The-Atlantic-thefemalesurvivalist

It snowed last night and this morning. Nevertheless, its my day off, so I prepared a goodly daypack and headed out. Its over 11 miles of trail, and I have my bear spray.


Every once in awhile there will be a 3 x 5 metal marker nailed to a tree. I love the patina they've developed over the years.
The sage is fragrant and abundant. I tasted some. Very strong. The snow looks very pretty hanging on the branches.

This large moose was feeding at Christain Pond. He wasn't too upset I took his photo.

A road block can happen with the sighting of any animal. This one just happened to be for a moose calf. Poor thing looked terrified. I walked past on the way to my dorm, eager for a hot shower after slugging through miles of snow on the south side of the lake.
A wonderful day hike which gave opportunity to navigate when the trail became buried in snow, and no other hikers were out until I neared the Overlook. Some vacationers wanted to be sure they were on the right trail, and told me about all the elk they'd seen.
Elk are abundant this year, too.

I didn't go crazy.  This is the first time  I can say I LOVE my job.

That alone is worth a lot of other grief, be it snoring room mates, broken showers and compromises on room temperatures and sporadic Internet access.

Each work day, I arrive, put on my clean long apron, and begin baking. The chef has  determined that I am the official Bread Baker, and has even assigned me an assistant a couple times a week.
I make breads from scratch, corn muffins, fococcia, lavash (which is a spicy cracker) and various other rolls.
Our shapes are all important, the presentation must be consistent and eye candy.

But if that's not enough, across the ample stainless steel table, or along the butcher block work spaces,
culinary graduates are making pastries, granola, dipping strawberries in chocolate, creating tempting morsels of delight for the upcoming banquets.
All this of course must be trimmed, tasted, wrapped and analyzed by the fortunate crew who work in this abundant space. The chef is patient and teaches us something new every day.

I've worked in kitchens a fourth that size with twice the people .
Nice.
There is equipment I've never worked with before, like the pastry sheeter, and the ball roller. We have a huge closet just for warming doughs, and the refrigeration is spacious.
Gotta love a well appointed kitchen, and a staff that actually doesn't want to leave! Our uniforms are washed for us, they are white chef coats and checkered pants. Mine actually fit.
Did I fall into employment heaven?
The down side is housing, but we deal. Our back yard is amazing, the Grand Tetons just south of Yellowstone National Park.

 I'm  getting settled in here at Jackson Lake Lodge.Baking bread daily is my main job. We have many varieties which are served in portioned sizes.
Herb Rolls, Jalapeno With Cheese and Bacon, Potato and Dill, Lavash, Focaccia, Cornbread Muffins , Swiss Rolls are some of the specialties.

Lots of culinary students are here as well. I don't have any degrees so I prove my worth by actions.
Funny how a degree seems to give more respect than just experience in the field. There's the mystic of the Chef creating cuisine with a flair of the artist.
Beauty is important. The presentation to tease the eye, while the smell entices the appetite.

Survival of Room Mates is an issue. People aren't used to rooming with total strangers. We have people here from Jamaica, Mexico, Ukraine, Brazil, and who knows where else. Culture and stereotypes conflict. Our employee dining room is great, good food, good company , big windows, lots of  room. Its really been busy with people checking in, then being relocated to their assigned location.
The mountains are ice and snow. We hike along the road, some large areas are forbidden due to bear activity.
Those not used to wilderness keep warning us not to go alone, warning us its nearly forbidden.
I ask, " Is it illegal to hike alone". The answer of course is no. So I do. Others do as well.

So far I've seen one moose, tons of elk, geese, a fox being out maneuvered by two wild Turkeys, a lot of birds and osprey, and squirrels.
The horses and the wranglers aren't up and running yet. But soon.