Our flight to Juneau departs at 2:32 pm from Newark Intl airport. After one connection in Seattle we will arrive in Juneau at 9:32 pm (Note that there is a 5, count it 5, hour difference from ET to Alaska time). After one day of frantic prep and scouting, our kids will arrive!!
Staff training has been just as I remembered. We start at 6:45am and work nonstop until dinner, then fall into our tents at 11, not to move again for seven hours. It has rained all but two days since we've arrived, which has left our tents, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes and in my case an Amtrak boarding pass for my return trip, completely sodden. Also, after talking with folks who led trips in Alaska last year, I went and purchased a real raincoat. Apparently it rains pretty much nonstop all summer. The coat is bright turquoise blue, and I love it. I intend to purchase glaring yellow rubber rain pants in Juneau and look like a layered Slurpee.
Any time spent in the company of 120 high-achieving 18-27 year olds is bound to be excellent, and the past week has not disappointed. We've hiked the AT, played frisbee, given speeches, memorized information about our kids, and worked our tails off to prepare as fully as possible for the coming summer. Now, wet and tired, we are so excited to part ways and begin the summer's journey. In six weeks we will see all the friends we have made back in Willamstown and tell our stories of the summer.
Each night this week I have tried to write a journal entry to capture the essence of the Overland staff training, and each night I have fallen asleep and drooled on a blank page of my notebook. This entry, therefore, is a shallow representation at best. Maybe the slobber on the journal pages says all that needs to be said. With that, I bid you
Adieu!!
Staff training has been just as I remembered. We start at 6:45am and work nonstop until dinner, then fall into our tents at 11, not to move again for seven hours. It has rained all but two days since we've arrived, which has left our tents, sleeping bags, clothes, shoes and in my case an Amtrak boarding pass for my return trip, completely sodden. Also, after talking with folks who led trips in Alaska last year, I went and purchased a real raincoat. Apparently it rains pretty much nonstop all summer. The coat is bright turquoise blue, and I love it. I intend to purchase glaring yellow rubber rain pants in Juneau and look like a layered Slurpee.
Any time spent in the company of 120 high-achieving 18-27 year olds is bound to be excellent, and the past week has not disappointed. We've hiked the AT, played frisbee, given speeches, memorized information about our kids, and worked our tails off to prepare as fully as possible for the coming summer. Now, wet and tired, we are so excited to part ways and begin the summer's journey. In six weeks we will see all the friends we have made back in Willamstown and tell our stories of the summer.
Each night this week I have tried to write a journal entry to capture the essence of the Overland staff training, and each night I have fallen asleep and drooled on a blank page of my notebook. This entry, therefore, is a shallow representation at best. Maybe the slobber on the journal pages says all that needs to be said. With that, I bid you
Adieu!!
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