Today I went out to gather more information for the project I'm pitching to my boss tomorrow afternoon. I'm really excited about it, which makes me all the more nervous about going public with it. I think of all the things I've done, this has the most potential for a real impact. I won't bore you with the details until tomorrow, if it gets approval. If not, back to square one and two months to go.
When I say "gather information," I really mean "put on my Penn State tank top and jean shorts and go out and pretend to be a tourist while secretly observing other tourists." Subsequently, I always get some good exercise and pictures. This job is like nothing I've ever done before, and sometimes I have to stop a moment, gaze out into the canyon and realize that yes, yes this is my life. And I'm really here. Walking the rim of the Grand Canyon.
I have a few places I like to go when I set myself loose on the park, one of those places being the rim trail. Once you get out of the village, it gets quieter. I like hiking along the rim in the morning and people-watching while I eat my granola bar and drink my electrolyte mix.
I like to go sit on the benches on the Rim Trail out by Yavapai Observation Station and just take in the view. Plus I run in to more people this way.
Remember how I told you that you could always see the moon here? Well, here it is:
Here's a view of South Kaibab, the trail where I saw a mountain lion... you can see how steep it is. That flat area is about 2-3 m down... I hiked about 1/4th of the way down this as my first hike in the Canyon.
I wonder if this lady knows you can get the plague from squirrels? I see this kind of stuff all the time. Part of my job? Making it stop.
Days like today when it's hot and windy, crowded but perfect, that I really love being here. I get to walk around the rim of the Grand Canyon on a daily basis. Who gets to say that? Sure I have no friends here, no internet or cable at home, and very limited supplies (groceries/laundromat is an hour + away), but living a life where you wake up excited each morning and go to sleep tired but accomplished at night... this is the way people were supposed to live.
I always wondered how a world would be without facebook, internet, or the Jonas Brothers. I imagined happy people, mostly, outside doing active things. I've found that place, but ironically, now I need the internet more than ever. If only to remind myself that I have an identity outside this park. Friends, family, a real life that I came here to escape.
People tell me constantly what an "adventure" this is, or how "brave" I am for doing it, and I just laugh. No, in fact I'm quite cowardly. I was looking for a life that didn't feel like... well, real life. And then I discovered that I could really do this. Not the internship, exactly, but the Park Service.
I want to wake up in the mornings and breathe clean air. I want to bike on the greenways to work and pass wildlife. I want to hike every weekend in my backyard.
This internship is really just that--an internship. Sometimes I forget, get stressed out and treat it like it's a job. I have to remind myself that my time here is limited and to go out and have fun. Go hike if the urge strikes, because tomorrow I'll be back in the snow. Go bike if you feel like it, cause too soon those knees won't be able to handle it anymore.
Here's a video of Bright Angel Trail from where I was this morning... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RospmSKJKsE) It shows you where I hiked and where I'm going this weekend.
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