After spending an incredible Memorial Weekend with my family in Anchorage and Wasilla, I headed up Tuesday morning in my Aunt and Uncle's red truck to Denali, Alaska. The trip north was breathtaking and forcing myself to resist every pit stop along the way, I made it up to Mckinley Village Lodge to find a handy landscaper guy to show me around ;)
Here's a few pictures from my weekend before heading up to Denali!
Wendy, me, Sara & Tania on the boat
Prince William Sound - launching out from Whittier!
Beautiful (and sunny!) Whittier
Hiking Hatcher's Pass in Wasilla
My uncles taking a break after our hike up Hatcher's Pass
Since being up at the lodge, Justin has been able to show me around, introduce me to fellow employees, and take me out on my first hike here, on a trail called Triple Lakes. There are three lakes: 1, 2, & 3 - pretty original, huh? Regardless of the name, the trail is gorgeous, stretching over 7 miles one way.
I began my training today with the front desk - there's so much to remember, but I can't wait to get started. I'm sure bizarre stories will come from all the time I'll have with tourists. We've been prepped to answer questions such as "Where exactly in the park can I see a bear?" and "When and where can I see the northern lights?" I'm sure they'll be more to come.
In addition to landscaping at the lodge, Justin will now be working a couple of days a week at the Mckinely Chalet, our sister-lodge a few miles down the road. After discovering Justin had just graduated with an environmental studies degree, the head of maintenance asked him to help him out with a waste stream management project.
One of the best perks of my job so far at the front desk is that they want us to be well acquainted with the various adventure trips that we'll be selling to guests in just a few days. That means lots of free and amazing bus tours, helicopter rides, scenic flights around Mt. Mckinley, white water rafting and more. Justin & I went for a flight tour of Mt. Mckinley yesterday and cruised down the Nenana River today in class 3 and 4 rapids! We're so lucky to have the chance to go on these incredible and breathtaking trips for free that many guests pay the big bucks to go on.
Justin is in charge of posting pictures of the flight tours - more to come soon!
Meanwhile, it's 11:30 pm here in Denali, perfectly light out, and yet we are wiped out. Sleep should come easy, even with the sun still high in the sky.
Love from Denali,
Jenny & Justin
No comments:
Post a Comment