16 Jun Condors, Friends and Kitchen Fires

To say that this week has been an adventurous one would be an understatement… As soon as my last week’s post was published, I met and talked to three girls who were planning on hiking into Buckskin Gulch, the world’s largest slot canyon. After hiking 10 miles by 11:00 a.m., I received a phone call from my friends from home to announce their surprise arrival at Grand Canyon National Park. And, boy, was I surprised especially since I was 3.5 hours away. We made our way back and I was able to show everyone the park, sunset, and introduce them to my roommates. On Monday I had my first real shift. It was really fun because my job was to stand at the kids’ table and teach them about the different pelts, skulls and tracks. Children from all corners of the world were mesmerized by the facts about the mammals in the area. My favorite part, though, was swearing them in as Junior Rangers. When I got photos of almost every kid in the process, I realized what a special and memorable experience this is to visitors. I am honored to be a part of the ceremonies and to see their excitement. My favorite part was seeing a California Condor fly up to the group of people gathered for the condor program. It was my first sighting since I’ve been here, and it made the entire reintroduction effort real and more emotional. Researching to produce my own interpretive program, my job this week consisted of desk work. I love it! On Wednesday I went home for my lunch break to hear one of my cabin neighbors come out screaming. Apparently there was a fire in our kitchen because someone left the burner on! The fire department was called and fire extinguishers were used. It sounded like an eventful morning that I am glad I was at work for.