Nostalgia

5am Friday morning, and I decide it's about time that I start running/walking/hiking. My blistered feet from a failed attempt to hike Deer Mountain the night before sllide relatively easily into my running shoes as if say, "Ah, I remember you." Dressed and ready to go, I am faced with the harsh reality that I am not in Fort Myers anymore; my starting elevation is 8,010 feet, the terrain is rocky and loose in some areas if not muddy, and there are a lot of hills (go figure). I make a deal with my body that if it allows me to run the flatter spans that I will power walk the reaminder and it seems content.

As I run around the open field in front of the administration building (the area you can see from the Y's web cam on their website) I am greeted by the massive yet docile elk feasting upon the new growth of spring. I have only seen males, with their fuzzy and impressive racks of antlers (they will rub the fuzz off on the trees in the months to come) as the females are off in secluded areas giving birth to their young. There are over 3,000 elk in the area which means they are a constant presence everywhere you turn.

I veer off the path headed toward the secret exit from the Y and into the park and my senses begin to hit overload. As a teacher, we learn that there are many different types of learning styles reliant upon the senses; I am definitely an olafactory learner, or one whose memories are tied to smells as well as the active participation of all the other senses. The scent of pines and the Rocky Mountain wilderness pervades the air and enters my lungs, cool and crisp. Everything around me smells and feels refreshed and new, as if it has awaited greeting its inhabitants all winter and now is its chance. The river is rushing through the woods and down the mountain side; freshly melted snow which leaves the air with a fresh sting to it.

The view from my room as I walk to meals...

Ah Memories... fickle little devils... Why is it we can only remember the good things when we may want to remember the bad and then the good when we can only remember the bad? With the scent of RMNP in the air, memories of hikes with the family encompmass my thoughts, and not of the little fights, or the strenuous nature of the hike that led to everyone complaining as my dad gets frustrated with the lack of enthusiasm we have to match his own love, adoration, and devotion to this place. Instead I recall the comraderie and the simple comfort of family life. The rushing water is a reminder of the fishing excursions last year. My silly memory holds such fondness to this experience that it could fool my body into attempting it again despite the freezing cold water that I was up to my waist in at some points, the numbness of my feet and hands that did not leave for days, and being cold wet and seemingly miserable. Instead I recall laughter, comfort, and excitement of sharing my Colorado experience with someone that had never been here before and in turn sharing their favorite recreation in my favorite environment. Maybe this year will hold new memories as Jacquee is contemplating joining me out here for my comp nights and bringing her new boyfriend for me to meet!

Memories... tricky little things. Maybe they are God's way to guide our free will that he probably curses giving us every once in awhile.

A Gluten Free/Lactose Free Colorado

Well it is day three and I am about to head out to work and other than the fact that I have not worked out since I arrived here (I am allowing myself to acclimatize) breakfast is on my mind. Now the major concern of all since I arrived here is "How/What does she eat?" Plenty as a matter of fact! The YMCA provides us with 3 meals a day in a staff cafeteria called the Ponderosa Room aka the Pondo. They serve cafeteria/buffet style with a diverse menu that is always accompanied by what I would call an adequate salad bar. The meals the other staff members have enjoyed range from chicken parm/spagetti night to burgers, veggie burgers and the like. Five star food it is not but it seems to satiate the staff members hunger. For breakfast they have eggs, sausage, bacon, cereal, oatmeal, and tons and tons of fresh fruit. There is always fresh fruit and steamed veggies (without butter) at each meal. So far so good on my go around but I can see the need for me to supplement my protein intake soon.

In my room, I also hide a stash of goodies to snack on at night such as my fool-proof hot air popper for my popcorn which has been a God-send this past year and continues to rescue my sweet tooth on a nightly basis, a little coffee pot for me to warm water for tea, hot chocolate, and coffee of course, apples, and a diverse selection of energy bars and plain rice cakes that I know my body enjoys and will not reject. I also have my flavorings to add for all of these which range from white cheddar popcorn/salad additive, equal, and cinnamon which is a fabulous addition to my rice cakes as well as popcorn. When is doubt, I also have my trustie mini tootsie roll pops that my mom so graciously added to right before I left (they are GF). I am very excited to find that the main grocery store in town, Safeway, has begun to stock my Redi-Whip Fat Free that my stomach sometimes will permit me to consume, as they did not have it at Easter. I know that I may have dropped a few pounds in the past week but know I will gain it back as soon as I start hiking and establish that all important routine that my life so desparately needs.

The sun is rising as I type and it looks as though today is going to be a glorious day; a day that reminds me why I took on this adventure. I work until only 4:30 today (6:30EST) and I hope to find a new friend to take into the park and maybe hike to cub lake or at least around Sprague. Maybe I will be lucky at breakfast =)

As an employee here at the Y, I have many benefits, a lot of which I will detail as the summer progresses as do my adventures. One of the best is that I get 2 free nights here on site or on the other side of the park called Snow Mountain Ranch. If anyone wants to come out and see me or at least the park, I would love to have you and use up these gracious comp nights. Just give me notice! Weekends are better for me as I do not have to work but whenever you can get a flight you are more than welcome. I believe I can get up to 6 people in. This is not an empty invite! I would LOVE to share this experience with some familiar faces and take you into the park that I cherish so dearly!

Well all this talk of bfast has me starving and I got up at 5am (7am Florida time) and have denied my body long enough (today was shower day which is an experience and an event all in itself). Have a wonderful day and I promise pictures tonight!!

A MUCH better day!

Let the clouds clear!! I can almost see Long's Peak in the right picture. Long's Peak is 14, 259 feet and the talles mountain in the park. I plan to hike this mountain in the limited hiking season in July! This is the view I have in my "backyard"

As I return from dinner with the international students from Thailand at the only Thai restaraunt in town (why would a Thai student returning home this week want Thai food from a mountain town in America I do not know... would they take us to McD's if we were leaving them?) I know that today was much better than yesterday. If you could not tell I was slightly lonely yesterday and doing an adequate job feeling sorry for myself. Than, doing the only thing I know how to do, I took a step back and logically looked at the situation. For the past year I have not been overly social (my roomate and college friends can attest to this) and the little hole I had been burying my head in for the past year was going to lead me to a miserable summer. I made the choice to be social and pumped myself up to be interactive starting with breakfast. It worked and I made some guy friends (I tried hanging with the girls first but as usual I bond better with the guys) and now hope to have some hiking buddies.

The elusive BigHorn Sheep I saw just off the side of the road! There were 8 males altogether!!! I saw these on Tuesday 5/27

Work went well and I think I am going to have a lot of fun there. I will tell you more when I know more as we are taking my job description day by day. On a wonderful note, the clouds parted and I saw mountains today1!!! I hope to get pictures up ASAP and may have to start one of those photo bucket things in order to display them all! I LOVE it out here!! Well I am exhausted and I want to start workign out in the AM before work tomorrow morning so I need to be off! Miss you all!!

Sunset just outside the park...this is my favorite part of the range!

My first days

This picture is from Sunday night from our hotel room in Denver. It is Pike's Peak!

After a long yet fun drive, I finally arrived in Colorado on Sunday. Thankfully I had Ricky with me through the trek from Florida, through Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and finally CO!! After placing Rick upon the plane back to Florida on Monday, I embarked upon the end of my trek and the beginning of my new adventure, also known as my summer in the skies! I would be lying if I said my nerves weren't jumping, but thats normal, right? As I pulled into the parking lot, I could hardly contain myself. Disappointment washed over me as my much anticipated view of the mountains had been blocked by the looming and angry clouds that had encompassed the entire park. Oh well, I guess I have a whole summer to experience this.

I walk into the Resident Life office, where I am to procure my keys, and I am greeted by a multitude of friendly faces, all anticipating my arrival. I am to work in this office, you see, as a part time Resident Assistant and the other part spent as an Assistant to Human Resources. Although I do not know the extent of my job duties, I know that as a RA I can do many different facets of this job, planning events for the 500 full time seasonal employees that reside on property to handling discipline issues and crisis situations no different than my time as a RA at UCF. HR still is not sure exactly what my responsibilities will be as this is a new position created when I applied it seems.
The dreariness I drove through and lived in for the first few days. I did not see the mountains until Wed!!

I am given a key and a map to the extensive property otherwise known as the YMCA of the Rockies. This is the largest and most unique YMCA in the world and spans 860 acres with over 5,000 beds split between lodges, cabins, etc and staff housing which comprises of dorms and residential halls. I am lucky to be separated from the college kids located in the dorms and I am placed in a residential hall that is older than my grandparents. My room is adequate and I shall post pictures and more descriptions of it later. Food is included but very little of it is gluten free. I am restricted to salads and fresh fruit, both of which are the staples of my diet anyways. I also came equipped with a popcorn popper, coffee pot, and GF Energy bars to make my stay more "homey".

I feel as though I have stepped into a time capsule and I am back in college. I am surrounded by hormonal, freedom loving 18-22 year olds and I envy there voracious appetite for meeting new people and the ability to be goofy and silly, as though they do not have a care in the world. I believe that I am in what they call "culture shock" seeing that I am not naturally fitting in with this crowd and feel so far removed from their little world. It is a harsh realization that I can no longer be classified as a member of the college crew nor am I truly an adult. This limbo is almost worse than the one I faced graduating high school. Hopefully, this too shall pass as I start work tomorrow and anticipate meeting people in that environment.

I am as entranced by my employers as I am the distinctive landscape that surrounds me. Christian based, and not for profit, this vacation center boasts a 93% return rate of its visitors and a location and up beat attitude that cannot be beat! Thank goodness I signed my contract already as I am falling in love with this place. Today was orientation and I eagerly awaited each new bit of information into this historical landmark, which is 5 years older than Rocky Mountain National Park. Each employee has such a contagious and magnificent attitude, one that Florida seems to be lacking. Their patience and overall good nature shakes me up as I am accustomed to the fast-paced, harsh environment of South Florida and Florida in general.

Well I think this is enough for one night. I am exhausted and my journey out into the cold dreary climate that has surrounded me since I arrived to shower in the community showers of my living area. I wish everyone a happy week!!