Catching up.....all posts so far

Since I've just created this blog, I thought I would repost every entry up to this point.  Now, hopefully, my entries will correspond with the correct date.  Thanks for the patience (internet is a little sparse up here)

Glacier

Thursday – May 26, 2011

I arrived at the Park around 11:30am last night amidst terrible fog and rain.  Pulling into the park, I was so happy to finally be off the road after three days of driving. 

Today was the first day of training.  I think this will be a really good group.  I am excited about my responsibilities and what is expected of me.  I can’t really think of a better job than engaging the public in a setting like this.  That being said, I haven’t even gotten a good look at the dramatic scenary yet!  It has been snowing (yes people reading this from down South) all day.  With this, some interesting scenarios may arise.  The district station that I am based out of is located next to a small creek.  But due to the heavy rainfall/snow and the unprecedented amount of snowpack up in the mountains, flooding is a serious concern.  We have been briefed about what to do if an evacuation is necessary (which seems likely).  We’ll just have to see about it all.

After a morning spent doing orientation and basic training stuff, we went to the St. Mary visitor center and toured the building.  This is where I will be working for much of my time here.  It was a very nice Visitor Center and I am excited to start learning the ropes.

After work, I went on a run.  This proved to be a terrible idea.  As if the snow wasn’t bad enough, the wind was coming at me like a wall.  I was pushed back and forth like a rag-doll.  I still got about 2 miles in before I returned to the apartment.  Hopefully it will get nicer soon so I can get out and knock out the miles.

After that, I drove my car up the Going-to-the-Sun road (look it up…amazing).  This is the main road through the park.  I got about 5 miles in when I saw my first Grizzly Bear!  Also, I saw her cub!  It nearly gave me a heart attack….but the Griz wanted nothing to do with me (and my adventure-mobile).  Wouldn’t you know, I saw a Grizzly bear on my first day here!

Not to much new stuff to report other than that.  I’m a little tired from my past few days of trekking across America….I think I might turn in early.  I feel like I should probably be social right now, but I have three months to get to know these people.  I think we all know what I’m talking about.

Anyways, thanks for reading!  I hope to keep this up throughout the summer as my access to the outside world is severely limited.  Thank you so much for reading these journals.  I don’t mean to sound cliché, but I really do love you all.  The reason why my life is so great is because of people like you.  I hope that your summers are going wonderfully.  If you get a chance, send me a quick reply and let me know what you’re up to.  I look forward to hearing from you.  J

Friday – May 27, 2011

Today was a good day.  In the morning we filled out some paperwork to register our cars.  Out of all this, I got a sticker to put on the windshield that gives me unlimited access to the park!  Also, the sticker looks awesome!  Oh how the small things in life give me the most pleasure.  J

After that, we went back to the Visitor’s Center to talk about our obligations as interpreters.  We went over the various types of Programs we will be offering.  These include: Boat Tours, campfire talks, slide shows, bear clinics, manning Logan Pass (the big visitor center on the Going-to-the-Sun Road), and of course, staffing the St. Mary Visitor’s Center.  I am SO EXCITED!  What a diverse number of programs/obligations.  And the best part about it all is that every day is different! I am never doing the same thing two days in a row.  To round out the schedule, I get two-days off per week.  Maximizing this vacation is that I get off early on the day before vacation, and start late on the day after vacation.  So really, I almost get three days!  Whooopie!

After our talk at the Visitor Center, we went on a quick drive up Going-to-the-Sun Road.  We stopped at various places and Mark (the boss) talked to us about the locations (i.e. campground, boat dock, and other facilities).  GTTSR is not open very far up so we had to turn back after only a few miles.

During lunch, I whipped up a unique dish.  I boiled and mashed 5 potatoes.  Then, I created a dressing-like veggie fest including onions, broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes, corn, and melted cheese.  I put all of this on top of my mashed potatoes and chowed down.  I am very happy to be “cooking” so much!  I like making things from scratch and eating mostly vegetables.  I think my body is feeling better because of this change.

After lunch, we did the coolest thing yet: we visited the Many Glacier area of the Park.  I did not make a typo when I said “Many Glacier.”  This is the name of the area (btw, the Ranger who talked to us there said it is the stupidest name that they could have ever come up with….it harkens back to the early 30s when the railroad people were building hotels in the western parks….they wanted to name the area with a Native American sounding English name….so they successfully named the place a remarkable combination of plural and singular terms….go figure…..oh well!)  Anyways, Many Glacier was simply unbelievable.  I finally got to witness the immenseness of the glacially carver mountains.  To everyone reading this, you have to come to Glacier National Park at some time in your lives.  I can’t even begin to describe the grandeur of these peaks and lakes.

After our field trip, we came back to our area of the park.  I took Ashley (the other SCA Intern, whose plane was delayed two days in Atlanta) to show her the visitor center.  After that, I went to the Park Café (a local joint that has a nearly mythic reputation amongst the Park Staff) and had some of their Pecan Pie.  I don’t even like pie, but it was incredible!  After that, I came back and went on a run.

Tonight, I hung out with a group of the employees here at the park, we had people from interpretation, maintenance, and trail crew.  We played an extreme version of ping-pong and talked a bit.  It was a good group.  I am happy with the people I am living around and working with.  J

We have the weekend off, so I will most likely try a few hikes out over the next few days.  Also, I would like to find some kind of cell-phone service to call my family and tell them about what’s been going on.  Anyways, I’m rambling now.  Thanks for reading!  I’ll be back tomorrow with another exciting update!

Saturday – May 28, 2011

Today was a good day.  I got to sleep in until 10am.  Ironically, I didn’t feel all that rested after nearly 11 hours of sleep!  Oh well.  J  After that, I went to the computer lab and ordered a pre-paid Verizon Wireless phone.  That way, for the low price of two bucks a day, I can call people and better keep in touch this summer.  After emailing a little, updating Facebook, and generally staring at a screen for two hours, I had had enough of the computer lab.

I went down to the Visitor Center and chatted a bit with some Park employees.  Then, I watched a video about the construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  It is simply an incredible achievement in engineering.  To build a road on the side of sheer cliffs over a landscape like Glacier is simply unbelievable.  I can’t wait until the entire road is open (which won’t be for at least another month…there is that much snow that needs to melt).

After that, I went on a hike with four other Interpretive Rangers.  Most of the trail was under significant snow, but it was not too hard to see where it went.  After about two miles, we decided to turn back because of dangerous snow drifts cascading down the ridge.  On our way back down, the sun FINALLY showed itself!  It was like the heavens opened up and the Angel’s sung a chorus!  You all can’t understand how ugly and gross (weather-wise) it has been here for the last week!  This was an incredible change of pace.  On top of this, the mountains were finally exposed in the full glory.  I’m speechless to describe how big and impressive they are.  I can’t wait to share with you all some of my pictures.  They are jaw-dropping.  (I’m not bragging on my photography….the landscape is too impressive not to take a good picture!)

After the hike, being Austin, I decided to go on a run.  Because of the amount of bears in the area, I had to take some Bear Spray (heavy duty pepper spray strong enough to deter Grizzlies).  On my short run to an old Ranger station, I ran into Britney, a Campground Ranger.  Britney is a runner also who worked at Grand Canyon as a permanent employee for the past three years.  We had great conversation on our run.  It was so great to run into her (hahaha punny!) because running alone out here is dangerous.  Also, having a training partner will be good to keep me on track with my goal of running a significant amount this summer.

After my run, I came home and ate a great home-cooked dinner.  I had a spinach/mushroom/tomato/ranch dressing salad, along with an onion/spaghetti pasta!  I love this cooking thing!  My body feels healthier from eating well (and eating mostly veggies).

After dinner, we all got together at the Visitors Center to watch a movie on the big projection screen.  We ended up watching “The King’s Speech.”  I’d already seen it before, but it was still a great movie to see again.  Very moving.

Now I am here, writing in my journal and about to turn in.  It’s kind of amazing how life operates differently out here.  We don’t have TV.  We don’t have Internet.  We don’t have cell phones.  We don’t have so many things that have such a claim on our lives in the “real world.”  It is kind of refreshing to have TIME.  I feel like with all of these distractions gone, I actually have time to sit back and enjoy.  I’m going to bed now.  It is only 10:20 on a Saturday night, but I don’t care at all.  Everyone else is already asleep.  That’s just how things are out here.

Goodnight y’all.  J

Second Update begins here:

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Today was ANOTHER good day.  I was busy!  To begin the day, I uploaded some pictures onto Facebook and then sent out my journal to many friends.  It was great to finally share some of the memories that I have been making with the rest of my support group.

Soon afterwards, I borrowed a friend’s pre-paid phone and called my parents and a few friends.  It was so great to finally talk to them and tell them about my life here at the park.  Also, to hear their voices and share in our mutual excitement was just great.

After that, me, Kristen, and Ashlee went on a trip to the Two Medicine portion of the park.  It was a very pleasant drive out there.  I have to say it, my group is just awesome.  Everyone is so nice and excited to be here.  Once we got to Two Medicine, we did a short hike to the Running Eagle Falls and saw a beautiful waterfall.  The trail was only about a quarter mile hike from the parking lot, so it didn’t take a lot of work to get there.

Next we went to the Two Medicine lake trailhead.  We hiked about half-way around the lake and took in some simply magnificent sights.  I can’t wait to share the pictures from this hike.  Finally, we hiked one other short trail to Appatoki Falls.  This waterfall was located up in a small gorge between two valleys.  The waterfall was fantastic…probably with a drop of around 30 feet.  It was definitely worth the sludging around in the snow to get there.

After this hike, we decided to leave the park and try out a local Mexican food spot.  Called Serano’s, this place has a local reputation for being the best Mexican food around.  As a Texan, I was ready to test it’s reputation.  I came away very happy (and very full….I had about three baskets of chips, a huge chicken enchilada with rice/beans, and about 5 refills of Pepsi).  With this full belly, we began our trip back to St. Mary.

When we got back, I met up with some more people who wanted to take a scenic drive up the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  They had just opened up more of the road so we all piled in a car and set off during sun-set.  We didn’t see a whole lot of wildlife like we had hoped (we did see lots of Elk, but that is nothing new), but the trip was still beautiful.  At one spot we stopped at, a Law Enforcement Officer informed up that there was a momma Grizzly and her two cubs lurking about.  With my Bear Spray ready, we approached the overlook to see the view and the potential bear.  We didn’t see anything, but it was still a beautiful site to behold.  I hope to upload some more of my pictures tomorrow so that I can share these sites.

We continued on the drive to Many Glacier (about 30 miles away).  We were chasing a beautiful sunset across the sky and before we knew it, we were in the Many Glacier part of the park (where they are notorious for bears).  We didn’t see any bears on our trip, but the conversation was great.  I really feel like we bonded as a group.

Now I’m here, writing in my journal, and about to go to bed.  We are headed to Canada tomorrow to check out the Waterton side of the International Peace Park (Glacier and Waterton are combined to be one unit….and a symbol of goodwill between the US and Canada).  We’ll see the historic Prince of Wales hotel (look it up) and ride a boat on Upper Waterton Lake to the Goat Haunt area.  I’m so excited to be crossing the border!  I haven’t been in Canada for almost ten years!

It has really been a great weekend.  I’m glad that we were given time to explore and enjoy this magnificent park.  I feel closer to the rest of the interpretive crew and comfortable with where I am at.  The next week will be full of training, which will be okay.  Learning and refreshing myself on the skills of interpretation will be useful. 

I realize how truly blessed I am.  I have a family that loves me.  I have friends that are so caring and supportive.  I have a job that I find exciting and important.  And I have a future that looks so wide-open and bright.  I am so thankful for all the pieces that work in harmony to make my life so wonderful.  To everyone reading this, I am giving you a great big (Grizzly) bear hug.  I love you all and am so thankful that you are in my life.

With love from Montana!

Monday – May 30, 2011

Today was another great day.  We took a trip up to Waterton National Park in Canada!  When we got to the park, we took a boat ride on Upper Waterton Lake.  The scenery was beyond belief.  We were treated to another nice day, so the views were spectacular.  For those of you that do not know, Waterton National Park in Canada is managed jointly with Glacier National Park in the United States.  This forms an International Peace Park between the two countries.  This was the first ever distinction of a Park that is jointly managed by two countries.  Together, these parks comprise a UNESCO World Heritage Site for their outstanding scenic beauty and biological importance.

One tid-bit of interest was the international border between the two countries.  You can see in pictures that there is a 20-foot wide DMZ zone the demarcates the border.  Ever few years, this border is cleared by hand (i.e. trees and brush cleared) to form the clear zone marking the two countries.  It was quite amazing to witness this.  Please look at the pictures…..it is incredible.

After the boat tour, we got to check out a few places within the National Park.  We saw some dramatic mountain peaks and waterfalls.  After that, we had to head back to our own country and park.  Crossing the border was an experience!  The border patrol people really take their jobs seriously!  Their conduct could seem unnecessary, but it makes me feel good that they are taking such precautions for our National Security.

After arriving back at St. Mary, I made dinner for about 8 members of my crew.  I served them a spinach salad with portabella mushrooms, green peppers, onions, broccoli, tomatoes, and beats.  Then, the main course was four cheese ravioli with either veggie tomato sauce with crab meat, peanut butter sauce, or olive oil sauce.  I think my friends really appreciated the dinner I cooked for them.  Anyways, I enjoyed making it!

Since then, some buddies and I have been watching a TV series and enjoying a few beers.  Tomorrow, we head to the western side of the park for three-days of training.  It will be so nice to meet the interpretive crew from the other side of the park!  I’m pumped about the next couple of days!

Hopefully, I will have stronger cell-phone reception over the next few days.  If this is the case, expect a call from me in the next few days!  J

With love again from Montana!

Third Update begins here:

Tuesday – May 31, 2011

Today was a good day on the whole.  It began with Ashlee and I leaving from St. Mary to head to the other side of the Park.  We were going there for three days of training about the art of Interpretation.  Our trip was marred my some misunderstandings.  Ashlee and I both thought that we wouldn’t be given time for lunch given the late start of our training (11am).  So, we tried to get a quick breakfast once we got to West Glacier.  It ended up taking longer than we had hoped and we arrived at training ten minutes late.  I FELT TERRIBLE.  Here it was, the first day of training, and we were late.  It was awful.  I will never be late again this summer.  It is a personality trait of mine to be lax about punctuality…but after the rock I felt in my stomach today, I will never put myself in that position again.  We didn’t get in trouble, but I just felt so inadequate because this summer I want to be as successful as possible.  Not a great way to start.  I feel like I have learned a lesson today though.  Timeliess is extrememly important  (and professional).

Alright, moving on.  The day was capped by a presentation from Dr. Fagre of the USGS.  He talked about the changing climate of Glacier National Park and how that is effecting plants, animals, and of course….the glaciers.  It was fascinating.  As part of my job, I will be giving a Climate Change talk entitled “Goodbye to the Glaciers.”  It was great to hear some of the groundbreaking science that substantiates this reality.  During the course of the summer, we will certainly faced with many people who do not believe that humans have any part of global climate change.  This will be the most sensitive and controversial talk that we give.

After work, we checked into our lodge.  Wow!  It is nice!  The Park Service sure has some money to spend on us!  J  We then went out to dinner at a local Grill.  The Interpretive staff (us) made up about three-quarters of the clientel!  There were about 25 of us in the tiny restaurant!

After dinner, Caylen (from University of Wisconsin) went on a quick walk through the town of West Glacier and along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River.  It was very nice conversation.  There are such good people that work here!  I am so glad to be a part of such a fantastic group.

Finally, I watched the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  My poor Dallas Mavericks got outdueled by the Miami Heat.  I hope we can pick up a few games and ultimately win the series, but I’m not getting too optimistic….LeBron, D-Wade, and company are just really good.  After the game, I called my folks and told them about my recent adventures.

Tomorrow will be another dynamic day of training.  I plan on bringing my running stuff to the park tomorrow so that I can run a trail after training.  Sorry if this entry was a little boring….I need to get to sleep soon (so I can be on-time tomorrow!)  I look forward another great day.  With love from Montana….

Wednesday – June 1, 2011

Today was a great day (I seem to start all days like this….I can’t help it….I work at Glacier)  Training continued today.  In the morning, we talked all about Intpretation including tangible and intangible concepts, universals, themes, techniques, blah blah blah.  It was a nice refresher and there were some new ideas, but it was mostly things I had already heard before.

In the afternoon, we listened to a Ranger talk about plants in the park.  I have to say that it was difficult to stay awake.  She spoke very dryly and was way too technical.  After that, we learned about the Geology of the Park.  Oh Man, how cooooool!  I will have to type up the basic geologic history of the park sometime when it is not too late (it’s already past midnight here!  Ahhhhh!)  It is so fascinating.  I can’t remember the last time I was so excited about a certain subject.  The geology here is just mind-blowing.  I’ll save more commentary for later when I have more time.

After training, I went on a run around the Lake MacDonald area.  While on my run on the Going-to-the-Sun road, I came across a black bear.  He was enjoying his berries and I was plenty loud enough (making noise every so often) so I didn’t scare him.  Still, I didn’t see the bear until I was about 100 feet away.  I had my bear spray on me, so I took it out, and readied for any kind of confrontation.  The bear didn’t seem to care I was there though (which is a very good thing).  I spoke deliberately and began to back away from the bear.  He didn’t give me any trouble.  This encounter just made me realize again how many bears there are here.  This place is wild (pun intended).

After my run, I came back and cleaned up because we were all headed to a tavern called the Dew Drop.  This was a funky place with a REALLY good story attached to it.  So, every Wednesday, the owner of the bar goes out an hunts something.  Whatever he kills, they bring back and serve that night for dinner…..FOR FREE!  Tonight we had BBQ pulled elk-meat sandwhiches!  ELK!  FOR FREE!  Along with that we got corn and a salad!  I only paid for two beers!  It was awesome.  Only in Montana…..

After that, I came back and worked on my homework for the evening.  We were charged with drafting a theme statement about the Climate Change talk we give about the disappearance of the Glaciers.  We had to include both emotional and intellectual interpretive opportunities.  I worked really hard on it, and think that I have some good stuff.  I’ll let you know tomorrow how my presentation goes.

Alright, I need to head to bed now.  I’ve got another day of training ahead of me.  :-) I hope you’re all doing well and living exciting lives!  I can’t wait to hear about them!

With love from Montana.

P.S. I decided that I wanted to run the entire distance of the Going-to-the-Sun Road over my two-day break (it is 50 miles) No problem….right?  Hahahaha!  I’ll keep you posted. J

Thursday – June 2, 2011

Today was a stellar day (notice the change in adjective this time….it wasn’t just great….it was stellar!)  The morning started off with more training.  For homework last night we had the assignment oto prepare an interpretive introduction to a program on climate change and how it is affecting the glaciers in the park.  Many of you might not know, but all of the Glaciers left in Glacier National Park will disappear by the year 2020.  CRAAAZY!  I have so much to write about glaciers, but sadly I always seem to write in my journal just as I want to go to sleep most….in other words, it will have to wait.  So, I gave my talk and it went really well!  My boss turned out to be the leader of my small group.  I feel like he was impressed in the work that I had done to prepare the segment of the program.  I am glad that I stayed up so late working on the project last night.  It really paid off.

After that, we did some more training that consisted of learning more about the program development process.  I feel like I have a strong hold on how to design a program to supply for intellectual and emotional interpretive opportunities.

Finally, we made it to the end of the day where Mark (my boss) gave a talk about music and its role in programs.  It was awesome to see how so many people related to music and how it often speaks a universal language that all people can connect to.

After training, I went on a quick run to attempt to purge my stomach of the huge order of French Fries that I got  earlier in the day.  After the nice jaunt around the park headquarters and village, I came back to our lodge and pick you Ashlee.

We then proceeded to a local little burrito joint. We took this food back to the room and watched the rest of the basketball game.  During the game, Ashlee and I continued to talk about important subjects such as religion and the gay-rights argument.  It was nice to have two sides that were equally well-informed, but just see things differently.  Soon after our conversation, two other friends came in to wach the conclusion of the game.  How exciting!!!

Finally, my Mavericks won tonight! What an incredible come-from-behind victory!  Whoooopie!

Honestly, I am too tired to write any more.  Please bear with me as I will write more over the weekend.  Right now I am beginning to fade off in my sentences.  Its time to get to sleep.  J

With love from Montana,

Friday – June 3, 2011

Today was another great day!

The morning was pretty unremarkable.  It was the final day of training (at least for this week).  We heard an interesting talk about fire management here in the park.  I am interested in volunteering my days off to get involved with some of the other aspects of the park.  Hopefully, I can help out with the fire crew sometime this summer.  I would love that.  J

At about 2pm, we were excused for the day to drive back to the east side of the park.  On my way home, I had a very interesting experience.  Now mom, I’m prefacing this one for you.  Please do not get mad at me.  Here goes….when I was filling up gas in West Glacier and getting ready to head out towards home, I saw a man attempting to hitch-hike.  I thought that I should pick him up.  I mean, I had a 1 and ½ hour drive back, I might as well have someone to talk to.  I asked where he was going, and he said up Highway 2…eventually hoping for Maine.  MAINE!  This dude was hitching from LA to MAINE!  So I tell him to get on in!  His name was Rapha from LA where he owns a tattoo parlor.  He was a big guy with tattoos everywhere.  On the whole, he was a pretty nice guy.  Definietly rough, and had been through a lot, but I got the vibe that he wasn’t dangerous.  It was definitely an experience to hear some stories of his travels and how he “makes it” while hitchhiking.  His stories will have to come out in later emails.  It was definitely an enriching experience to share the ride with him.  When we reached Browning, MT (a really sad looking Reservation town our here), I dropped him off and we went on our separate ways.  Just like that, no problems.  Wow, I’m kind of proud of myself for picking him up, but realize that it could have potential been a really bad decision.  Oh well…life is about making memories, and Rapha sure helped me make some of those!

When I got back, Caylen, Kristen, and I went hiking to St. Mary falls.  It was gorgeous!  What a beautiful hike and beautiful water fall.  The hike took us to the shore of St. Mary lake, so we could see the incredible mountain peaks from a different perspective.  On the hike, we consistently consulted my plant field guide so we could learn about the flora along the trail.  It was awesome.  On our drive back to our dorms, we saw a momma black bear with her cub, a ptarmigan (rare bird), and oh by the way, a FREAKIN’ HUGE MOOSE!  The moose was VERY scary!  He was HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!  He saw us (in the car) and began to trot towards us as if he was mad.  We backed up so that we were parallel with another friend’s car in hopes that the moose would become intimidated by two automobiles.  He eventually left us alone after scaring us for a few minutes.  That moose was probably the scariest animal I have ever seen.  They are just so incredibly big!  They’re easily over 8 feet tall and must weigh over 600 pounds.  I mean gigantic.  That was a perfect way to end the hike.  Wow!

After that, I’ve been back here at he apartment cooking, eating, and looking at old pictures on this computer.  The great part about it is that all the family’s old pictures are the hard-drive.  So, whenever I want to relive a few memories, I just cruise through the iPhoto library.  It makes me smile to see all of these old pictures.  J

Tomorrow, Caylen and I will be hiking around the Many Glacier area of the park.  We hope to wade through some serious snow and see some awesome views and wildlife.  It should be an entertaining day full of more adventures.  Hopefully, I can get some internet access soon to upload more photos and send out this journal to you all.  Life is so good here.  I am very happy with the way things are going.  I wish you all could be here to share in the excitement that every new day has to offer.

I love you all very much.

With love from Montana…

Saturday – June 4, 2011

Today was seriously a great day!  I got to sleep in until 10pm!  It was much needed!  Soon after I woke up, I hopped in the car to drive north to Many Glacier.  I was meeting Kaylin (this time the correct spelling of her name) so that we could go hiking around that area.  If you remember from my previous journal entry about Many Glacier, the area is just unbelievable.  We ended up hiking a round-trip of eight miles to Bullhead Lake.  On the way, we stopped at Fishercap Lake, Redrock Lake, Redrock Falls, and got to get my first glimpse at a real glacier (Swiftcurrent glacier).   On the trail, we identified over 10 birds, stopped to look at lots of plants, and saw Mountain goats, big-horn sheep, moose, roughed grouse, and lots of elk.  On the way back, we saw something really perplexing.  We came across an area with tons of mountain goat hair and lots of poop.  We thought that there was possibly a violent engagement that killed a mountain goat, but saw no signs of blood in the snow.  Eventually, we settled on the theory that the mountain goat was shedding its winter layer.  It was amazing!  Look at the pictures posted on Facebook to get an idea of what we came across.  All in all, we had an incredible day hiking in an absolutely beautiful area with wonderful weather.  What a great day.

After that, I came back to St. Mary and ran into Brittany (the runner friend).  For the past week, I had been trying to get a hold of her and talk about our plans to run.  As it turns out, she had been in the hospital with a sever sinus infection.  She’s getting better though.   Anyways, I told her about my crazy plan to run the entire Going-to-the-Sun road.  She was totally excited about the idea.  In other words, it’s going to happen!!!  We’ll start training for it as soon as she gets better and off anti-biotics.  I’m very pumped!  I was so excited that I went for a three-mile run.

Afterwards, me and some friends went to the legendary joint The Park Café in St. Mary.  I had an avocado burger.  It was tasty!  Then, Ashlee, Megan, Kristen, Jeremy and I went to Wild Goose Lookout to watch the sunset.  We had heard reports that bears lived in the area, so we were extra careful.  Some of us hiked down to St. Mary Lake and got some awesome views of the lake and the ridiculously beautiful mountains (see Facebook again).  We ended up staying there for over an hour and watching the stars appear.  Side note, it takes a while for it to get dark here!   It is still pretty light until 11pm.

Now I am here.  Happily content with another day here in Glacier.  Tomorrow a bunch of us will (most likely) be headed up to Canada to go on more hikes.  I love how this is the norm here.  Everyone is so adventurous and ready to go out and experience things!  I hope to make it back in time to watch my Mavs beat up on Miami!  All in all, life is very good.  I hope to get this journal out to you all tomorrow morning so that you can read up on all the exciting times out here in the middle of nowhere!  I am thinking about you all and hope that all is going well on your end.

Life is beautiful, we just need sto look for that beauty in everything that we do. 

With love from Montana.

Fourth Update begins here:

Sunday – June 5, 2011

Today was a pretty good day.  I took it easy.  Instead of driving up to Canada with some people, I decided to hang around here and get some things done.  I read a book about the Going-to-the-Sun Road, played some Bball, hiked to a beaver pond, ate out at the Park Café (again) and then watched my Mavs fight valiantly in their loss to the Miami Heat.  It was really quite a peaceful and easy day.  I was happy to get internet service to send out the journal today to you all.  I love hearing back from you!  I’m sorry if I am not responding in full to you.  My internet is very infrequent, and when I do have it, I don’t have it for very long.  I hope you take my lack of response in the right light and read these journals as my grateful reply to your much-appreciate messages.

I had a chance encounter today.  When I was sitting in the lobby of a hotel watching the basketball game, I started talking with this one guy.  In the course of our conversation he told me that he just graduated from USC (University of South Carolina for all you non-SC residents).  I told him I went to Clemson.  Then he said, “are you Austin Barrett?”  I was blown away.  How did he know?  J  It turns out we have a mutual friend that told him about how I will be spending the summer in Glacier.  This guy (Daniel) was very nice.  He is running religious services in the St. Mary Campground on Sunday mornings and also is working at the Park Café…I know I talk about this place so much…IT’S THAT GOOD!  Anyways, it was a good coincidence to run into him.  I’m sure we’ll cross paths many more times.

As I mentioned above, it is really enjoyable to read the responses I get to my journals.  I am so interested in what you all are doing over this summer!  When reading some of these responses, I realize how different my experience here.  This is probably the most remote place I have ever been.  Besides the Park and a few hotels, there is nothing here.  It’s kind of FUN!  Being outside and experiencing the park is the main source of entertainment.  I am 100% okay with that!!  J

I wish that I would write in my journal earlier in the day….whenever I get around to it, I always am so tired and want to sleep.  There have been times that I literally have dosed while trying to finish out an entry.  I’ve had some really great moments and interesting ideas that I wish I wrote down, but have sense forgotten.  I think from now on, I will continue to record my daily events, but also hope to include more of my reflections on what transpired.  Life is Good.  I’m headed to bed.  I appreciate each and every one of you.

With love from Montana, 

Monday – June 6, 2011

Guess what?  Today was another great day!!  Most of it was spent hiking around Two Medicine Valley.  When I say hiking, I mean SNOWSHOEING!  J  Yep, all you people down south, we had to snowshoe to get anywhere in this section of the park.  Hahaha!  We ended up hiking a side valley past Apastoki falls and towards a place called Scenic Point.  The snow got too thick and dangerous after a while, so we turned back.  In the process of the hike we got to ID lots of trees and animals.  Highlights included traversing through a (dead) Whitebark Pine Forest, checking out some awesome Juniper, Kinnikicki, wildflowers, a family of Big-horn sheep, a beaver dam, and some Mountain goats.  This place is still very wild.  There is so much to see it is ridiculous!

After our hikes, we came back here to St. Mary and played some horseshoes!  Gosh, with the exception of about a month ago at a State Park, I haven’t really played horseshoes in like 10 years!  It was great to bust out that good old game and have some fun times with the rest of the crew.  After that, I came back and made a great veggie-pasta dinner and continued looking at old pictures.  Seeing these images of the past spurs so many thoughts.  First of all, they make me thankful for the life that I have lived and the people that I have known.  Secondly, they make me think about how life changes.  We are constantly in a state of flux.  From year to year SO MUCH HAPPENS!  I was looking at pictures of me when I first toured Clemson.  At that time, I had no idea what that place would eventually come to mean to me.  As time passes and experiences amount, it seems like life continually builds upon itself.  The past is the foundation upon which you can look to the future.  Looking at these pictures has made me appreciate every day that these two eyes have been so lucky to see.

Tomorrow we are having 5 hours of bear training.  I feel like after tomorrow, I will be a pro about bear biology, psychology, safety, lifecycle, etc…  THEN, my Mavs have a chance to even the series with that doggone team from Miami.  I hope Dirk and the Boys can pull out a W!

Well, not too much more to say.  I’ll let you guys off the hook tonight with a shorter entry than normal (I think).  Thank you again for reading.  I hope this entry finds you all happy and healthy.

With love from Montana <3

Tuesday – June 7, 2011

Today was not a good day.  JUST KIDDING!  J  Almost gotcha…  The majority of the day was taken up by bear training.  For five hours this morning/afternoon, we learned nearly EVERYTHING about black and grizzly bears (well maybe not everything, but just about).  We learned about their life cycle, how to handle conflicts, and the research being done on them here at Glacier Park.  It was all very interesting, but it was still held in a dark and steamy auditorium.  When break time occurred, it must have looked like a mass-exodus of Park Rangers….about 80 of us got outside as quick as possible…that must have been a sight for the visitors.  J

After training, came back for a quick nap and then went to the gym with Kristen.  It was great to lift weights.  It had been about two months since I did that!  After that, I went to the lodge to watch my Dallas Mavericks eeek out a win against the Miami Heat.  It was a super exciting game.  There was about 30 of us watching the game in the lobby.  Everyone was into the game!  It was fun to share in the excitement (who knew so many Park Rangers would be sports fans?)  During the game, I wrote about 12 postcards!  Send me your mailing address, and I promise to get you a card!  I love writing them, and looking at the pretty pictures!  Consider postcard-writing one of my new favorite hobbies.

Tomorrow we head back to the West Side of the Park.  We’ll be having some more training about the Park resources (wildlife, geology, etc…)  It will be an exciting and enlightening few days.  I look forward to soaking up as much as possible. 

In other exciting news, we might be flooded out here at the Ranger Station.  As you might remember, we’re near a roaring creek.  With all the rain we have had and the immense amount of snow about to melt, the creek could easily overflow its banks and flood our area.  I hope this is not the case, but we may not be able to get back here after training.  We’ll see what happens.  Stay tuned.

I’d like to give a shout-out to the amazingness of technology.  Today, Brittany Banik called me (from SINGAPORE).  She used Skype to call my new Pre-Paid phone (number below) and we talked for a good while.  Imagine this real quick: she called from literally around the world to a phone in Middle-of-nowhere-Montana.  Amazing….

On the subject of my new phone, feel free to give me a ring (preferably in the evenings).  It’s $2 a day that I use it, but hearing from you all is worth every penny.

The number is: (406) 845-3267.  I also get text messages (2 cents per) so send me something if you’d like!  I am so happy to have this new communication life-line.  I am really trying to make an effort to stay connected with you all this summer (i.e. my journals, email, postcards, phone….)  Let’s keep it up! You all are so important to me.

Well, I better go to bed.  We have to be on the road by 6:15am tomorrow!  Ouch….  I hope you’re all doing well!

With love from Montana.

Wednesday – June 8, 2011

Today was a long, but good day.  I woke up at 5:45am to get ready to head over to the West side for more training.  This time, I heeded the advice of my family, and didn’t pick up an hitch-hikers.  J

The drive was uneventful.  It rained the entire time….flooding seems eminent.  I’ll convey more details as they become available.  Ohh well…

Training was pretty interesting today.  We talked a lot about the current research happening in the park.  There are over 70 projects that are operating within Glacier.  They span from Mountain goats to ptarmigans (little snow birds) to Climate Change to primitive bacteria.  It was cool to hear all about the current projects underway.  Maybe I can help volunteer with one of them!

In the evening, we had the annual interpretation division cook-out.  We grilled burgers, hotdogs, and tons of snacks/deserts.  I brought out the guitar and played a bunch for people.  It really went well.  I played a lot of songs and people really appreciated it.  Sometimes, I feel hesitant about playing in those kind of settings.  I’m not nervous to play in front of people, but I am instead worried that it is not the right kind of setting….like I am taking over the entire scene.  Today was just perfect, I could blend in, but also be appreciated by the group.  Also, it helps to have other musicians to spread the spotlight with.  It is fun to bring out the talents of others.  All in all it was a good evening with a truly fun and interesting group of people.

Afterwards, I went to the lobby of the lodge.  There, I wrote a postcard or two.  In the past two days, I have sent off 15 postcards!  I am very proud of this fact.  J  I like writing them and sending pretty pictures your way.   J

While I was in the lobby, a family of five came in to play backgammon.  In the process of hanging around the lobby, one of the kids (about 6 years old), sat down at the piano and played a tune.  I got out the guitar and played with him.  It was fun!  Then I learned that his sister (around again 11) played guitar.  I handed over my instrument and let her play.  She turned out to be really good!  Quite a talented youngster!  We traded songs for aobut an hour.  The parents were so nice.  They all were from Cincinnatti and were on a National Parks tour.  Their other stops so far have included Grand Teton and Yellowstone.  It was so pleasant talk with them about music and about Glacier.  I felt very fulfilled after spending nearly two hours with them.

Now, I’m here in my motel room about to turn in.  Tomorrow morning (bright and early), I am going on a birding walk with an ornithologist.  I hope we see some good stuff!  I LOVE BIRDS!  Additionally, training tomorrow should be interesting.  Then, I think some of us were going to see the new X-Men movie on our way back to St. Mary.  THEN, the Mavs play again.  What a day!

I’ll be back with more updates tomorrow!  With love from Montana.

Thursday – June 9, 2011

Today was a pretty great day!  It began with a birding walk around Lake McDonald.  On our hour walk, we saw/heard 25 different species of birds.  Dr. Benson led us around and pointed out so many different calls and ID signs.  It was great!  Actually, on Saturday morning, Kaylin and I will be going birding at 6am!  We’re nature nerds, I know…

Moving on, we got to hear presentations about wolverines, wolves, and fish.  The wolverines talk was fascinating!!  These little critters are beasts!  They have been known to single-handedly drive grizzly bears off of a kill.  They can travel prodigious distaces and have a massive home territory.  To put it best, the presenter called them the “badass demons” of the mountains.  J

I got a little tired throughout the day though.  I was getting a little restless sitting in another classroom all day long.  We finished the day around 3:15pm.  After that, I went to the park library and checked out a number of books about Glacier/Nature poetry.  I feel like I now have a head-start on writing some songs for my evening programs.  A number of the poems I have read so far are hilarious and poignant.  They will provide some great material to put to music.

After that, I made the 2 hour drive back here to the east side.  When I got back, I made a quick dinner and then headed to the St. Mary Lodge to watch the Mavericks game.  We ended up winning!  The game was so exciting!!!  J  Now, I’m about to head to bed.  Tomorrow, we have 8 hours of flexible time to prepare for our programs and research ideas further.  I am excited about making the most of tomorrow.

Headed to bed y’all.  This has probably been the shortest entry yet!  Sleep well and I’ll talk you later!

With love from Montana!

Friday – June 10, 2011

Today was a wonderful day!  We had the entire day to spend working on our programs.  We call this “prep time.”  Soooo…..I spent the day working on some songs using the poerty that I checked out from the library.  All in all, I put music to six poems.  It was a super productive day in other words.  A number of those songs are keepers!

In the afternoon, I played some basketball with some friends.  We had a grand old time shooting hoops!  Afterwards, I went on a six mile run.  I just got my new watch!  I am so happy it came in.  I have been waiting to have my watch (which tells my running mileage) for a while now.  It felt really good to get running again.  It had been to long.  My dream of running the Sun-Road is still alive….now I am starting to work towards it! 

After that, we had a fun campfire cookout.  About 25 people showed up to enjoy good food and good company.  I had a great time meeting new people and hanging out with friends.  Good night.

 I know this journal entry isn’t that interesting.  I’m sorry.  I need to go to sleep soon.  Kaylin and I will be going birding tomorrow morning at 6am.  That means I need to leave here at 5:30….I’m definitely not a morning person, but I’m trying to change this.  Wish me luck!

With love from Montana.

Saturday – June 11, 2011

Hello everybody!  Today was a fantastic day!  Geeez!  Where to begin.  Alright, here goes.  I woke up today at 5:20am.  Kaylin and I decided that we wanted to go birding early in Many Glacier.  That means I had to make the 30 minute drive up there…  In my sleepy haze, I managed to get everything together and make it up there by 6:15.  Soon after, Kaylin and I hit the trail.

At the beginning of the hike, it was very difficult to ID the birds because we were in a thick forest and could only hear the calls.  I’m not very good (yet) at being able to ID the bird by song, so it was a little frustrating.  After we left the forest, it was much easier to get a look at the birds.  On the hike we saw tons of different Warblers, a spotted sanderling, lots of sparrows, a Veery, robins and other thrushes, mallards, and a few other birds.  It was a very productive walk in the woods.

Our route took us around Swiftcurrent Lake, Lake Josephine (look it up….with a picture of Mt. Gould in the background…..it’s an iconic image of the park) and then onwards towards Grinnell Glacier.  I got to get a close look at my first Glacier in the park.  Grinnell was still totally covered in snow (and will be for the next two months) but eventually you’ll be able to see the Glacier beneath all that snow.  It was simply spectacular scenary.  I am in love with the Many Glacier area.  I would recommend that visitors go there to experience the full majesty of the park.  It is like a mountain kingdom there.  There are so many opportunities for exploration there….it is ridiculous. 

While on the trail, I saw the COOLEST thing yet.  From about a ½ mile away, we saw a Moose and her two calves walking along the shore of Lake Josephine.  The two calves had to have been only a few weeks old.  We watched them for about 15 minutes.  During that time, the momma moose crossed a roaring creek.  The calves attempted to follow, but couldn’t make it across by themselves.  The momma moose came back to help them ford the creek.  It was unbelievable.  Also, when the momma moose was stopped, the babies would try to suckle from the mother.  The momma didn’t want anything to do with that, so she would keep on walking.  In the process, she would accidently kick of the babies and they would roll around in the snow.  I am so thankful to have seen nature in action.  Also, I’m thankful that I was up on a ridge far away from them.  I am more terrified of moose than of bears.  Those guys are simply HUGE!

After seven hours of hiking, Kaylin and I called it a day.  We came back and I played her some of the tunes I had been working on.  While there, she gave me a poem written by a Ranger who is here for his 56^th year in a row.  I put it to music and now have another great song to add to my arsenal.  Gosh, I’m getting good at this!

Then, I drove home and fell asleep.  I set my alarm for only an hour nap, but I must have turned it off in my sleep!  I slept for 3 and ½ hours!  Then, I went on a walk with Kristen and we watched the sunset across the rugged peaks. 

Now, I’m headed to bed with a contended heart.  Today was really a great day.  I don’t know if I have been this consistently happy in a while.  Throughout the years, my life has been wonderful, but there have been moments here and there that have gotten me down.  Since I have been here, I am hard pressed to think of days that I have been upset for an extended amount of time.  Life has just been that relaxed and free.  I feel like my time is consistently enriching here.  I am always learning, always exploring, and consistently sharing good company.  For all of this, I am very thankful.

With love from Montana.

Fifth Update begins here:

Sunday – June 12, 2011

The Dallas Mavericks are NBA Champions!

This must be a big deal if that statement on-upped the perfunctory “Today was a great day.”  J

Actually, today WAS a great day.  I slept until 8am and was productive ever since.  I have been working on my songs like crazy the past few days.  Today, I wrote a song about glaciers.  I think it turned out really well.  All told, I have TEN songs down in two days.  I spent a few hours transcribing them all into a word document and putting the chords over-top of them.  I am so excited with where this is going.  When I play these songs for the public, I believe it will be an experience that stays with them for a long time.  I don’t want to sound high on myself (and I know that what I am about to say will sound that way), but I have a gift for this.  I am naturally able to write and play music.  Others may be more talented that me in most other things, but music is what I intuitively understand and excel at.  I am glad that this job is letter me utilize this gift.  I haven’t neglected my talents over recent years, but I’m not sure if I have explored them to a full extent.   It seems like this summer I will be able to do that.

Alright, now that I am off my pompous soapbox, I’ll continue on with the rest of my day.  In the afternoon I went to the gym and lifted some weights.  Geeez, that about something that I am not good at….I will be sore for the rest of the week!  Then, I went to a point on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and transcribed all my songs.  I sat at the Wild Goose Island Overlook (google image that…..it’s worth it) and basked in the sun and creativity.

After that, I went to the St. Mary lodge and watched my Dallas Mavericks win!  What an incredible performance!  I am so happy that my team won.  They all deserved it….especially Dirk and Jason Kidd.  Great evening!

I got to talk to a few people today on the phone.  It was great to catch up (if only briefly).  I love my friends (you included!).  Give me a call if you like at: (406) 845-3267.  Preferably in the evenings (I’m on Mountain Time here).  I would love to hear from you!

After the game, I went to the Lead Interpretive Ranger’s cabin and talked to him about my ideas for the campfire program.  In the process, I played him all the songs.  He was very excited about the potential.  He offered some magnificent feedback about how I could approach this.  His ideas have gotten me thinking in different directions.  I’ll let you know what I come up with.

Tomorrow, we head back to the West Side (again) for a final all-employee orientation.  It will be a brutal day of government standards mumbo-jumbo.  Wish me luck!  I need to seriously stock up on some coffee or 5-hour energy to keep me awake….

Thanks for reading about my day!  It definitely was a good one!  I hope yours was too.  J

With love from Montana.

Monday – June 13, 2011

Today was a really good day.  It started super early after a late night.  I only got about five hours of sleep….hmmmm…..gotta change that.  We left for the West Side of the Park around 7am.  Today was going to be a Park-Wide Orientation day.  The first heard from my boss, Mark Wagner.  He gave us a moving presentation about why the National Park Service and Glacier are significant.  It was very inspiring.  This place is truly special.  The National Park idea is truly special.  I feel honored to help contribute to this outstanding tradition of SERVICE. 

After Mark, we heard from the Superintendent and other Division Chiefs.  It was alright…not bad, but not great.  I am getting a little haggard with all these trainings and orientations.  I know that they are necessary and standard, but it’s getting a bit much.

We had a really cool thing happen during lunch.  Kaylin and I were walking to the Park Library when we came across the bio-techs collaring a grizzly bear.  The bear had been caught, transported to the park headquarters, tranquilized heavily, and then collared.  The best part was, the bio-techs let everyone watch!  This 300 pound grizzly (with 12 inch claws) was knocked out and being handled by us humans.  It was surreal to see this WILD animal being worked on by park officials.  Wow.  They use radio telemetry to gain information about the Grizzly populations here in the park.

After the exciting bear encounter, we had a final training session that was equally exciting…..safety training!  Wow.  It was a waste of time.  We learned about chemicals, diseases, personal protective equipment, blah, blah, blah.  The best part was that there were some technical difficulties, so they had to cut it short.  Woot!  After that, we headed back to our side of the park.  The ride back was very pleasant.  I feel like our group is really beginning to come together.  Everyone is so nice!

When we got back, I took a much needed nap….on the floor.  Alright everyone, funny story.  All last year, I slept on the floor.  All year, my Mom (I love you mom!) would express her displeasure that every night I “sleep like a farm animal.”  She tried to buy me a bed all year long.  J  So in other words, my nap on the floor was a homecoming of sorts….and it felt great!

Then, I played a concert for some friends.  I played the 10 songs that I have put together so far.  They were all excited about the possibilities!  Also, I just looked at my schedule.  I will have so much time to prepare for my programs because so many of our activities will not happen for a while (because of the high snows).  That means, I have even more time to perfect my ideas.

After all this, I went on a 6-mile run.  It felt great!  Then, I came back and made a pasta-based dish with an onion, cucumber, avocado, and pink salmon topping.  It was tasty!! 

Then, some friends and I began to watch Jurassic Park!  Man!  It had been years since I saw that!  I only stayed for half of it (after the T-Rex attack) because I want to get to sleep soon.  But still, it was fun!

In other news, I mailed 12 postcards today.  Then, I bought 22 more.  I am loving this postcard writing.  If you are reading this, and have not sent me your address, please send it my way, I would love to write you!  (FYI, I already have 10 more cued up for mailing tomorrow)

Now, I’m headed to bed.  We’re having more training tomorrow to prepare us for the boat tour.  This will be a better type of training session.  At least it will be specificly aimed at one activity.  I’m actually excited.  Then, in the evening, we will participate in a campfire program about Wolverines.  The Interpreter giving the talk will be a returning Ranger.  It will be good to see how she approaches the setting.  I hope to pick up a few pointers for my own program.

Alright, enough writing.  I hope you all have had great days too!  We’ll be in touch!

With love from Montana.

Tuesday – June 14, 2011

Today was another fine day.  It was a little rough waking up this morning.  For the past two nights, I haven’t done a very good job of getting to bed at reasonable times.  I was up until 1:30 last night writing postcards.  That’s not the best decision when you have to wake up at 7am!  Tonight, I’ll try and do a better job of changing my sleep schedule.

Later in the morning, we talked about the boat tour for about 2 hours.  We covered most of the stops we will be covering while on the boat.  The impression I got from the talk was that as interpreters, we are simply supposed to compliment the boat experience.  Visitors signed up to go on the boat because they want to experience an absolutely incredible valley-viewing experience.  They didn’t sign up necessarily to have an interpreter talk to them the whole time.  We are supposed to add commentary that contributes to the overall boat experience.  Included in the boat experience is a three-mile round trip hike to St. Mary waterfall.  This afternoon, I hiked that trail with 6 other interpreters.  Together, we must have ID’d every plant, asked 1,000 questions of each other, and figured out points of interest for the future.  I feel pretty comfortable with the whole boat tour.  I need to study up, but from the looks of it, the whole experience is pretty straightforward.

Then, we talked about how to use the Park’s radio system.  We figured out the different channels, call signs, communication procedures, and other specifics.  It was cool to learn about how the park keeps tabs on the flurry of activity happening.  Every year, Glacier receives 2 million visitors (that is 4x the population of neighbor Wyoming).  Coool!

This evening, we attended Adrian’s campfire program about Wolverines.  These critters are incredible.  There are about 30 of them in the park and have been known to have home ranges of 200 square miles.  They are prolific travelers, figthers, and scavengers.  Adrian did a great job tying together her program and keeping her audience engaged.  It was also very informative to see the space that I will be giving my future campfire programs in.  It helped clarify some of the logistical questions I had.  Now, I feel like I can move forward in my planning of my program.  Tonight, I plan on sketching out some ideas for themes, techniques, and transitions.

Tomorrow, we will be talking about Visitor Center procedures.  More training……I was told today that we won’t begin giving our programs until the 26^th.  Geeez!  I will only be around to give my programs for a month and a half!  Ohhh well.  I’ll just have to make the most of it.

Later this evening, I went to they gym to lift some weights.  The gym has an old TV with a VCR player.  I put in the James Bond movie “From Russia with Love.”  I thought it was applicable considering how I sign off on all of these entries.  J  I’ll probably go to the gym often in the evenings (probably for only 30 minutes).  During those trips I could watch all the old James Bond movies (there are about 6 of them there!)

Well, now it’s time to get to bed to prepare my program and read some books.  J  Goodnight everyone!

With love from Montana.

P.s. I just uploaded more pictures to my computer.  I am particularly proud of this one: (Mt. Gould from the Grinnell Glacier Trail)

Sixth Update begins here:

Wednesday – June 15, 2011

Today was a pretty good day.  Not dramatically good, but alright.  The morning was a little unorganized.  We all met at the Visitor Center at 8am for some VC Operations.  We were learning about how to open and close the visitor center.  Also, we learned aobut our schedules.  I will actually be giving the first campfire talk.  This means that I need to get busy on perfecting my talk.

On that subject, I have developed a few ideas.  I think my theme will be about how Glacier National Park inspires people.  I will cover a number of different time-periods and people.  First, I’ll talk about the Native Americans and their deep ties to the land.  Then, I’ll talk about the early white explorers and the establishment of the National Park.  Then, I’ll talk about some of the local homesteaders and their connection to the park.  Then, I’ll highlight some of the perspectives of the Rangers who have worked here.  Finally, I will involve the audience in sharing how their experience here at Glacier has impacted their lives.  The entire focus of this program will be on how Glacier inspires a diverse group of people.  Utilizing my song-writing and performing skills, I plan on supplying a song or two on each sub-category.  I am well on my way to doing this…I need to just buckle down and put together some more awesome tunes. 

In conjunction with this musical exploration of inspiration, I plan on pulling off something very unique.  As part of the “audience involvment,” I want to create a mural of some sort.  Here’s the idea.  I will build a frame that can hold about 12 8 and ½ by 11 sheets of cardstock.  Combined, these cardstock sheets will create mosaic of some feature in Glacier.  At the beginning of the program, I will distribute these evenly to the audience in attendance.  Throughout the program, I will encourage them to write on the cardstock how Glacier inspires them, or what the park means to them.  Then, I’ll also ask them to include their name and where they are from.  At the end of the program, I will ask each person to place their cardstock in the correct spot.  Thus, when all are accounted for, we will have a beautiful mosaic of Glacier NP, chalked full with reasons why people think Glacier is special.  Included in this will a quick reference as to where they are coming from.   By doing this, I hope to illustrate that Glacier National Park means something different to most everyone, but everyone can agree that it is important.  Glacier offers inspiration that transcends boundaries and communicates universal concepts.  Check out the graphic below:

After working on program, I got to go on another boat tour.  I am not very nervous about giving the boat tour.  I get the impression that while on the boat, I shouldn’t be the center of attention.  Instead, I should provide commentary that supports the simple beauty of what is happening outside of the boat.  I am simply supposed to give people a very basic knowledge base upon which they can enjoy the views to an even greater extent.  I’m glad I got to witness another boat tour.  The more I have experienced, the more prepared I will be for when I start giving them myself.

In the evening, I moved my stuff from my apartment to a trailer.  I am now officially a Trailer Park Boy.  The trailer has two rooms and is bigger than the apartment Lee and I were sharing, so it made since to switch with Adrian who was living here all alone.  Gosh, I’m not a fan of moving!  It takes so long to do it!  Oh well, it is done, and it is for the better.

Then, I watched Game 7 of the NHL Finals.  Boston ended up winning.  Wooo, big deal… I am more glad that sports are officially off my radar now.  I felt like most every evening, I was watching TV.  That didn’t feel right to do that in a place like this.

I ate a great salad at the lodge and settled in to call my folks.  They’re doing really well and are excited about coming up here in a few months!  I am very excited to show them around.  There’s so much to see.  Also, I got to talk to Brittany Banik in Singapore!  It is always so wonderful to catch up with her.  It is incredible how different lives we’re living right now…I’ll chalk it up to the fact that we are both having “unique” summers.

Now I am settled into my new bedroom and looking forward to sleeping in.  We don’t have work until noon, so I will get to sleep a little longer.  I still have some preparation to do on my program, so I will definitely get up earlier, but sleep will be a necessary friend (because it is yet again 1:00am….)

J  Alright enough typing for today.  I’ll be back tomorrow with some more exciting updates!

With love from Montana.

Thursday – June 16, 2011

Wow.  Today was a fantastic day!  First of all, we got to sleep in.  I woke up at 10am.  This was much needed.  J  Then, me, Lee, and Jeremy went to the Park Café (the awesomest place around) for breakfast.  I attempted to get my signature cowboy breakfast (sausage gravey on top of sunny side up eggs on top of biscuits) BUT they didn’t have biscuits.  Let me repeat, they didn’t have biscuits.  Excuse me, but what respectable BREAKFAST place does not have BISCUITS?  Gosh, it hurt me.  My friends were making fun of me saying “You’re not in the south anymore Austin.”  Well, I settled for Pigs in a Blanket, but the waiter only gave me two tiny cubes of butter.  I promptly asked him for more and ended up putting the double portion on only one pancake.  Then I asked for more butter for my second pancake.  He looked at me kind funny and went back to the kitchen for more.  Meanwhile Lee (from Colorado) and Jeremy (from Boston) were laughing at my Southerness.  Oh well, I’m fine with that (actually I’m proud of that).  Shout out to my southern people.

Moving on, we had the day to work on our programs.  I had a coaching session with Eric and we talked about the direction of my program and how to tie it all together.  I still definitely have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m excited for the challenge.  Now I hope to have enough time to pull it together like I want it to be.  Taking Eric’s guidance into consideration, I re-drafted the outline for my program with this question in mind: Why should the audience care?  My program is about inspiration, meaning, and caring.  I feel like my new ideas have more cohesion.  Then, I had another coaching session with Elizabeth.  Elizabeth has come in for the next two weeks to help with program preparation.  She was the Eric for the past 8 seasons but can’t do it any more because she is setting up an ecotourism enterprise down in Argentina this summer (PARK PEOPLE ARE SO COOL…..)  It was exciting to tell her my ideas and to play her some of the songs.  She was very excited about where I am heading.

Then, the big news came in that the time for the campfire program tonight was being advertised at the wrong time.  Fliers advertised it to start at 7:30 when it was really going to start at 8pm.  So, Mark, my boss who was giving the program, asked me to play some of my songs to cover that extra 30 minutes.  I gladly accepted.  In return, he took me out to dinner beforehand.

Mark and I got to the campsite amphitheatre amidst drizzling rain.  We weren’t optimistic about people showing up, but low and behold they did!  So, I had an audience to try out the songs I have been working on.  And you know what?  IT WENT AWESOME!  I had someone hold the lyrics (because I haven’t memorized them yet….hell I wrote the songs a few days ago)  J  All in all, I played six songs and gave a quick story behind all of them.  I really feel like it went well.  No joke it was stellar.  Then, when I finished up, one man shouted out for me to play “Rocky Mountain High.”  I did.  Everyone loved it!  It was a magical experience.  I can’t wait for my program to come around!  Mark gave a great program about bears.  He’s such an energetic, knowledgable, and fun guy.  All in all, it was a great evening.

Then, Jeremy and I went to the gym quickly.  We continued watching the James Bond Movie (From Russia With Love).  It was a nice quick work-out.  Then, I came back here and wrote 12 postcards!  BOOM!  I feel so productive.  Hahaha

Tomorrow we are going to East Glacier for some more specific training.  Tomorrow will be all about Logan Pass.  Logan Pass is the visitor center at the top of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.  It gets super busy up there once the road is open (which seems like it will never happen!)  Up there, we give talks about Global Warming and its effects on the ecosystem here.  Should be an informative day.  But sadly, I am really tired of training.  I hope I can keep a good attitude.  Wish me luck.

Now it’s time for bed.  Thanks for reading everyone.  I hope you all had great days too!

With love from Montana.

Friday – June 17, 2011

Today was another fine day.  For work, we traveled down to East Glacier and went to the Glacier Park Hotel.  We spent the full work day training about operations up at Logan Pass.  Logan Pass is the highest point on the Going-to-the-Sun Road and sits right on top of the Continental Divide.  Currently, Logan Pass is under 15 feet of snow, so it might be a few weeks until we can finally get up there.

Our duties at Logan Pass will be varied.  Three times a day we will give a talk entitled “Goodbye to the Glaciers.”  This 15 session will talk about how Climate Change is impacting the Park.  This covers many areas including the obvious recession of the glaciers, but more nuanced effects such as the changing of alpine ecosystems, and the impacts on various iconic animals.  It will be a good (and undoubtably controversial) topic to bring up with visitors.

While up at the Pass, we will be manning the Visitor Center.  This rustic building has no electricity and is made out of stone.  That being said, it is probably the busiest and most hectic work environment in the park.  It is estimated that 12,000 people come to Logan Pass…..EVERY DAY!  Can you imagine that?  We will be answering visitors questions, helping with traffic control, roving the trails, guiding hikes to various locations, and helping out on any emergencies that arise (with 12,000 people per day, something is going to come up).  It will be exciting!  I can’t wait to get up there…..now the snow just has to hurry up and melt.

During training, we learned how to secure injured patients into an outdoor and rollable stretcher.  It was really cool to get to do that hands on work.  I don’t want anything bad to happen to anyone up at Logan Pass, but it would be exciting to assist in an emergency.

Coming home, I realized something awesome.  As part of my internship, I qualify for an Americorps Education Grant.  For the past two summers I also received the grant.  The news today was that I still qualify for another one!  Originally, there was a two-term limit on these grants, so I thought I had used it all up.  But no!  Now I have some more money headed my way at the end of the summer!  How awesome!

After training, I came back and took a nap.  I am beginning to feel a little bit under the weather.  I have some weird things going on in my sinuses.  So, the nap was much needed because at 6:30 we were all meeting at the Many Glacier Hotel for Huckleberry Daquieries.  It was the first day that the Many Glacier Hotel had been open for the season.  We were all happy to be in on this celebration.  The beverage was great and STRONG.  Geeeez, the bartender put a lot of Rum in that baby!  It didn’t get to my head, but it sure did get to my taste buds.  Mmmmmmm.

After hanging around in the Grand Lobby of the Hotel for a while, we decided to go downstairs to hear a fellow Ranger speak about the history of the Park.  Diane (the boss of the Many Glacier area) gave the talk and was simply fantastic.  It reaffirmed by admiration of just what it is we are doing here as interpreters.  Awesome stuff.

I caught a ride home with Valerie and her husband John.  They are such nice people.  EVERYONE IS SO NICE!  I can’t say it enough, but there is just a fantastic group of people assembled here.   I cooked a dinner of rice and bean burritos.  It was really tasty.  I’ve had the trailer all to myself this evening, and it has been nice to have the peace and quiet.  I did a little reflecting, re-read the journals of some of my friends, and simply relished the silence.  It was good.

Tomorrow, I think I am going to stay around here and get a lot of things done.  Instead of going over to the West Side of the park with the rest of the gang, I’ll stay here.  I am taking my campfire presentation very seriously…and I know that I have a lot of work to do before we give our presentations to each other on Wednesday/Thursday.  I don’t want to be behind the eight-ball in my preparation.  Additionally, I am due for a big run.  I hope to log some serious miles tomorrow (maybe a half-marathon?).  Finally, at Many Glacier, and interpreter is giving a talk about the birds of the Park.  I want to hear that one for sure.  All signs point to me staying here and being productive.  I know that I am missing out on a hike and a fun camping experience, but I have to put first things first.

Alright, enough typing.  I’ll let y’all get back to your lives.  Thanks again for reading!  I know I type a lot, but I hope you enjoy what I have to say. (Note: I never re-read what I write, so you’re getting all this stuff off-the-cuff and straight from the heart)  Sleep well everyone!

With love from Montana.

Saturday - June 18, 2011

Today was a pretty fine day.  Instead of going with the group to go camping/hiking, I hung around St. Mary to get a leg up on my presentation.  All told, I spent about five hours working on it in the computer lab.  After putting in all that time I began to go a little stir crazy.  It was productive though.  I created my tapestry after lots of trouble shooting.  Additionally, I filled out my Americorps logs, so I’m on track with that.  Also, I researched some music notation software to purchase so I can create my songbook.  All in all, it was productive.

Then, I came back for a nap.  You know the feeling where you get tired from just sitting around all day?  Well I felt like that and needed to take a nap.  After the nap, I went on a five-mile run up the Sun Road.  Alright people, the wind here is pervasive.  For half of the run, it seemed like I was running into a tornado/hurricance.  It really makes running not very fun.  But, then I turn around to head back to my car, and the wind is at my back.  Fickle thing.  Oh well, I got my miles in and was happy about that.

After a shower and dinner, I headed back o Many Glacier to go to Dr. Benson’s bird talk.  Kaylin and I were very excited to hear the presentation.  Sadly, the power was or in the entire Many Glacier Valley!  So, the talk was cancelled.  Poor Many Glacier Hotel!  They just opened yesterday and now have to evacuate all of the patrons from the building.  What a mess.

So Kaylin and I decided to take a hike up to Apikuni Falls.  This one mile trail was steep!  More training!  The falls were beautiful though.  It reminded me of one of the falls in Yosemite.  Awesome!

Then I drove back to St. Mary and began recording some songs.  I only got through one before I got too tired to keep going.  (Notice that I am writing this entry the next morning because I fell asleep) But the one I did get recorded sounds great!

I’ll be back later today to fill in about what happened the rest of this muggy, windy, and cold day at the Crown of the Continent.

With love from Montana