Happy Easter

May you always feel the love of our Savior shining brightly in your life. Happy Easter!

Moonlight Hike

The climb was slow.  There were three of us.  J was up front, half skipping, half running up the mountain.  L and I were a little behind.  She was hiking in her snowboard boots, with a snowboard strapped to her back, and I was limping in pain.  I did something to my ankle while skiing a little over a month ago, and still have been limping on an everyday basis.  Hiking up a mountain might not have been the best healing process for me, but I hurt my ankle just two days before the last full moon, and this was my only full moon left while in Aspen.

We started our hike just a little past eight.  The sky was still bright and there was no moon in sight.  We forgot to look up what time the moon would rise, and just hoped it would be soon.  It was probably about halfway through the hike that we first caught glimpse of the moon through the aspen trees.

Everything changes after dark.  The trails, the trees, the whole mountain.  Once familiar landscapes take on other worldly appearances.  We stopped and stood in awe in those first moon beams.  I was truely amazed at just how much the moon lights up the mountain.  It made me a little proud that I was the only one who didn't bother to bring a flashlight (flashlights were never used for even a single second).

We reached the warming hut at about 10 o'clock.  It was quite a strenuous climb for us.  For me at least.  The warming hut is a nice little building used by ski patrol during the day, and open to anyone during the night.  Many people spend the night there during a long backpacking trip.  During a full moon, it is packed.  I believe I met half of Aspen that night.  In addition to people, there was also a lot of alcohol and sleds.  There is not much snow left this year, so skiing down would be a little sketchy.  J brought a cookie sheet, and I brought a blanket and trash bag to ride.

Every person upon entering the warming hut would ask "Will we see you up top?"  This being the first hike for my entire group, we didn't know that we could continue.  After the 7th person asking us, we decided to follow.  We left our supplies behind, and hiked about 10 more minutes through the trees along the edge of the mountain.  We found the missing snow.  It was hiding in the trees.  My right foot constantly fell through it up to my knee, and once even up to my hip.  It was just icy enough that you could mostly walk easily on top of it, but I think my limping on my left foot caused just enough extra pressure on my right.

Me and J in the dead tree, poorly photographed on an iPhone

It was worth it.  As we emerged from the trees, the view was breathtaking.  Though the clearing was packed with beer guzzling hikers, there was one tree right on the edge that caught our eye.  J and I climbed up it a little and sat down.  The tree was dead, and had our branches broke, we would be rolling almost straight down a rocky cliff.  It was astonishingly quiet for the amount of people attending.  I was absorbed in the peace, tranquility and beauty of the valley below.  

I could have sat there for hours staring off into the night.  Midnight rolled around though, and our driver had to work the next morning.  We vowed to return to the tree during daylight to compare, and trudged off down hill to our sleds. 

Two ladies joined us, one on skies and one with a snowboard.  So the two of them and L took off riding down the hill.  It wasn't snowy enough for my trash bag to work, and J's cookie sheet worked so well that she was terrified.  So I folded my blanket, set it on her cookie sheet, and had the ride of my life.  J held my bag, and ran down the hill just like she had run up it.  During the steepest parts I wanted to avoid wrapping myself around a tree, so I laid on my back, head first, held the cookie sheet, and slid down.  We reached the bottom much quicker than I hoped. 

From seeing the moon rise over the aspen trees, to gliding down the trails, it was all an exhilarating experience.  I highly recommend the adventure, and the mystery of moonlight hiking, especially up a mountain!

Buttermilk Mountain, Home of the Winter X Games

Sharing my story with my Co-workers

Ever since I realized my parents were okay with me living in my van this time around, I've been sharing this info with everyone I can.  This time of year, in a seasonal job, everyone is asking everyone else about their summer plans.  I've told everyone that asks where I'm going that I'm living there in my van.

No one thinks it is strange! Actually, some have done similar things.

Some of my co-workers reactions:

J: "I'm so jealous, and my boyfriend is going to think I'm crazy when I go home and tell him we're buying a van!"

T: "My boyfriend and I lived in a van last year for a few years.  We have an apartment this year, but when the lease ends in April we want to move back out."  Since telling me this they have bought a camper truck and are moving into it, boondocking in a local parking lot, starting at the end of April.

A1: "When I first moved here, I lived in a Teepee."

A2: "When I moved here I lived in a TeePee, too!  We did have an electrical cord though,  from the main house, my boss lived there.  I still have it.  I would love to fix it up and set it up on my property now."

JJ: "I spent a summer sea kayaking in Alaska and living in a tent."


Some time next week I'm going to look at T's van that they lived in last year.  I want to see in person someone else with a bed that works.  I'm pretty sure she said it was a minivan, and they had two of them living in there!  If they can make it work long term, I can definitely make it work.

I also have shared with all my co-workers about living in my van last year in Ohio.  That is something I don't plan to share with my parents quite yet.

Coming Out

Last year when I lived in my van I could not tell anybody.  It is a lifestyle that is not acceptable in suburban Ohio, and definitely not with my family.

When I first got the idea to move into a van in February 2012 I shared the idea with my parents.  They were NOT into it.  They thought it was the most ridiculous idea they had ever heard of and couldn't understand why I would even consider it.  When I DID move into my van in September of 2012, I didn't tell them.  I just said I was staying with a friend.

Suddenly it is about one year later.  I tell them about the job in Wyoming.  They think it is great.  I tell them about sharing the RV site, they think it is great.  I tell them that maybe instead of invading my friend's RV, I could just throw a bed in the back of my van.  They think it is great.  Strange how doing the same thing in a different setting is suddenly acceptable.

I guess I can kind of see it from my mom's perspective... 

Not me.

Living in the van in Ohio.  Even though I parked in my former apartment parking lot, right outside my former bedroom window, every single night, I'm sure my mom pictured me sleeping in dark alleys and digging in trash cans for food.

Also not me.

Living in my van in Wyoming.  My mom now imagines the hundreds of camping trips we've went on as a family.  Growing up, camping was our annual summer vacation, and how we spent most fall weekends.  I suppose, to her, camping is familiar and safe. (The grizzly bears don't seem to phase her)

The good news is, now that they're accepting of my living choice, my dad can now help me remodel.  I'm really excited to build a bed in the back, instead of just having a mattress laying on the floor.  Getting it off the floor will give me a lot more extra storage space underneath.  I also hope to build a simple sink.  Basically just a circle drilled in a board and a bowl placed in it.  A hole drilled in the bottom of the bowl and drained to a large water jug.  This will be a big help with washing my hands, putting in my contacts,  brushing my teeth, etc.

I'm really looking forward to my week spent at my parents house, because I'm really excited to remodel my van!

Summer Plans

Wonderful news!  I have found a summer job!  I think it is going to be a nice one, and best part is: I get to live in my van for free :)

I was offered a job in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, and I took it!  It is a 6 month position, which for a seasonal worker, is awesome.  It is sometimes hard to get through the 'off-season' in the spring and fall, and especially this year, I was hoping for the shortest time off as possible.

I am on a roll with paying off my college loans.  I've paid off over $3,200 in loans so far in 2012.  That is over $2,400 more than the minimum payments.  If I keep it up for a year, I'll have my one major loan paid off by next February.  I made a one year plan.  Then I'll be left with one small, low monthly payment and low interest loan to worry about.

For this reason, working as much as possible, and living as cheaply as possible is priority over major traveling and other expensive experiences this year.  I'm still having a great time, and I'm still seeing the country, just slowly.  A different state every 6 months is the travel rate I'm on.

From my last day of work here, to my first day of work in Wyoming, I have 15 days.  In that time I have to travel from Colorado to Ohio via Amtrak (that takes about two days).  I have to unload my van, which is currently parked in my parents' driveway. (When I moved in the fall I knew I wasn't going to be bringing it with me to Colorado, so I left it packed.)  I have to remodel the van (Basically just take out the seats and build a bed in the back.) Then I have to re-pack and fit it all nicely into the van, and finally, drive about 1,700 miles alone to Wyoming.  I probably will take at least 6 days to do this.  If I had more time, I would ideally spend a few weeks making the journey.

I have a friend that has offered me a free parking spot at his RV site in the park! Jackpot.  There are camp showers and toilets to use, and coin laundry in the RV park.  An expensive grocery store is within walking distance, the cheaper one is about 40 miles away, outside the park.

I don't think I've ever been to a National Park.  I've never realized how big they are!  The RV site is in the park.  My job is in the park.  I thought it would be perfect.  Not so much.  I realized yesterday that I'll be driving 33.4 miles to work everyday.  Then another 33.4 miles home :( Google tells me it will be a 45 minute drive.  I haven't had to drive to a job in 6 years.  I guess this summer will make up for that.  I figure I'll be spending about $200 in gas a month.  The good news is: When I received my official job offer, I found out I'll be making about $190 more a month than their website told me I would!  So that kind of evens out.

I have a 12 days of work left here.  I'm pretty much ready to go!

My neglected blog

I realized today that it has been a long time since this blog has been updated.  In case you're wondering where the old blog posts are appearing from today, I have a bunch of entries saved on my iPod, but I never seemed to have an internet connection to get them on here, and then they were long forgotten about.  So I'm adding them on here today.

I'm not currently living in my van.  When it came time to move to Colorado in November, I didn't know enough about heating and everything else to feel comfortable coming out here with just a van to live in.  So I traveled to Colorado on Amtrak, and in mid-April, I'm heading back to Ohio, to pick up my van, and start our next adventure together. I'm not sure where we'll be going yet, but I know that my van will be coming with me.

Aspen

Well, I did it.  I moved to Aspen (area).  I moved in November 16th.  I'm back to paying $525(includes utilities) for housing!!  This makes me sad, but it is cheaper than I was paying in Ohio before moving into my van.  I'm out of Ohio though, that's the main thing.  I've rarely left Ohio in the past 25 years, and I knew it would be hard to leave for long term.  Knowing that I had housing and a job all set up when I arrived here made it easier.

I have three roommates.  I've only had roommates once in my life, they lasted a few months.  I've lived alone for the past 4 years.  Roommates are going to be a hard adjustment.