Summer Camp for Adults

When I was younger, I used to attend summer camp at Riverview right outside of Cusick, Washington. I remember the excitement, the smell of Clorox in the messhall, the mystery orange drink, the beautiful view of the water, the late nights, the squeaky cabin beds, the people you'd always run into but never quite remember, and that one boy who didn't shower the whole time.

Ten years and one college degree later, I am back at summer camp... with a strangely adult twist. Complete with mystery orange drink, messhall and bunkhouses (though I have single accomodations). The main difference is the fact that rather than the one boy, there are definitely many men with infrequent showering habits.

Glamourous as my post graduate summer position is, I must say I'm not minding it. There are long hours (we work 11 hours a day; and from what I hear, they are about to get longer) but I have a rather nice desk, a continously full coffee pot and snack pile, and a stunning view of the sunset (that is, if I bother to stay up until 12:30 a.m.)

Naknek is a fishing town, and with the 2013 salmon season upon us, the number of fishermen we see daily is steadily increasing. AGS products center around this season, and because I have little to no knowledge of fishing practices of any kind, I have been learning more about fish than I ever thought was neccessary.

The people that are currently at the camp are the managerial and main staff (about 80 employees, including myself) and the seasonal workers for whom I'm doing orientation soon (about 500 individuals) will be arriving throughout the next couple of weeks. My current duties include payroll, airport pick-up, new employee paperwork and training on all office software I haven't yet learned.

Overall, there's not much to Naknek. There's a post office, a few bars (which I have yet to explore), a general store, a liquor store and a little coffee shop called 'The Shire'. The atmosphere is welcoming, and arid, giving one a sense of freedom (and a big whif of  what I can only describe as testosterone incarnate). Whelp, It's about time for dinner, Mystery orange drink here I come. Wish me luck! Here's some photos for the road...


The view on the flight into Anchorage



AGS facilities in Naknek. Storm clouds moving in.



My office building overlooking the water



Fishing gear storage facility on site



The walk back to my room... watch out for boats.

The classy lock system





The 12:30 a.m. sunset from my room





Until next time

Besos,

Hil 

San Carlos Bariloche, Patagonia, Argentina.

Snow. Penguins. Glaciers. Overpriced Puffy Jackets. All are expectations of Patagonia.

How about the world's largest chocolate easter egg? A toboggan? Two perfectly placed Refugios? Hippie Mecca?

Patagonia. The end of the world. It sounds so impressive. Patagonia is massive. There is both a Chilean and an Argentinean Patagonia, the latter encompassing just over one third of the country's land mass. Ecosystems from pampas to glaciers are represented. Where within this expanse did I end up? The small Swiss inspired town of Bariloche. Located on the far west side of the country, Bariloche is close to the Chilean border, nestled in a little mountain range known as the Andes. Geography lesson over.

It was with this much knowledge (probably less) that seven, underprepared students from UB, bus tickets in hand started our journey with a 24 hour bus ride. Seven days of freedom from the city, from traffic, from homework, from dog poop. We were ready. As much as I would like to sit you down and force you to look at all 1,300+ photos, I think I'll just give you the highlights.

Hostel Pudu, a hostel in the form of a hippie commune run by three brothers

The streets of Bariloche

Down by the lake

Cooking a stir fry dinner for seven is no small task

The following day we tackled the day hike Frey at Catedral Cero

Made it. 

The Refugio Frey at the top of Catedral Cero surrounded by backpackers. 

Lake beside the hostel. It was so beautiful we stayed a little too long.

As beautiful as the sunset was, it also meant we were hiking in the dark. We were able to make it back down the mountain with just enough time to light the way, we did not however make it back in time for our bus. One long (expensive) taxi ride later we were back at our hostel getting ready for the next day.

After a visit to the Fenoglio Chocolate factory, we took a chairlift to a hilltop viewpoint.

I'd say it was worth it.

The whole group left to right

Zoe, Tiffany, Me, Monae, Linette, Andrea, Preston

And this is how we got down the hill. Yep.

Being ambitious young things, the next day, we decided a leisurely bike ride around one of the nearby lakes. What we failed to realize was that we would be tackling a road, not a trail and mile long hills on steel mountain bikes.  

Luckily this view was right around the first bend, because thats as far as we got. 

Instead, we opted for a short hike to another hilltop that offered some spectacular 360 views. We enjoyed some hot chocolate and coconut cake before descending. 

The following day brought Preston, Tiffany and Me to the trailhead of Laguna Negra, a two day hike that we had decided on Midnight the night before. There was a slight drizzle, and fog, and we were quite underprepared, but the views were well worth it. 

The first third of the trail meandered along this river. 

An Argentine answer to muddy trails

A very damp Fall in the Andes

"This can not be real life" -Tiffany

Hiking in the snow in our tennis shoes and leggings

After rain, sleet, 0 degree weather and 85 mph winds we finally came across our home for the night: Refugio Italia

The sleeping situation

This is what everyone else was wearing.

Trust me when I say that I am rarely without words, but these views rendered me speechless.

Victory Beer

Back in Bariloche for the final day

While we were there, they had their annual Chocolate Festival, and built the biggest chocolate easter egg in the world. No big deal. (It says Happy Easter on it)

Arboles Arrenyas 

Overall it was not only a worthwhile but a breathtaking experience. It felt like home. The mountains, the air, the smiles. The people even stopped for you at the crosswalk (what's up Moscow!). All the vistas even made me nostalgic for all eleven of those Glacier National Park trips. I've only been back in the city a few days and I still can't encompass in words the beauty of this part of the world. 

Usually for a trip I make a video, this time, I'm making two. But because my mother keeps reminding me (thanks mom!) that I am also down here to study, I need to prioritize some much neglected reading before I can play around with the video footage. I will try to have them up by Friday. Also many (read: most) of these photos were "donated" by other members of my traveling group, so a huge thank you to Preston, Tiffany, and Andrea for their natural photography skills. Now where was I? Ah... homework. 

Nos Vemos

Besos, 

Hil