Quinn Endicott/SWC
110 9th Street West
Columbia Falls, MT 59912
7/30/21
Today we got more lax about enforcing the mask rule because we had a guest that strongly complained to corporate about our enforcement. We had a few intense altercations with guests unfortunately but not having to constantly ask people to wear masks is much nicer. The Hay Creek fire, in Polebridge, is now over 2,000 acres and is still at 0% containment. I also received my skydiving video and it is quite entertaining. Additionally, I finished a book called The Kite Runner, and it was an extremely raw story from the perspective of an Afghan man who grew up in Kabul, Afghanistan and then migrated to the U.S. in young adulthood. I highly recommend the book if anyone is looking for something to read. I ended up joining Alex, Megan, Amos, and Nowell, We went to Logan Pass and hiked Oberlan! It turned into an absolutely amazing hike with gorgeous views and we ate dinner at the summit while watching the sunrise. On our way up we ran into a goat and her kid so we gave them plenty of space so we wouldn't bother them. While eating dinner a deer randomly appeared further along the ridge of the summit which caught us off guard because we were at 8,000 ft! Many photos were taken and then we went back down to the parking lot to head home. We got caught in the construction traffic at 10:30am and they said that we wouldn't be moving until 1:00am! So we ended up listening to music, having a small dance party, and then reminisced on classic YouTube videos that we all remembered watching when we were younger. We finally made it back to Swiftcurrent at 1:30am and went to bed after a full evening.
7/31/21
Today the plan was to hike with some friends over the Gunsight Pass trail, being 22 miles, but since I got back so late I just decided to take a rest day, and plan for the sermon on Sunday. I ended up spending almost the entire day in my cabin trying to figure out what to talk about for the sermon. In trying to figure out what to talk about I watched The Departed and Into the Wild. The more helpful movie was Into the Wild which felt somewhat similar to the journey I am on currently. I ended up coming up with a discussion of God's whispering to enter into the unknown with Him and how we have the choice to take that step and experience adventure and growth along our journey or we can sit "comfortably" where we are at and keep doing the same thing we are already doing. I was definitely tired to being in the same space of life and so I was motivated to get out here to Montana and explore the country that I have lived in all my life.
8/1/21
Today the sermon went really well! We ended up having a family that came to the service who asked if we could sing more songs after we had finished. We ended up having a spontaneous music worship for an hour afterword! They kind of reminded me of my family with hearing their harmonization and joy of music. In between services I went with Amos, Bailey, and Molly to Snow Moon and Falling Leaf lake, hidden away in the mountains in Many Glacier valley. It was an arduous task getting there but the trip was so worth it. The lakes are tucked away in a bowl and there are a few cliffs to jump off of. When I say cliffs I mean like 10-20 feet. We jumped in the bottom lake and then ended up taking a nap for a while, enjoying the sound of the waterfall and the occasional sun. Unfortunately that was our groups last hike with Bailey because he leaves for school this Saturday. The evening service went well with another spontaneous music session and then that evening a group of us watched the first Harry Potter movie.
8/2/21
Today I played some board games before work. I played Rail Baron with Amos, which is a game from 1977. We also played a game called Munchkin with Alex and Nowell. I didn't work until 3pm so I was trying to find some things to do before then. Amos had a crazy busy hiking weekend so he was taking Monday to recover. I ate dinner while at work so that I could take my break when a guy that I know is running in the Olympics. I clocked out a few minutes early for the race and tan downstairs to turn on the TV just to find out that he had pulled out of the race due to a calf injury. It would be awful to train for years to make it in the Olympics just to have to pull out for an injury. Who knows, maybe four years from now Yared Nuguse will be back and win the gold? The rest of the shift went well and I went straight to bed because I had to work at 6am the next day.
8/3/21
I have been trying to figure out how to watch the Sport Climbing events in the Olympics but have not had any success. Work has been alright and we are approaching the ending of the season with many of the staff leaving for school. I would already be heading back to move in and start welcoming new students. How am I already a college grad? Life is picking up speed but I am still trying to learn how to appreciate taking my time in the spaces that I am at. A lot of people from the park are working at Mammoth Mt. in California. So I am motivated to start looking at other jobs to figure out where I want to go.
8/4/21
Today was a super fun day! At work I had a guy give me a cassette player with the Simon and Garfunkel greatest hits cassette just from me mentioning listening to them when I was younger. He bought it for me without any notion of me asking for one and it has added to my appreciation of the genuine people who work here at Swiftcurrent. There were also constant nerf wars and chicken slingshots being exchanged today. At lunch I got in a "chicken fight" with a few other co-workers. The fun activities and shenanigans that we get up to have definitely been helpful in dealing with the frustration of COVID and difficult guests. I have continuously been amazed at how easy it is for people to get upset these days over a simple difference of opinion. I'm sure that we are all in for a rude awakening when we realize that our opinions are not even close to being the great wisdom that we think them to be. I have learned the great blessing of holding one's tongue and being able to smile and nod even when you are being yelled at for things out of your control. I also received my evaluation report from my manager and it was a golden review! She even mentioned that if we hadn't have pulled an assistant manager from Many Glacier Hotel then she would have asked me to be assistant manager! It is a good feeling to know that your parents raised you well to have a good work ethic and high values on any job that you take on. I also have to take credit for holding myself to a decent standard and desiring to do good work. Thanks mom and dad!
8/5/21
Wow, it is already August 5th!? Just a little over a month left before I start my journey around the U.S. This morning I was watching the updates for sport climbing in the Olympics and sadly none of the men on our team placed for a medal. One of the most popular trails here in the Many Glacier Valley is still closed due to bears and has been since the 28th of July. I have also been looking at jobs and apartments for fun thinking about the future once I am done traveling. I have started an application to the University of Kentucky Master's of Social Work program. It can be a little daunting starting this search process but has been quite fun thinking of different positions that I could pursue. I have even looked into what it takes and costs to receive a helicopter pilots license. It would be an interesting job to work for a National Park rescue team or even a hospital emergency staff. There is a school in Lexington that you can get your commercial license in two years for 46,000 dollars, equivalent to one year at a private college/university. I am not sure what my life will look like in the next 6 months but it is important to start gauging what I would enjoy doing for work. A lot of the social work jobs that I have looked into require either a MSW or LCSW and 5 years of experience. So that is what motivates my pursuit of an MSW but it would also be a fun job to be a helicopter pilot.
P.S. I have my younger sister and two cousins visiting soon!
P.P.S. Again I am having trouble uploading photos so there are not any in this post.
"Does the ATM have money in it?"- a guest
Thanks for the shout out son. So proud of you!
ReplyDeleteSorry for the multiple posts. Every time I hit the back button it seems to post again!
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