when work becomes play and play becomes work

alright, its that time of year again. when i decide to forget about reality and leave the security of my present location to take off somewhere for the summer. some call it wonderlust, some call it crazy, some call it adventurous, i just call it natural. so the next couple of posts will be about my summer activities, life's lessons, and general charming observations.

here's a bit to get you started

Ask yourself what would a five star hotel be to a park ranger. Let me tell you. Pick the most spectacular place in nature you have been, make it a national park, preserve and protect it, ensure there is a flowing river, and then place a cabin in the middle of its backcountry. The cabin itself would be secluded from hikers, only be reached by a secret mountain sheep path, and have no unnatural distractions. Seemingly the cabin would appear ordinary; it doesn’t resemble the massive log houses in Aspen or a rundown shack in the Appalachians. No it would be average and sturdy but full of character. Large windows cover a whole side of the cabin to ensure no sunset, sunrise or cloud flow goes unnoticed. The shower is outside, with no need for walls, the outhouse has its own outlook point. Inside the 1970’s pot belly stove works better than any heater, a tea kettle is constantly on, plenty of books, games and maps fill bookshelves, the loft is covered with sleeping bags and mats, a hammock is suspended inside and out, the assortment of dishes and silverware can be used to prepare hot meals for an army or one person, the radio provides tunes and collection of old bottles, photos collages and park signs give each wall its own definition. Its not big but there is always room for one more. But the best part of it all is trees may hide the path to it, but nothing blocks the view. The cabin is complete with a helicopter pad, perfect for long sunny naps, yoga, and celebrations. The view reaches to the coastline to the summit, with valleys, glaciers, waterfalls, and clouds all in between.

Now you must also ask how I know this, well because this exact cabin is what I call home for every other week this summer. What is better than being able to live in this cabin, the fact that I get paid to do it. This summer, I am on the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park Trail Crew. The KGNP is located in Skagway in Southeast Alaska; the park covers the vast area of historical artifacts and pathways left behind by the gold rush in the late 1800’s. My work domain specifically includes the Chilkoot Trail, which is a breathtaking, 32 mile trail that begins in Skagway, AK skipping up the valley to the golden staircase (there are actually gold steps) which lead to the summit, resting on the border between Canada and the US. The trail then continues on over into Canada and ends at the White Pass train station in the Yukon.

Thanks to my friend Brian who worked there last summer, I was lucky enough to get this job. So for the summer, I am chopping, sawing, hiking, building, carrying, painting, nailing, and rafting my way through Alaska and getting paid quite well to do it!

I left New Mexico two weeks ago, and after 2 flights, I ended up in Juneau where I got to take a hopper plane to Skagway. With only 8 seats on the plane, I got to sit in the front seat with the pilot. Though it was past sunset, the sky was still filled with light as the pilot swooned us over glaciers and inlets. I have seen mountains and I have seen coastlines around the world, but the combination of the two in southeast Alaska is mesmerizing. Its not just all white, pine trees cover everything and the snow looks like icing poured over all the peaks. The glaciers up close command respect, but their solidness holds pending consequences.

The town of Skagway itself has a split personality, each one with its benefits. During the day tourists from the cruise ships envelop the town of 22 blocks and three main streets. The majority of the town businesses and some of the houses are made up of historical buildings still standing from the gold rush area. Unfortunately most of the shops on main street are geared towards rich folks with cameras, jewelry, knickknack and fur shops. Except for one store that has a man fur thong which claims to be “For the man who has everything”. Who ever owns that store rules. The house I live in is now filled with park service employees. At the night, however, when the tourists have left, the streets are empty except for locals and seasonals. Everyone rides bikes around town, you go to party or restaurant and there are just tons of bikes propped up all around, no one locks theirs up and no one gets theirs stolen. Waterfalls, hikes, and river walks fill the perimeter of the town. In 5 minutes you can be out of the town and immersed in nature.

My morning runs are captivated with exploration of trails and gorging my sight with photographic views.

Skagway also is one of those places where you feel like everyday you get to be a kid.. It would be easy to fall in love with someone here. At times I feel like I am going to wake up and realize there is something miserable about the situation, but even the lack of food on Mondays at the grocery store (the barge comes on Tuesdays), the lack of movie theater, and expensive prices of goods are diminished by the endless amount of light, miles of hikes, midnight bonfires, sunny hammock days, no waiting list at the library, fresh sea food, and the simplicity of life. So every 8 days I get 6 days off. I am not sure when I am working or playing. Life in town is filled with errands, random social gatherings, game night, bike riding, movies with the roommates, baking sessions, meeting other twenty-somethings, and random community events.
But the trail is 8 days of physical fun. I happily throw on my carharts, park service shirt, boots and head out everyday to use my body to push, lift, and move. Our crew is made up of myself and three guys, two locals and one seasonal. We are an odd bunch who have free reign with powertools, hand saws, hammers, large quantities of wood, axes, nature’s materials. Our first day on the trail we hike 12 miles to our cabin, along the way we help clear any trail roadblocks and replace any signs pushed over by bears. The rest of the time is spent on random little projects or one big project. We wake up early, do yoga, eat breakfast and work late, then hang out in the cabin listening to music, playing games or reading. And in the backcountry after a long day of work, everything tastes good. I have even developed a liking for peanut butter. The days up there are simple and I have moments when I wonder if I am really strong enough to do it, but gratification is easy to come by either by looking around or see the fruits of my labor.

My first week out on the trail we built a bridge. Now this may sound like a small feat, but not when you are using 30 foot cottonwood trees for the base, your chain saws break and you have to figure out how to get the stringers across the river without killing yourself or your partner. Oh and did I mention that we have to use all natural materials and only selected pre-approved supplies? However, by accidental chaos we managed to get it done in three days. And so far it hasn’t collapsed on any visitors. . .

On my days off, we were blessed with some great days of sunshine, I did a bit of rafting, some great 10 mile runs, cliff jumping in Lower Dewy lake, played kickball, had a summer solstice bonfire, read a few books, and saw a couple of live bands in the Red Onion Saloon.

Currently, I think I am the only person in Alaska who has not seen a bear. Porcupines, lots of birds, mice, seals and whales- yes. But no bears. However, several are sighted almost daily so hopefully I will get to see one soon. And don’t fear I got paid to go through shot gun training last week and bear spray is the new cell phone. I am off to anchorage and Denali for my first 6 days off. If I can have adventures there, I am packing up and moving to Kansas.

P.S. Alaska rules.