Cristina, Jesse, Nate and me outside our dorm
Moose sighting rafting on the Snake River
Kayaking on Jackson Lake!
Visit to Yellowstone
A year ago
today I had the first skype video interview of my life and was officially
offered the job working at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park for
the summer of 2014. I remember the rush of mixed emotions that went through me
when the woman interviewing me told me that I was offered the job. I’d spent
the last three summers working as the assistant for camp at the San Antonio
Zoo, and I absolutely loved it. The zoo has been a second home to me for a big
chunk of my life, but that summer, I decided it was time to try something
different. I was immediately excited about spending my summer working in such a
beautiful place, but I didn’t know that May to September of 2014 would be the
best summer of my life so far (note that I said so far, since I think this
summer in South Africa definitely has a chance to top that). I had plenty of
adventures in that park that I will never forget. I spent my days off going
camping, hiking, kayaking, cliff jumping, and exploring that beautiful place as
much as I could. I also did things that I didn’t originally expect to do. I
sang karaoke in public for the first time, played my first drinking game,
nearly got killed by a huge elk, and took chances that the twenty-year-old
version of me wouldn’t have. And I don’t regret a second of it.
Today has me
thinking a lot about the day I found out I got the job, but for some reason it
also has me remembering my last morning in that park. I left the lodge very
early with Jesse, my neighbor and one of the best friends I made last summer.
It was still dark outside, but there was a large full moon that we watched dip
behind the mountains, perfectly silhouetting them against the Wyoming sky. There’s
definitely a piece of my heart that will forever stay in Grand Teton National
Park, and I’m sure that someday I’ll go back to visit that very special place.
I mainly
wanted to make this blog post because it is the one-year anniversary of my
being offered the job at the park, but I don’t want to make it sound purely
nostalgic. My excitement for spending this coming summer in Africa is growing
each and every day. As I count down the days, the dream feels more and more
like the reality that it soon will be. See you in 71 days, Africa.
This post’s
food for thought: “Going to the mountains is going home.”- John Muir
