A quick Colorado post!

Hello guys! I have 20 minutes before breakfast, so here's a really quick update. Unfortunately I haven't downloaded the pictures from my camera, but when I have time I'll give it a shot.

The worst part about everything has been the altitude. We're at 9400 feet, and whereas I was able to jog and do some fairly strenuous stuff at home, here I'm gasping and wheezing for breath after climbing the stairs. *facepalm* I'm told that it'll take about 3 weeks to get to the point where headaches and drinking huge amounts of water are in the past, and about 3 months to become completely acclimated.

But with that aside, everything else has been great! There's gorgeous mountains all around (Longs Peak is the most prominent one seen outside my window--it's over 14000 feet), the people here are AMAZING (everyone is so helpful and talented and accepting--I haven't heard a single person complain at all the entire time I've been here. And they all jump on things that need done rather than waiting for someone else to do it. I just love that!), and it's all just been great so far. I have absolutely NO complaints in any department whatsoever. I've even gotten a room that doesn't have a bunkbed, so I can sleep without threat of sitting up and hitting my head on the ceiling or another bed. XD

So I arrived on Saturday after 20 hours on the train (it was supposed to be 15 and we got stuck behind a broken-down coal train) and 3 hours on the shuttle. I just kind of found a group of people and started helping them do their thing, which happened to be shoveling and raking mulch. There's a girl named Tess who had arrived about 30 min before me, and she and I have been sticking together as the noobs of the bunch. Most of the people here are coming back after 2, 3, 4, or 5 years working here. It's pretty awesome.

Saturday and Sunday were pretty relaxed. I got to go to church in the morning, back to Estes Park with 7 other girls in the afternoon and wander around looking at the little shops (I have lots of pictures from that visit--posting later), wrote a bunch of postcards, visited with people, etc. 

Funny thing about the people here: I think I've met one person who is actually from Colorado. All the others are from Maine, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, California, etc...it's actually kind of funny but cool at the same time.

Yesterday (Monday) was mostly cleaning cabins--they were all in various stages of 'quick clean and guest prepping' to 'working about building projects and having no furniture'. Then there was raking mulch over paths, shoveling sand, sweeping porches, etc...after suppertime I wandered into the kitchen and tried to help wash dishes. At this point I'm still learning where everything goes in the kitchen, but learning quickly if I may say so myself. XD

Anyway...suffice to say it's been pretty awesome so far. Breakfast is in 10 minutes--hopefully the next time I update there will be pictures involved.