The Adventure Begins

Trout Lake, Yellowstone National Park, May 26, 2016

I still cannot believe that I get to call this place home for the summer. After 5 full work days, we all got Thursday off, so a big group of us went out to explore the park for the day. We drove about an hour north to the Lamar Valley, which is where it's generally easiest to spot wildlife.

Our first hike was about a mile long, and it looped around Trout Lake. It was a fairly easy trail, but the scenery was incredible.

We then drove to Slough Creek, and did a 6.5 mile hike. The first half mile was straight uphill, but the trail finally evened out some. It was so muddy that I don't think my shoes will ever be the same. We went from scrubby bushes in the valley to aspens to pine trees within a half an hour, which was incredible.

I have done a few other short hikes in the evenings; we went to Mud Volcano a couple nights in a row, and most nights at least a few people go to the Canyon since it's only an easy 20 minute walk from the dorms.

Besides the hiking, I am also being considered for a promotion to shift leader at work. I'm the youngest person working in the deli, if not the whole operation, so it's crazy that they're even looking at me for it. I am super flattered, but I'm just worried about how the dynamic might change if I'm somewhat in charge. I would also hate for it to take away too much of my time off, or make work more stressful when I'm there. They're gonna interview me and one other guy for it by Monday, so I guess I'll just wait and see what happens!