, no, it wasn't me!  That was the manager who came down.  He said he was so sad to see four pretty girls leave the bar, and he would have taken care of you up there if you'd have stayed!  So he was the one who brought you the scallops,"


LOWLIGHT: cars v. bikes.  My mom was riding her bike through Bozeman and she was hit by a car as she crossed an intersection.  She’s fine, generally, except for two broken arms, a few sprains, and lots of bruises.  She's going to be the bionic mother after they put plates and pins in her left arm... at least they're phasing out metal detectors in airports.  Poor mommy.

HIGHLIGHT: starting a new adventure: Grad School! and being back in the Pacific Northwest, and close to college friends, and close to my grandma. 

hey, pay attention to me - I´m in uniform.

my place of work.

the one hike I did this summer that I was NOT paid to do: also, the same hike I sprained my ankle on.

Hucks!

Taggart Lake.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot.  A mouthful, but delicious for the eyes.

bog-orchids!

It´s been a memorable summer.  Most of all, I miss my grandpa very much, and I wish I could kiss my mom better.