GNP seasonal employee. The Grapes of Wrath. Summer of growth.

Original Post Date 7/2/2021

Day one: I made it to the park.  2 a.m. leave time to get to orientation by 8 am MST.  I was greeted with a fiery early sunrise coming up in a perfect morning sky just as I approached the southern shores of Flathead Lake. I could not ask for a better omen.

The cabins they are housing us in are wonderfully horrible (as expected). I was even told by the campground host (also a Xanterra employee) I had to mow the lawn around my shack thru the summer. Ah, yeah, right….. Instead, I immediately I carved out a space on my side of the shanty and made it all my own.  My roommate has been here for a month and prefers to sleep on the floor for what I assume are back issues. Lots of piles of stuff. It’s kind of an Oscar and Felix thing if you ever saw the series from many years ago called ‘The Odd Couple.’ I’m not much for the hoarder look, but I’m easy to get along with. After all, 90% of my time will be hiking if I execute my plan successfully this summer.

Xanterra own this entire campground and it’s filled with only GNP employees.  Most have 5^th wheels and their entire families here.  Others are older and retired empty nesters; often both spouses work for the park. Many have even landscaped their RV sites with rockery and pottery and shrubs and hanging flower baskets.  Very weird. And very much the new mobile workforce of the modern age.

My roomie’s name is Don.  Probably ten years older them me. Lots of gear and books, so might be a hiker and a nerd. Pretty quiet, but I know there is a backstory there. An onion to peel. Which reminds me the place smelled of old socks. Actually, it reminded me of that time a racoon crawled under my garden shed to raise her pups. I was afraid to look under this cabin. Or maybe its just an RV park scent, as it was kind of everywhere. I know I’m going to have to store my hiking clothes in the back of the truck before I figure the laundry cycle out. Didn’t bring enough Tide Pods to keep all those synthetic fibers fully funk free for the entire summer.

The showers remind me of something you would find at a campground in rural Mexico, but they will work. Will be ordering some flip flops from Amazon before the sun sets. I know there is a flesh eating virus in there looking for something to start gnawing on. As sure as I know there are there are people living here that are in the federal witness protection program.

Found a trail that leads down to the shore of the Middle Fork of the Flathead, where employees tube and play loud music. Working the night shift my cut my social interaction down to zero. Which is a same, because I like to talk to everyone and everyone a LOT. Especially after a few beers (which I will also miss this summer).

Can’t wait to do my laundry outside. Maybe throw up a hammock. And I will be extra careful when it rains and I’m starting up one of those 240 volt dryers (I’m sure they are up to code with GFI’s).

The new ticket entry system for the Sun Road looks like a total failure in the making from what I am seeing as a ‘parkie’ insider this season.  Only take out food from the lodges this year, and housekeeping is so short they are giving room discounts if people are willing to make their own bed. Of course, you don’t know if you are eligible for the discount until you walk into your room and find the bedding just folded up and sitting there. Visitation is up 20 percent from pre-pandemic times and rising each day.

Tomorrow I get to drive the shuttle for the first time, but only after a night in the sweat lodge with Don (been in the 90’s here for weeks).  Maybe have some visions of Tatanka, or better yet find my spirit animal this summer.