Mountains and Grizzlies

     Since my last blog entry many things have been going on here in Yellowstone; Some good things and some not so good things.  Let me start with the good things.

     Well, my weekends here have been amazing! I have been camping twice already and each time has brought new adventures for me. The hikes I have taken of late have also been epic. My first trip was to Grand Teton National Park and let me just say now, the scenes there are gorgeous. I had a hard time putting my camera down to do anything else.  You may have already seen the pictures that I took on that trip on my Facebook. I am especially proud of the black and white photo that I recently posted there. I may have it printed and framed when I get back home.  The people I camped with are amazing. I have come to know them well since I have met them here and I feel so blessed to have them in my life. Even if they do get a little crazy at times ;) We say many specimens of wild life and even saw an antelope.  Which I am told are not all too easy to find. Bison were also on that list of things we saw. In fact, while we were visiting a place called Mormon Row, there was a huge herd of bison in a nearby field. Needless to say we did not get too close to them, especially since there were many calves around. The calves were so cute though.  That was a great way to start my camping experience out here I think.

     My last weekend also consisted of camping, this time though we decided to go back country camping. This was my first time doing any back country camping here in Yellowstone and I was excited. We found a pretty awesome campsite in an area called Sentinel Meadows. Just the name made me feel like I was in a whole different world where civilization had never touched the beauty that I saw before me. Again, you may have already seen the photos I took of that trip. I seem to have a habit of posting my photos sooner than I do these blogs. Perhaps it is the fact that posting photos is a bit easier to do. Anywho, it was an amazing trip and I am glad that I went. Although: I will say that I was not pleased with the fishing there. The ranger that told us about the area said that the fishing there would be good. I did not see one fish while I was there.  We were kind of hoping to fry up some fish for dinner but, no such luck. It was a good thing we brought tons of snacks. Besides the horrible fishing Sentinel Meadows was an amazing experience and I hope to go back country camping again.

     This weekend has been quite enjoyable for me. I think that after the last two weekends of camping, I am willing to take a break from that for a bit before I go again. Yesterday (my Saturday) my friend and I decided to go climb to a place called Avalanche Peak. And on the way there I saw my first grizzly bear! :D It was pretty amazing. It was a bit far away so I couldn’t get any pictures, but still, it was epic. So, basically we climbed a mountain.  And let me tell you; It was one hell of a climb. I had never been so exhausted and weary on a hike. It was steeper than anything I had ever climbed in my life and just as traitorous. There were times I thought I was not going to make it back down the mountain. Our ascent lasted for about 2 and half hours or so and like I said, every second was tough for me. Somehow though, I did it. I made it to the top and I have the photographic evidence to prove it ;) The view was so worth the climb. I wish we could have stayed on the top for a little longer. Unfortunately my friend needed to get back to Old Faithful to work the dinner shift :P  So, our descent began, which only took about 45 minutes since we literally were running down the mountain like a couple of mountain goats ;) We even were able to sled down part way because of the snow that was still around. That was an experience that I will never forget.  Once we made it back to the car we drove back to Old Faithful just in time for my friend to make it into work on time. The only problem I had on the ride back home was that my stomach was not being friendly to me at all for some reason.  I literally was not able to focus on my surroundings because the pain was so bad. And on top of that I had gotten a splitting head ache that started about the same time the stomach pains started. The car ride home for me was not pleasant :P We saw some male elk on our way back that I barely remember seeing because I was pretty out of it at the time. When we got back, I went straight to bed and took a several hour nap. Thankfully that nap worked wonders for me and when I woke up I was feeling much better than I was before. So much in fact, I was actually able to eat again. The rest of my day was pretty chill. I tried some new ice cream with a friend, (I got ice cream called Huckleberry. It was amazing!) went to the employee pub shot some pool and threw darts with a couple other friends, and to finish off the night we all took a night hike. And today I sit here just chilling writing my blog for all you wonderful people.

     Now, onto the not so good things that have been going on here; work is where all of the trouble seems to be coming from. Go figure right? :P First, people have been either quitting and leaving Yellowstone all together or getting fired for some reason or the other. Most have been leaving because of family issues or personal ones. Or just because they think things are getting too tough for them to handle. This has resulted in the kitchens being understaffed and not able to work at full capacity. This just makes things horrible for us who stay and try to make the best of things.  More than once I have thought of joining those who seem to fleeing. I do not think I will do that though. I came here to work till September 16^th and I will keep that promise I made before I came here. Even if I am the only person on staff left I will stay till the bitter end. 

     Other than those things I just mentioned my time here has been an experience of a lifetime. I am so glad I decided to come here. I have met so many new people, done so many new things, and seen so many things that I thought I would never be able to see in my lifetime.  I do miss my home, family, and friends dearly, but when the time comes for me to leave a piece of me will stay here in Yellowstone.