Drifter: a person who is continually moving from place to place without any fixed home or job.
Yup that pretty much describes me. For the past two years I've been bouncing around the country from job to job seizing opportunities, discovering my passions and just in general having a great time. While it is a fun way to live, it's not without it's drawbacks. My life is in constant flux. To come and go with the changing of the seasons is tough and can often be stressful.
When I first started to do the seasonal employment gigs I had two weeks to pack up everything I would need until September in May. I then put this into my two backpacks and left to go on a cross country road trip, leaving my car in North Dakota and flying from Fargo to Palm Springs. I made a few mistakes. The first being that I packed a little too much of the wrong stuff and not enough of the right stuff. I also didn't pack any 'going out' clothes. I then went home with too much stuff and left for my next job missing things that I might have liked. I've learned a lot since thing, knowing there are things that I really like regardless of where I'm going, for instance, a nice shirt or two and a pair of 'town shoes', jeans are another thing I feel more human with. Also I've learned to pack a towel and pajamas. I've forgotten to pack a towel a few places I've lived and soon realized it is an essential item, and pjs are just nice to have. If I can get it into my backpack, it can go. Otherwise, I need to rethink the amount of stuff I'm carting around.
Another thing that I've realized since moving around a lot is planning. Traveling takes time. I've stopped being stressed about who's going to pick me up and how to get somewhere. I can get pretty much anywhere I need to go now. As long as I get close enough I should be able to take a cab or public transport to get from point A to point B. Prime example: I didn't know who was going to pick me up at the ferry dock until the ship was docking. Most of the time things work out, when they don't I feel that I'm pretty resourceful.
Going back and forth with work/ travel has made me perfectly fine with changing jobs across the country, such as going from Alaska to New Hampshire. Before I used to get stressed and imagine my life in upheaval. But I think that staying in one place now would stress me out more than moving around.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Lets Get Physical
I realize I haven't written here in over a month. Reason why? I've been busy. The season was going very strong and it's one of the better seasons that the company has ever had. With less weather cancellations and more tours we've been working for over a month straight without many breaks. I'm by no means complaining every tour that comes off the helicopters is $ in my pocket. But walking around in snow and ice all summer has begun to take it's toll on my body, both for the good and the bad.
In the winter time I sit in an office and take phone calls. Not going to lie, it's not the most physically challenging or mentally stimulating job I've ever done but it does pay the bills and gets me a free seasons pass so that I can ski. I do go out on the slopes about once a week which hardly qualifies as a work out schedule. I truly began to feel a bit like a blob last winter even though I didn't gain or lose any weight, just my muscles changing.
In the fall I probably walk with my kids about 10-15 miles a day. Which is a good work out. But I eat crap food all week long. But here on the glacier I walk probably about the same but in snow. Which if anyone has ever walked in snow for a long period of time it will build muscles and change the shape or your legs. Trust me. I go and hike out to the photo spot, sit and wait for people to go by on sleds, then I take their picture and hike back. I do this about 10-11 times a day (round trip) and it adds up. I also lift 5 gallon buckets of poop (20-30lbs) in each hand every morning and carry them to the poop barrels. On every helicopter there is at least a 5 gallon jug of water which has to go to the water 'buffalo' (aka a large water storage container) and each of those weigh 40+ pounds. My arms and legs get a work out every day which is great.
But my feet are gross. From living in rubber boots all summer long in sweaty socks they are terrible, fortunately no trench foot yet. I have also strained a muscle in my foot and can feel a huge knot in the muscle which hurts every now and again but is working it's way out. I also have strained both my knees. Under the knee cap is where they hurt the most. Once again, it's just a strained muscle which has slowly been going away. My last problem: a sunglasses tan. Which is bad. I look a raccoon. But such is life on the glacier.
In the winter time I sit in an office and take phone calls. Not going to lie, it's not the most physically challenging or mentally stimulating job I've ever done but it does pay the bills and gets me a free seasons pass so that I can ski. I do go out on the slopes about once a week which hardly qualifies as a work out schedule. I truly began to feel a bit like a blob last winter even though I didn't gain or lose any weight, just my muscles changing.
In the fall I probably walk with my kids about 10-15 miles a day. Which is a good work out. But I eat crap food all week long. But here on the glacier I walk probably about the same but in snow. Which if anyone has ever walked in snow for a long period of time it will build muscles and change the shape or your legs. Trust me. I go and hike out to the photo spot, sit and wait for people to go by on sleds, then I take their picture and hike back. I do this about 10-11 times a day (round trip) and it adds up. I also lift 5 gallon buckets of poop (20-30lbs) in each hand every morning and carry them to the poop barrels. On every helicopter there is at least a 5 gallon jug of water which has to go to the water 'buffalo' (aka a large water storage container) and each of those weigh 40+ pounds. My arms and legs get a work out every day which is great.
But my feet are gross. From living in rubber boots all summer long in sweaty socks they are terrible, fortunately no trench foot yet. I have also strained a muscle in my foot and can feel a huge knot in the muscle which hurts every now and again but is working it's way out. I also have strained both my knees. Under the knee cap is where they hurt the most. Once again, it's just a strained muscle which has slowly been going away. My last problem: a sunglasses tan. Which is bad. I look a raccoon. But such is life on the glacier.
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