The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

Today we had quite a rare fox encounter. I filmed it while some of the guys freed it, having to cut away the spindle the little guy stuck his nose into.

Happy ending. The fox is uninjured and doing well, running around like usual.

I promised to let you know when I finished writing this Thriller, called, Primal Cut.

After writing this story, a novel of nearly 50,000 words, I realized it really wasn't over. Without giving too much away, let's just say our detectives, Avery and Jenison soon find out our heroine is not dead. Along with the Ghost, Caretaker John Deerfield of the Historic Hotel in Yellowstone, they follow her to Utah where she has taken on a new identity and seasonal job in Zion, but that's in the next book.

Primal Cut , available now for Kindles or Computer download, is the first in a new series called the Seasonal Killer Series.

For those of you who would like to do seasonal work, or read about the fantastic locations where seasonal workers ply their trades, these novels will be spot on. I'm using the locations I've worked at myself for my literary endeavors. Nearly all the rest is my imagination, the character's names have been changed to protect the guilty.

Up here at Location, in Yellowstone National Park, I'm learning alot of things.

Some key thoughts:
you  have to be flexible. Now that we're snowed in and food arrives via snowcoach, how long something is going to last, otherwise known as "shelf life" is critical.

If the lettuce freezes its junk. You can throw it in stock, but, not so great on tacos.
Ok, so fresh fruit and fresh vegetables are at a premium. We don't waste anything. You would think we had starving kids in Africa on Location.

So, we're getting in a lot of back up supplies, like frozen, dried and canned.

The apples? Love them. We peeled them and made apple crisp, by design, from fresh apples. The chef told me they would actually ferment, providing a natural yeast product if left in a warm spot. I didn't hardly believe it, considering how long they've been in storage since harvest.

I remembered apple mash, the trash left over from making apple cider at Bethke's Orchard, discarded into a near by field. It was during the heat of fall, and eventually one day the farmer called, said, Don't Do That Anymore, the cows are getting drunk. Turns out, the mash, apple trash, had fermented into a lovely intoxicating mess.

Well, we here at location have discovered that left in water, the apple trash will ferment. The peelings must be submerged, held down with a lid or plate or else they will mold. Not good for beverages.

In a survival situation, this knowlege could provide fermentation for breads and drinks.

I'm loving it up here at Yellowstone Lake Man Camp.

Up here at Lake Yellowstone we have a lot of snow. Its beautiful. Yesterday we were out of power. Many times the only phone access is via landline, one phone in a dorm, or as I recently was turned on to, Google!

If you have a gmail account, you'll find a little phone icon. Click on that icon, dial up the person you want to talk to, and go for it. Its free, totally wifi supported, and I can talk and hear the person so well, you'd think you were sitting in the same room.

Its come a long way from phone chat I remember years ago. We have good wifi up here when there is power and I have tested this application for business calls as well as personal. Your call history is recorded, so next time you want to call the same number, you pull up the history and click on it.

Thanks Google!

This new video I posted on YouTube is a little shaky at times, sort of like the Blair Witch Project movie. I bring my camera when possible when I'm outside.

This short spontaneous clip is the result of  my serious contemplation of the snow cave, snow fort or snow shelter. I've tried making snow shelters by chopping blocks. I usually end up tired, wet and dissatisfied with the results.

By using natural surroundings like dead falls and live pines, a person can create a shelter in minutes and not waste valuable time and calories. The only tools I had was my hands, If I had a knife, a saw or plastic sheeting or a small tarp, the shelter could be improved with spruce boughs and dry seating.

Of course, being in a national park, the forest service frowns on cutting of live vegetation. In a true survival situation I would do what ever was necessary to survive. Today, that wasn't a problem.

Within an hour of playing with this concept, I was back in my room, took a hot shower, turned on my laptop to write.

Happy Thanksgiving you all.

I'm up here at Man Camp, saw we got 4 inches of new powder last night. I plan to go skiing this morning, then get back to my warm room and continue writing.

The chef and his fiancee are manning the shop. We only have a few guys on location. Some are bringing their wives up for a traditional dinner of turkey and pumpkin pie.

Somehow, I've become engrossed in a new horror story and as some authors will tell you, this one is writing itself. I write after work, on my days off, taking a break to hike in snow. A thousand words seem to pour out of no where.

This fictional thriller started out being a journal of my experiences here. But, then it took an evil twist and a young female cook became the "heroine" instead. I use the term loosely. You will disagree if you read this novel. She will make you rethink seasonal workers appearing out of the blue.

The Yellow Hotel, in fact, the entire location, is reputedly haunted. Both employees and guests have reported strange bumps in the night. I think the spirits have taken over my key board. We have murder, rape, violence and dark humor going on. The caretaker is messing with the crews and they can't even pay him back; the dude doesn't know he died 7 years ago.

Primal Cut will be available soon, if the ghosts co operate, and I'll let you know via a post here. Kindle at Amazon.com has a program for lending out digital books through it's library and we may give that a shot and see how it goes.

Until then, Happy Holidays. Stay warm, don't spend anything I wouldn't.

I just received my new Lightning 50 pack,  made by Alpinizmo. You can check it out at www.highpeakusa.com

My first reaction on getting it out of the packaging, was what a lot of straps.

As a minimalist and extreme ultralighter, my initial thought was there will be alot of trimming going on.

This pack is designed to fit x-Large down to x-small torsos. I planned to check that theory out immediately. I'm up at Lake Yellowstone. When the superintendent came for lunch, I brought out the pack, asked him to be my guinea pig. He is 6 foot 3 inches tall, about 240 pounds of muscle. He was wearing a heavy sweatshirt. At first it was a hard fit because I had cinched everything up to fit me, at 5 foot 2 inches tall, 115 pounds. Once adjusted properly, he said it fit fine. It looked like a day pack on him, though. The carry capacity internally of this 3 pound pack is 3,000 cubic inches. It feels amazingly light.

pep

Reaching the man camp via the employee trail brings one right to the back of Teal Dorm. You can see the trailers to the left of the photo. Once there, a new friend said he just saw a big wolf head right past where I just came from.
I, personally, am not afraid of wolves unless they're in a pack. Its the griz that concern me. I saw lots of tracks on the snowy elephant back trail, some large canine. Wolf, coyote, grouse, some thing big. I practiced walking back in my own tracks, an old "indian" trick. If a person isn't careful coming up the trail, they tend to drag the back heel. If I needed to hide my tracks, I'd be careful to step high. That way, walking back in my own footprints, the drag wouldn't give my direction away.

As soon as I got back to my dorm, I took a hot shower, started packing a survival kit. Around her, a whiteout could mean death if you're not prepared.

I've just finished writing and uploading the third book in the River Survival Series. These digital books can be uploaded to any computer, but are especially designed for Kindle or Nook readers. The advantage of these readers is that, like a personal computer, you can have a thousand books on one little device.

 River Survival Series

Barnes and Nobel  carries the series too. 

 River Survival Series

I discovered this page while surfing for real up to date weather reports on Lake Yellowstone. I was stunned how cold it is already. You can see nothing is going to melt anytime soon. Its only October. I can't wait to get there.


http://www.crh.noaa.gov/riw/?n=ynp_gtnp

Right now I'm visiting family, taking care of business, spending time with my friends.

So, car is prepared. I bought some Stay-bil so I can park it for awhile, not worry about the gas going bad.

Stay warm is going to be a really trite phrase in a little while. I'll be writing a lot on my time off. Right now I'm working hard on Book Three of the River Survival Series, called, When Hell Comes Knocking. I hope to have it completely finished by the end of Novemeber.

The first two books are available at Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel. They deal with a couple living up in the mountains in N. E. Georgia. Suddenly the grid goes down, but they don't know it for a week because of how remote they are. Once they head to town, a week later, they find out the truth. Suddenly, everything changes when folks start taking sides, Contributors, Outliers, and the worst possible position, a Transient. I write about murder, revenge, and the decsent into cannibalism, on both sides of the law.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0076BT2SW

Then, of course, I'll keep a journal on my experiences up at the Man Camp. There's no telling what fun and adventure awaits. My son-in-law says I need a GPS. Could get lost on a skiing adventure, maybe a white out. Humm, I could! I get lost coming out of Walmart, looking for my car.

I'm here at my daughter's, minimizing yet again, preparing to go back to Yellowstone for the winter. Three years back, a fellow seasonal worker was watching me squeeze stuff into my little blue Geo. He paused from his packing into a large pickup and trailer, looked over and said, "You need a bigger car." I replied, "I need less junk!"

Friday the remaining survivors of the Mammoth F and B deep cleaned the Employee Dining Room hot line, grill, fryer and cold service area, and the dish pit. The day before I'd prepped 25 7 inch pizzas for today, and taken apart the walk-in, with the help of the Prep Cook Lead and deep cleaned it.
Now, today, while seriously good music coming from the Manager's laptop, speakers turned up on auxiliary speakers included, I chose to do the reach in up front, the flat top, overhead grills, working next to the Lead doing the deep fryer. At one point she looked at me, asked, How did we get roped into the dirty part? I replied, cause we can really hear the music!

Some people time their work agreements so they miss the final deep cleaning. After all, its messy, lots of grease and chemicals coming into play, getting down on hands and knees, dragging out those rare two month old biscuits that somehow eluded us all season underneath the kitchen "furniture."

I call all that equipment furniture. Has a nice ring to it.

Anyways, after surviving, enjoying even, another deep clean, forming life lasting bonds with co-workers also into the final days, I look forward...groan, actually my own STUFF is much harder to cope with.......to deep cleaning my baby, the GEO.

I'm getting it all together, my purchases from Cabella, my free box finds and my personal gear. I've got six months of toothpaste, laundry soap and shampoo, etc. Use your imagination. What would a gal need for six months up in Yellowstone, snowed in?

I probably will be able to catch a ride up to Snow lodge by snowmobile, enjoy the Winter Olympics there with friends also wintering in Yellowstone.
This is a life time dream, winter in Yellowstone.
The bucket list must be respected, before it's too late.

At breakfast I heard a young girl telling her traveling companions she dreamt they died on the bus. They immediately started berating her for negativity. I kept reading my book, The Fear Index, by Robert Harris. It deals with market manipulation and the fear driven profits. Its a novel, I'm on page 100. Published in 2012, it tells of an ultra-rich genius being attacked by an intruder in his own fortified home, bringing on a "waking nightmare of violence and paranoia".

I will keep a journal while working up at Lake Yellowstone this winter. Some claim vehemently that the historic hotel is haunted. My journal begins, "I can't say I wasn't warned...."

Tomorow I'm going into Gardiner to get my brakes done. I was riding around town with a friend and he said my brakes were shot, they sounded terrible.

Well, I thought I just had them done, but really, the way time flys, its probably been a couple years by now.

So, stopping in the local tire and brake shop, the mechanic put it up on the rack, sure enough, metal on metal, the pads are gone. Humm, I replied, I been driving around like that, down Rosevelt and such, curves and thousand foot drop offs, not knowing thats what that noise was.

While I'm in the shop, I'll have the guy tell me all about preparing my car for Yellowstone winter. I got a job cooking for the construction crew up at Lake Hotel. Its going to be amazing, snowed in with about 40 hardy eaters. Out of a ton of applicants, I was chosen to complete the culinary crew of 4. Our kitchen was pulled in before I left Lake Lodge Location, transferring here for the remainder of my work agreement.

I've had alot of people asking me how I plan to get out, spend my days off, get into town.
I plan to park the winterized vehicle at West Yellowstone, take a snow coach there maybe once a month. A full bore shopping trip to Bozeman is sceduled for Thursday, for all the toiletries a woman needs in -40 degree weather, 10 feet of snow on the ground. Skis!

I'll keep you all posted on winter at Lake Yellowstone. It will be an experience of a life time. I'll cook tons of comfort foods for hungry guys, ski, read, write, watch satelite t-v if we get it. I do think we'll have internet!

Today is the Last Supper. After lunch, we chefs will be using whatever is in the house to create a dinner worthy of survivors. Take that however you wish. Let it be known it wasn't what we hoped. Yesterday warehouse took a bunch of stuff that wasn't opened. I don't blame them. They have a huge job on their hands. Every season, each location opens, runs its buisness with newly hired employees, then shuts down in the fall, different locations at differnent times. Those that have stuck it out for the whole season have an employee party. The survivors party.

I finally finished the Cook Book I've been working on, a collection of great recipes, tips and family stories. Every night after work, I'd come home, fire up the computer and work for an hour. This ongoing project is the result of a church Cook Book being out of print, yet still in demand. My friends, family and fellow church goers worked hard to compile some of these recipes nearly 15 years ago. Now, you can get them for your Kindle, or Nook reader.

The Cook Book Project-Sharing Our Best at Amazon.com, for Kindle Readers.


The Cook Book Project-Sharing Our Best at Barnes and Noble, for Nook Readers.

Short clip from my hike on Specimin Ridge yesterday. I will give a trail report on my other blog, http://brawnyview.blogspot.com

There were alot of intersecting trails and eventually I got on the actual posted trail, and I do mean posted. These posts help one navigate all through this gorgeous mountain hike when the trail diverts into game trails or gets snowed over. Sometimes the posts laid on the ground, sometimes there was just a small rock duck. Navigation is a necessary survival skill, especially when there is no water up on the dry ridge.




On the way to my trail, I captured this sunrise near the Hayden Valley. I had to pull over, take some shots before continuing up to Tower, past Rosevelt and parking at the trailhead.

I have just over two weeks left at Lake Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. Then I'll be transferring back to Mammoth Hot Springs. I love both places, the hiking is incredible. Right now, people are checking out of their rooms, heading home or some other adventure. What a season it's been, so memorable.

This is a photo of the Lake Lodge building. My Employee Dining Room is in this building.


On a hike through the meadow facing Lake Yellowstone, I came upon a great evening view of Fishing Bridge. Hiking the back mile there is a wonderful way to unwind, see wild life, get some serious fresh air.


The path is narrow, sage brush abounds. The flavor of the sage is potent, but not toxic. Bison sign is everywhere, watch your step!



View out my window facing the woods. I have seen many bison back here, a doe with her fawns. Some say a griz likes to wander through this area. So far, I haven't seen him.


My ultra light backpacking gear. For a report of Wednesday's hike to Shoshone lake, see my other blog,

http://brawnyview.blogspot.com

Right about now we have people wondering if they are going to survive their jobs, make it until the end of their work agreements. Some think the housing or food is so bad, but I say, they've just got bored with what they're doing. This view from Elephant Back is way more amazing than my camera can tell. Bottom line, I need to figure out how to work the zoom on this digital contraption.

I'm so glad I was able to move, that means transfer, to Lake Yellowstone for a month just before the Rut. Bison are roaming all over the place. We really have to be careful now, calves, moms and bulls are not afraid of us humans.

Tomorow is a day off and I am hiking to Heart's Lake, day pack, water, and bear spray in tow.

A baby just got too hungry to wait any longer and decided to feed right in front of us camera buffs.
Heden Valley is really crowded now with bison, but I can look right outside my main floor window and watch from the comfort of my own room. I'm a lucky woman!

This is my friend and hiking partner. We both work in the Food and Beverage Department, enjoy long walks. Yesterday we hiked 20 miles, up to Pelican Creek Cabin and beyond, after first visiting the Turbid Lake disaster. The last half mile was all blowdowns and fire damage, making it a very study in survival just getting over the damage without getting impaled. The lake was beautiful, so worth the trouble.

I'm working in Yellowstone National Park, at Mammoth Hot Springs. One of my favorite things to do is hike, so its only natural I'd find this trail so spectacular, from the least little flower to the huge mountains surrounding this oasis.

The Beaver Pond Trail is about 5 miles long and climbes steeply no matter which end you start the loop from. Descending is no easy matter, either. I love my hiking poles. On the way, a person skirts several ponds with evidence of beavers living nearby.



Today I got on the trail right after work, in the rain, bear spray slung over my shoulder. I hiked up hill, calling hey bear, Griz have been sighted often in these parts, one even taking down an elk calf while people watched.

Today I saw a coyote running across the field, 6 big elk eating, sitting and watching hikers pass by so near the trail they could be touched. Of course I gave them wide berth, knowing they can kick a gal to death.


Rounding a bend, I saw a badger inside his hole, digging. He heard me, popped his head out. I snapped his picture. He came out of that hole, facing me down. I appologized, and hurried away.
Some other hikers passed me, going where I'd just come from. Within minutes, they confronted the badger, and turned tail, heading back the way they came.
You don't mess with badgers.

Targhee National Forest

I split up my 8 hour drive back to Yellowstone from Nampa, planning to camp on Sunday night, enjoy some trail time, then head to Lake Yellowstone on Monday, hang with friends there, then check in on Tuesday.
I arrived at the campsite by 2 p.m. It was $13, a nice established fire pit, bathroom facilities and camp ground host. I set up my tent and called it good. I decided to go with the South Col, a 3 person, 4 season tent. Fanstanstic piece of gear. I love it for base or car camping.



There were many campers of all kinds in the A and B loops. Along the river a camper with several bikes attached showed there were kids there. I saw this rock, and three more on my hike. Now, I don't acusse anyone's kids of painting silly stuff on rocks. I blame parents for not teaching them to respect our national treasure. One rock had a pink smiley face and said, SMILE. I will smile when you quit painting rocks.