Home Sweet Humidity

      Good news: I made it home from Estes Park safe and sound. Bad news: I have to type this on my parents' computer because I left my laptop charger in Estes. Whoops. I also think that I get sweatier with every sentence I type because IT IS SO STINKING HUMID HERE HOLY CRAP. 
      Anyway, my last five days at the Y were phenomenal. Seriously. I took it upon myself to try and complete all of the last minute things on my Estes Park bucket list and it turned out pretty well.Work wasn't stressful at all this week either. We got an Honorarium and Memorial wall on grounds so I made a flyer for that. I also finished up Annual Campaign materials and filed my little heart out. There was also a good amount of down time for me to go bother Suzy and Brady. We listened to John Mayer, I watched some of their videos, etc. I also got to take an ~official~ Theta picture with the Marketing and Communications Director. We found out that we were both Thetas a few weeks ago and we had a great time exchanging stories about each other's chapters.

      Monday evening was spent in Denver at the Rockies game. I went to one during my last week last summer and loved it. I made a vow to go more than once, but it never ended up happening. I was pretty pumped when Suzy, Brady, Rachel and I were finally able to figure out a good time to head down to Coors Field. The Rockies were losing 6-1 when we arrived during the third inning, but they rallied in the 9th inning and came back to almost win it. I surprisingly remembered more about baseball than I thought, which made it way more fun.

I need to find shorter friends.

      My mom and sister were both in town this week to visit and help me drive back, so I went to dinner with them on Tuesday. After that I hung out with some people and went stargazing at Sprague Lake. We were out in the park so there was no lights even close to us. It was a perfect night to stargaze- the moon was stunning and the stars were super bright. We took turns telling our best "dad jokes" and even saw a handful of shooting stars! My hair was filled with rocks from lying down on the path but it was worth it to get a good look at the stars one last time. 
      On Wednesday I went to get dinner in town with Brady, Suzy and Rachel. After that I went and hung out with my family. We played games, sat in their hot tub and talked about some more logistics for leaving on Friday.
        My last full day was absolutely perfect. It started out with a relaxing day at work. I went into town for a goodbye lunch with the philanthropy department. It was a gorgeous day so I loved getting out of the office! After that I went back to my office and prepared for my final presentation. Courtney asked me if I wanted her to invite the executive team and I said yes without thinking. I figured that it would be five or six people, tops. As it turns out, most of the executive team was free at that time. I ended up presenting to about ten people. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it was enough to get my heart racing. The presentation ended up going SO well. I added just the right amount of humor to things and I got some fantastic questions at the end. It was definitely a highlight of the internship for me!
      After work I stopped by the craft place to finish my silk painting, pictured below:

In typical Abby fashion, I found a way to incorporate every single color of the rainbow into my design.

      Once everything was finished, I went back to the room to pack for a little bit and then ran to Rustic to get dinner. Cathrine, Rachel and Kiley joined me for pizza and then we played a quick game of volleyball with some other people from Sweet. (I actually had some good hits too, so hooray for becoming more athletic!) Rachel and I headed out after the first game to hang out with Amanda at her house for a little bit. We almost got to see a bear but it ran off before we could get a good look. After all of that craziness, we headed down to the staff fire ring and had a campfire for the rest of the night. There was a pretty good size crowd there, which made it a whole lot of fun. We hung out there for almost two and a half hours making s'mores, being sassy with each other and reflecting on our time at the Y. Kristina, Amanda, Elizabeth and I planned to do a sunrise hike to Bible Point on Friday so we put out the fire and headed out around 11:00 so we could at least get a few hours of sleep.
      Since Rachel had to lead a floating trip at 6:00, we had to say our goodbyes that night. I knew that I would be sad to leave, but I didn't expect it to be nearly as difficult as it was. We said our tear filled goodbyes and jammed to "House Party" one last time. (It came on the radio by chance, which was pretty great.) I eventually made my way back to my room and started packing up my stuff. Time was moving incredibly fast but I managed to make it to bed a little before one.
      My alarm clock went off at the crack of 5:05 AM. Kristina, Elizabeth and I picked up Amanda, drove up Mountainside and took the shortcut way to Bible Point. The sun was just getting ready to come over the mountains. As usual, it was absolutely gorgeous. 

      We stayed at the top for a while to watch the mountains and take in the views. After about an hour we left to get coffee in town and I said goodbye to Amanda and Elizabeth as I headed into work. It was sad to see our hiking group end but I know that I'll look back on the stressful "crap what are we going to hike in six hours?" nights and smile. 
      I went into work to clean out my desk, introduce my family to my co-workers and say my goodbyes. Before I knew it, I was sitting in my car preparing for the 12 hour drive home. It was hard to drive away from the Y and the beautiful Rocky Mountains, but I know I'll be back someday. Whether it's with my family, a group of friends I met at the Y, or to start my first "adult" job, I know that Estes Park and I will meet again.
        If anything describes how I feel about coming to Colorado, it's the chorus of one of my favorite Needtobreathe songs- "If you never leave home, never let go, you'll never make it to the great unknown." Getting out of Kansas to be launched into my "great unknown" has been the best thing to ever happen to me. The lessons, friendships and memories I've had out here are ones that I will cherish for the rest of my life. 
      In the words of Porky Pig, "That's all folks." Thanks for reading about my summer adventures. :) Between going to Red Rocks and climbing mountains, it's changed me for the better and I'm so excited to see where junior year takes me. I just know that it's going to be a fantastic year!

Go Big or Go Home

     Hey hey! It's been a good week. I've been trying not to think too much about not coming back to the Y next summer, but it's close to impossible at this point. Every time I tell someone that I leave on Friday there's an immediate follow up question of "will you come back next year?" Then I have to explain that I'm required to find another company for my final internship. It didn't make me sad at first but now that it's really hitting me, I'm getting pretty sad about it. Better to leave and want more than to leave wanting to never return, right?
      Work was both good and productive this week. I finished the huge filing project that I talked about last week, which was a relief. Now I can focus on doing a bunch of fun and creative projects. I made a cool invitation for the Annual Campaign Kickoff and I'm in the process of making a brochure for our new donor wall. I got to attend a Directors/Assistant Directors meeting as well. It was three hours long but it was interesting to hear from all of the different departments. 
      There were three really fun things that happened this past week. 1) I got to see the Snow Mountain Ranch crew one last time. The reason we all got to see each other is because one of the girls is moving on to another job, so that's sad, but I had fun going to lunch with them. 2) My department threw a baby shower for one of the girls in accounting. Her office is right next to ours so we figured that it would be fun to put something together. It was a ton of fun. We decorated the meeting room, got fun desserts and had a great time. 3) I got to sit and talk with the Center Director and CEO. I mainly asked them about how they came to the Y, where they wanted things to go, etc. It was so cool hearing their stories and what they were passionate about doing. Our CEO is retiring at the end of the year so I especially enjoyed hearing his story and getting general career advice.
      Monday night was my last hike before doing Longs. I went up Deer Mountain and it was great! It wasn't too difficult and we got to watch the beginning of a gorgeous sunset. 

Typical sorority pose.

The day was also the two week mark of me moving back to Manhattan, so obviously I was pumped.

      The other nights I mainly hung out and relaxed. I bought a grown up coloring book, watched a movie and hung out with new friends. It's weird to still be meeting people when I'm so close to leaving but I love it. Everyone I've met has been wonderful. Most of them are from Missouri and close-ish states, so that's exciting. If we stay in touch it'll be way easier to visit. :)
      Saturday was one of the longest and most incredible days of my life. It was the Big Day. The day that my friends and I decided to summit Longs Peak. This was no easy feat- Longs is the only 14er in Rocky Mountain National Park. Only 50% of the people who attempt to summit are successful, it's in the top 15 on almost every list for difficult 14ers and there have been at least 60 deaths on it since people started attempting to summit. 
      So it was a little intimidating. 
      Making it up Longs was also a big deal to me because it was one of the first fitness goals that I made for myself and actually accomplished. I have a tendency to make excuses and generally not follow through on things like that. There was something about leaving last year and not having done it that really bothered me, though. (In hindsight I am so glad that I didn't make the attempt- it would not have gone well.) When I got back to K-State I started trying to get in shape, hoping that if I got hired back at the Y I would at least having a fighting chance at tackling it. There was a bit of doubt and indecisiveness at the beginning of the summer, but I eventually decided to go for it. I started the countdown and didn't look back.
      Friday night was supposed to be my "go to bed early night" since I had my alarm set for 12:45 AM. As it turns out, trying to sleep at 4 PM is fairly difficult. With my nerves and excitement I ended up not being able to sleep until 10 PM. The wakeup call was rough, to say the least. I pulled myself out of bed, got ready and met our full group of nine at the trailhead to start hiking at 1:45 AM.
      We were hiking under an incredible full moon, and once we made it above treeline (it surprisingly didn't take us long- we were booking it at the beginning) we could see Denver, Loveland and Fort Collins. We could also see different hiking groups because everyone was wearing headlamps. I was freezing until the sun rose (which makes sense), but it was okay because watching that sun rise as we made it to the Boulderfield was amazing.

My attempt to capture the cool night part of our hike.

The view of the peak. Absolutely incredible (I use those words a lot but that's the only proper way to describe Longs.)

     The Boulderfield was exactly how it sounded- a ton of rocks that we had to navigate to get up to the keyhole. It was basically us jumping from rock to rock. You gain a good chunk of elevation so I had to stop a few times to catch my breath. I rested with our group at the Keyhole as Bethany, the only hiker in our group who had done Longs before, explain what was ahead of us.

The Boulderfield & the Keyhole (up towards the right side). 

     Everyone who has ever done Longs via the Keyhole route will tell you that your day doesn't really begin until you hit the Keyhole. I always assumed that they were right, but my optimistic brain secretly thought, "Okay yeah cool, I'm sure it's hard. But it can't be that bad."
      Hahahahahaha. It was definitely that bad. It was the most difficult part of the hike, and as we all agreed at the summit, the hardest thing any of us had ever done, period. It's only 1.5 miles to the summit, but the official trail ends and you have to follow a bunch of trail markers. I'll take you through it piece by piece.
      First, you hit the Ledges. This part look bad but it's actually not too terrible. (This is a weird angle of it too.) It was fairly secure and as long as you kept a hand on the mountain and took it slowly, it was totally doable.

I know it looks terrible but it really wasn't that bad. 

     Next up came the Trough. I hated everything about this. The Trough was described to us as "kind of like the Boulderfields except you're at a higher elevation so it's harder to breathe." That was true, but it was also covered with tons of loose rocks and areas where we had to go on all fours. (Friendly reminder that I'm not a rock climber.) There were even a few chunks of ice. We were able to avoid almost all of them, and thankfully the one that we couldn't avoid was easier to navigate than we expected. This chunk of the hike probably took us about an hour and a half. 

This is from Google because there's no way in hell I was taking pictures while trying to navigate this beast.

     The good thing about this part (and what remained true throughout the hike) was the sense of camaraderie among the hikers. Everyone understood the struggle so they were really helpful. One guy even stuck around a difficult part to help all of us get over it safely. Once we were past that we made our way through the narrows. This was essentially the Ledges but with a steeper drop off. I remained calm the whole way through and in no time we all started up the Homestretch.

Again, from Google.

      As you can see, the Homestretch is a bit of a beast. It's about the length of a football field and you basically have to go up on all fours. It's not quite like rock climbing because you aren't at that sharp of an angle, but you also can't just walk up it. We were all exhausted at that point, but we pushed ourselves and made it up to the summit.
      Making it up to the top is, without a doubt, one of the most incredible things I have ever felt. I set this crazy goal back before I left last year, and here I was, sitting at the summit. Literally every single positive emotion was running through my body. I took some time to explore the peak and all of its incredible views. Before I knew it, it was time for us to head down.

The bigger lake is Chasm and the smaller one is Peacock Pool. The whole way up and over one side you could also see Mills, Black and Blue Lakes. It about blew my mind to see so many of the hikes I had done from one spot.

      One thing that I heard consistently about Longs is that it's 50% physical and 50% mental. I figured that, as a positive person, I would be okay. I get bitter when things get difficult, but overall I find ways to enjoy myself. That wasn't the case this time. After sitting down and basically crab walking/sliding down the Homestretch (it was scary but actually a little fun) I started feeling really nauseous. It was the terrible "will eating and drinking water make me throw up or feel better?" kind of feelings, and I unfortunately felt it the whole way back.
      Getting back to the Keyhole was difficult, especially making our way down the Trough. My heart sank when I looked up and saw a storm cloud making its way towards us. All we could do was continue to go as fast as we could and hope for the best. Thankfully a storm didn't form and we stayed safe. I'd like to think that my one billion Hail Marys paid off. (I also think I said something along the lines of, "I will be DAMNED if I summit Longs Peak but get taken out by a stupid bolt of lightning.") I got a little panicky at some points because of my lack of depth perception and fear of heights- probably two of the worst characteristics to have while trying to descend a mountain- but everyone was supportive and helpful. We all made it down safe and sound.
       Making it to the Keyhole was nice because we knew that the hardest part of the hike was over. Unfortunately, we still had six more miles to go. I tried to stay positive but I was 110% over it. I just wanted to be home and asleep. We continued on and I officially made it back to the trailhead at 5:15 PM. Seeing that parking lot and rangers station was incredible. We had ~officially~ made it, and it felt pretty freaking sweet and surreal. To be honest, it still feels unreal. Every time I look at Longs I think, "Hey, I was up there. I did that thing." It was definitely the hardest thing that I have ever done and I am so proud of myself for making it.
     Sunday was spent relaxing, catching up with people and visiting the craft shop. I finished a fun project for my friend and got started on a silk painting. I was going to start painting it today but I went to go visit a friend while the outline stuff was drying and the craft shop closed before I could make it back. Oh well. I'll finish it before I leave.

      That's the end of my second to last week here. I only have five more days left. It's crazy, but it's going to be a blast. I already know it! 

Apparently the fact that there was nine of us set us up for some good Lord of the Rings jokes. *shrugs*
On a more sentimental note, this was probably one of the best hiking groups I've been with all summer. Everyone was so fun and supportive- I had a blast with them!

Long Live the Heart

     If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me when I was done with my internship, I would be pretty rich by now. Especially if I got an extra dollar for the follow-up comment of, "Oh wow! August 7th? That's not too far away!" The end is definitely near but it's still a little ways away so I'm not sad about it yet. It was hard to think about leaving when I spent the past week running around.
     Last week ended with me driving over to Snow Mountain Ranch for our golf outing on Monday. Driving the day before allowed me to sleep in, which was much appreciated. Jinetta and I made it over to the golf course around 8:30 and sat at the $10,000 Hole-in-One hole. The tournament took way longer Monday (we did tee times instead of a shot gun start, so everyone started at different times versus starting all at once). Even though we were done at the hole around 11:00 we didn't leave for Estes until about 3:30.
     After coming back, I checked in with an officer in Theta and somehow found the energy to go to dollar bowling night. I met Kristen and Colt and had a good time despite coming in last place. It was a little hectic running around but I'm an extrovert so I know I would have regretted staying at home and doing nothing.
     Work for the rest of the week consisted of a Staff for Kids cookout and me starting my big filing project. The cookout was fun- there weren't a ton of people but I got to talk to a lot of fun campers. I love hearing what they love about camp and Colorado! The filing project is about as exciting as watching paint dry but it's been satisfying to get a visual of all of the files I'm moving and recycling and such. Between it all I'm also working on materials for the Annual Campaign. Now that we've decided our theme, I get to tailor everything to reflect it. It's been a great way to take a break from the monotony of filing and sorting. Another fun thing that I got to do was talk to Courtney (my main boss) about the comprehensive campaign. She told me about the projects, how they decided what to work on, how they got donor feedback, etc. It was super interesting!
      Tuesday night I got to go see Tour de Compadres at Red Rocks. It was my first Red Rocks show so I was pumped about that, especially since it was sold out and Needtobreathe was headlining it. The show also featured Switchfoot, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors and Colony House. The lineup was amazing, but if we're being honest I was mostly excited about Needtobreathe. I hadn't really listened to their music until I heard "Multiplied" on Pandora back in November. My friend Emma once said that song could convert a person, and I definitely agree because I was obsessed with it for a solid two months. When I finally had the sense to look up the rest of their songs, I was hooked. What I appreciate the most is  their raw talent and ability of writing their faith into their music. It doesn't sound like they just pulled a page out of the Bible and strummed a few chords. It sounds real and gritty and I love everything about it (I could go on but I'll spare you all). They came to KC in April and I didn't go, so when I saw that they were playing at Red Rocks, it took an immense amount of self control to not buy the tickets then and there. Instead, I waited and bought tickets with Rachel and Victoria, a friend of mine who is currently living in Wyoming. Then I let the countdown begin.
      Getting to the venue took way less time than I thought it would. We hit almost no traffic, which was nice because we were all getting off work so we didn't head out until about 5:30. We missed all of Colony House, which was a bummer, but truthfully I didn't realize that they were playing until earlier that day, so I hadn't had much of a chance to listen to their music. I loved Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors- they had a really relaxed sound to them. Switchfoot was up next. I only knew a few of their songs and they sadly didn't play my favorite song of theirs ("Let it Out") but they were great live. Everyone that played was incredibly talented.

The show was special, but experiencing it with these wonderful people made it even more memorable!

       I listen to Needtobreath pretty much on a daily basis, but even listening to their live CDs didn't prepare me for their incredible show. They're fantastic live. I had goosebumps pretty much the entire time. The weather got crappy after their second or third song- it started to rain and there was lightning in the distance- but we just danced and sang along even more. I teared up a few times, but my heart exploded when they sang "Multiplied" and streaks of lightning flashed across the sky. It was so cool. Even the lead singer said that if they got electrocuted, it would be totally worth it. Another highlight was their encore- they sang "Brother" with all of the other bands ("Brother" is another one of those special songs for me so I was pumped to hear it live) and "Washed by the Water" (a fitting finale since we all got rained on). They said that it was the best night of their 14 year career so that's pretty cool that I can say I was there for it. It's definitely a night that I won't ever forget.

       Wednesday was another fun night because I got to hang out with a girl who went to high school and college with me. We didn't know each other super well but we ran into each other at bowling last week and decided to get coffee and catch up. I had a really fun time hanging out with her- we sat by the river and then walked around Lake Estes and just talked about a ton of random things. She's volunteering in the national park for the summer so we'll probably get together again before I leave. Elizabeth and I drove into Moraine Park later that night to stargaze. It got pretty cold but I didn't mind because the views were stunning!
       Since the YMCA has a lot of international staff members, they usually do an international fair towards the end of the summer. All of the employees make posters of their home countries and tell everyone about their culture. I had a blast last year so Rachel and I went again and brought Elizabeth with us. We got there in the last half hour, which was a bummer because we didn't get to talk to a lot of people. We did, however, get to watch a bunch of different countries do traditional (and non-traditional) dances. It was a lot of fun, especially since the three of us spent the rest of the night playing a small game of sand volleyball and talking to a group of girls who were in town visiting their grandparents.
       I knew that Emma and Rose would be coming in town around Friday evening, so when I got off work I passed the time by going downtown, renting a bike and riding around Lake Estes for a while. It was great and I made it back just in time to greet them and show them around the Y. It was really fun being able to give them a grand tour of such a special place while catching up on life. We went to Cheesy Lee's for dinner, stopped by Safeway (and met a K-State Theta!) and slowly made our way to Allenspark to camp for the night.  I got us turned around at one point but we eventually made it to our campsite. Saturday was going to be a long day so we didn't stay up too late.
       One of the best things about camping is waking up to the sound of everything around you. Our tent was close to a river, so we got to wake up to the river rushing and birds chirping. It was wonderful. We got on the road around 8:00ish so we could hike and avoid any storms. I was instructed to find a good hike so I chose Lake Hiayaha, which is close to Nymph, Dream and Emerald Lake. Despite being in the altitude for less than 24 hours, they took the hills and switchbacks like champs and we made it up with plenty of time to explore and eat lunch. I was determined to get to the other side of the lake, so Rose and I had fun adventure trying to cross a ton of rocks. We got stuck in different spots and I slid into some water at one point, but it was so beautiful that I didn't mind at all.

      Dream Lake is so close to the split off for Lake Hiayaha, so on the way back we made a second stop there to hang out for a few minutes. After making it back to my car, we celebrated finishing the hike with a trip to Fun City. We did the bumper boats (basically a water fight on bumper car type things) and went down the giant rainbow slides. Our time in Estes continued with a trip to The Stanley, You Need Pie (we did need it and it was fantastic) and a drive up Trail Ridge Road.

The beautiful Dream Lake!

Right before we hit Dream Lake. So. Freaking. Beautiful. 

       We went back to Allenspark before it got too late so we could cook hot dogs and s'mores over a campfire. It took a while to get the fire started, but once we got it going it wasn't too shabby. We basically talked and hung out until we decided to go to bed. Sunday was spent packing up our tent, getting breakfast in town and saying our goodbyes. I was sad to see them both go but knowing that I'll see them in two weeks made it a lot easier. I'm so happy that I got to spend some quality time with them and show them around Estes. :)
       The rest of my Sunday was spent visiting another sorority sister and hanging out with my former co-workers in the craft shop. I was trying to finish a mosaic that I started back in June. I guess the craft shop people were about to throw it away because of how long I had left it there. Luckily I have a friend in the craft shop who told them that I would come finish it, so it was still there when I went in today! I spent a solid four hours working on it and I'm super close to being done. Hopefully I'll be able to knock it out (along with the other list of crafts I want to complete) in the next two weeks. There's a lot that I want to do but I'm confident that I'll be able to get all of the adventures done!

Donor Appreciation Week

            This past week was a little nuts with all of the Donor Appreciation events. I worked two 13 hour days and ended up getting a three day weekend. That ended up working out super well because Jenna, one of my roommates from last summer, was visiting for the week. So we got to hang out all of Friday!

               I spent my time Monday helping prepare and making sure that everything was in order. It was by far the most tedious day of the week. I had to print and fold all of the table tents as well as print and tear out all of the name tags. I made name tags for both the people who RSVP’d yes and the people who didn’t answer at all, so I had over 70 sheets of paper to tear and put into name tags. It definitely took a while.

               Luckily my evening was a lot more fun. The bowling alley in town has a dollar special on Mondays, so I went with Rachel, Kristen and Colt. We ended up playing three games and spending three hours together, which was great. Surprisingly I won overall with a score of 324. I wasn’t doing super great at first, but once I warmed up I got a ton of spares and strikes. It also helped that we had bumpers because Colt is blind. I took the victory with pride for two reasons: 1) Colt definitely beat me last year. (Everyone laughs at me for that, but Colt is an amazing bowler. He bowled a ton before he went blind two or three years ago. He still bowls often so he’s pretty good.)  2) The last time I went bowling I failed to break 100 and also lost a bet. I almost had to sing at the UPC Christmas party. Almost being the key word there. (I definitely got out of that by running out of the office after the party ended. No shame.)

               Tuesday and Thursday were crazy, amazing and easily my favorite days of the summer. Tuesday started out normal with our morning gathering at the museum. There was a huge turnout because most of the donors came in town for the week of events, so that made it a lot of fun. After it ended I ran around and helped get everything prepared for our Summit Club Dinner that evening. There’s something so special about the day of an event. Everyone rallies and works together to make everything happen and it’s just incredible. Watching everything come together was a reminder that I definitely got it right with my major. 

The room setup!

               The dinner was a great time. I helped Joanna hand out name tags and greet people as they arrived. I made follow up calls and e-mails to the people who had forgotten to RSVP so it was nice to actually meet them and put a face to a name. After the program started, we all got to eat (the food was amazing, foodservice really knocked it out of the park all week) and watch an acoustic band play some music. They were great and the girl in the band was a YMCA camp counselor in college so she told her story, which was cool! After that we got to watch the impact video that had been filmed throughout the summer and it was phenomenal. There were stories ranging from staff members loving their job to a woman who got free housing for her and her five kids after having to temporarily live in a tent. It made me so proud to work for the Y.

The whole philanthropy team! (Also note that I'm still the shortest and I AM IN WEDGES.)

               The night went by crazy fast and before I knew it, we were cleaning up and getting ready to go home. I loved spending all that time at work but I was definitely ready to get some sleep. I went right to bed so I could be ready for Wednesday, which was just a day of making sure that everything was in order for Thursday. After work I went out to eat with Jenna, Erica, Chandler, Sarah and Rachel. We all had so much fun together- we caught up on life and talked about all sorts of random things. I crashed as soon as I got home because I had to be at the Estes Park golf course at *drum roll* 6 AM Thursday morning. WHOOOO!

               I’m pretty sure that this goes without saying, but I’m not really a morning person. The 6 AM start time just about killed me, but I got myself out of bed and arrived right on time. I helped Joanna check people in and then waited until I was needed for my official job of watching the $10,000 hole in one shot. The Y paid a company to offer prizes at certain holes if there’s a hole in one (someone ended up getting one and winning golf clubs, which was actually a tournament first, so that’s neat). The company surveys the course and picks one hole to offer $10,000 for a hole in one. Obviously that’s a large sum of money, so at least two witnesses need to be there throughout the tournament. I spent my whole time there with Jinetta and a board member. We all had a blast talking and watching all of the golfers. One got super close- the ball bounced near the hole (it might have even hit it a little) and went about one foot away!

               Once the tournament was over, we packed up our stuff and headed back to the office. There wasn’t much time to regroup- we had to be down at the cabin donor picnic around four- but I organized a few things before leaving. I got to check people into the picnic, which wasn’t hard at all. It was actually super fun talking to people I hadn’t met before (some of them were from KC, yay!) and saying hello to the familiar faces. I sat with Jinetta and a super cool family during the dinner, which ended up being a great decision. The family talked to me the whole time and we got to know each other pretty well. They were just fantastic and I loved meeting them.

               As soon as we pulled into the EXO parking lot after the picnic, I saw Erica, Jenna and Rachel sitting in Erica’s car, waiting for me. We decided to go in town for ice cream, but we made a stop by The Warming Hut to wait for Chandler to be done with work. On the way over, I asked Jenna what she wanted to do on Friday and her response was, “I know what I want to do, but I have to wait until we're all together to discuss it.” I was a little sketched out but went along with it. Once we were all together, I asked Erica and Rachel what they were thinking. Here’s the exact conversation:

               Me: I have all of Friday off, so what were you guys thinking of doing?

               Erica: You have the whole day off?

               Me: Yeah.

               Erica: That’s great! How do you feel about doing Longs that night?

               I’m pretty sure my face was hilarious because I definitely thought that they were joking. Then Rachel said, “I thought it was crazy too but hear them out!” and I suddenly had a decision to make. Long story short (no pun intended), I decided to climb it with my original group August. I really wanted to do it with them anyway, but we also found out that there’s still ice towards the top, which means that we would need equipment. I wouldn’t know how to use it even if I had it, so August it is. Hopefully it’ll clear up by then!

               Instead of our original (crazy) plan, Jenna and I hiked Milner Pass on Friday morning. It was gorgeous- we started down by the Continental Divide and went four miles up to the Alpine Visitor’s Center. The first mile was steep (you gain all 1,000+ feet of elevation right at the beginning), but after that it was smooth sailing. 

              Everything on that side of the park is stunning and we were able to enjoy it all since it was so flat. We made it to the Visitors Center and back in a little over three hours. It was a perfect short-ish hike! 

                That evening, we ended up spending seven hours at The Rock with another group of people. It was fun because we got dinner and hung out until about 10:00, when a band called Chain Station started playing. They’re Bluegrass, so it was all upbeat and fun. We listened to them, talked and even got on the dance floor for a bit. (Fun fact: trying to dance to bluegrass is extremely difficult.) I don’t think we left until 1:30 AM, so I was definitely thankful for sleeping in on Saturday. Our day was pretty laid back, too. A small group went into Moraine Park in the late morning. Jenna, Rachel and I finished off the day by going to see Jurassic World (SO GOOD), hanging out in town and then playing games in the admin building.

               On Sunday I had to say goodbye to Jenna, which was a major bummer. Rachel joined in on the drive to Denver, which was nice because we all got to spend a little more time together. We said our goodbyes and all agreed to stay in touch. I wish she could have stayed longer, but I was so happy to have had a week with her. I had to be back at the Y by six for a drive over to Snow Mountain Ranch, so Rachel and I explored Denver University’s campus (it was gorgeous) and got an early dinner at the first Chipotle (surprisingly small, not surprisingly delicious). 

Well played, recreational marijuana place. Well played.

              We drove back to the Y, where I hopped in another car to drive to Snow Mountain Ranch. It was a little hectic but I was happy to be leaving the night before our second golf outing versus leaving Estes Park at 6:30 or 7:00 on Monday morning. Bleh.

               Another great week down, two more wonderful weeks to go. This next week is going to be absolutely wonderful for two reasons. 1) I get to see one of my favorite bands at Red Rocks on Tuesday and 2) two of my best friends in the whole world are coming to visit for the weekend. !!!!!!

Sweet Victory

     This past week has been busy getting ready for our Donor Appreciation Week, aka preparing for all of our different events (a dinner, golf outing, etc). I've made name tags, finished the slideshow video and wrapped gifts. Well, I put ribbons on the gifts. Wrapping is not one of my strong suits. A volunteer who helped out in the department last year is also back for the week. He had hip surgery so he could only come back for this week, which is a bummer because I've loved working with him. He's so kind and easy to talk to. Through a conversation we found out that him and his wife donated a cabin that my family stayed in once so that was cool!
     I also got to present the themes I created for the Annual Campaign. It went super well and took a while to narrow it down to one! With the World Council one year behind us, a trip to Russia happening in the future and Rio de Janerio, we decided to go with the Olympics. Soon I'll get to start finding ways to incorporate the theme into the campaign materials and kickoff event.
     The best thing that I did this past week was travel out to Snow Mountain Ranch again. We got there Tuesday night but all of the things I helped with were the following day. There was a pinning ceremony in the morning where people were honored with their Y anniversaries. I also got to meet the rest of the SMR staff who works with philanthropy. After I told one of the guys that I went to K-State he said and I quote, "Oh I like K-State. I like their basketball program." We got along great. The other event that we did that day was a cookout with people who donated to the Staff For Kids program. It's a program where employees donate to provide scholarships for kids to come to camp. A group of CCO kids joined us so we could hear all about their camp experiences.
     I took a spontaneous road trip to Loveland on Friday to visit Erica and Chandler. Rachel and Sarah were also there and we met another super nice girl named Natalie. We all went out to dinner and walked around downtown. Loveland is such a nice area- if I ever move out to Colorado I would definitely consider moving there. We got a grand tour of Erica's apartment and also spent some time at a music festival downtown. Rachel and I were hiking early-ish the next day so we left a little early but we'll definitely be back so I'm looking forward to visiting again.
     Saturday was a big day for me. It was a day of beauty, but most importantly, redemption.
     If you've heard any of my hiking stories from last year, there's a 98% chance that you've heard about my bitterness towards Bluebird Lake. Telling the story all the way through would take a blog post of its own so if you haven't heard it, here's the Cliff Notes version: I was nauseous for the first three miles of the hike. Rachel and I got lost taking an alternate route and ended up wandering around a meadow full of dead trees for two hours. I fell on one of the logs and got a nasty scar all the way down my shin. It was straight up miserable. The worst part of it all is that we never actually made it to the lake. We got so lost and tired that we ended up turning around in the last half mile of the hike. Bluebird Lake became a mystic destination, and we constantly joked about someday making it back. Then we both got rehired and, well, we knew what we needed to do.
     Thankfully things went much better this time around. Rachel and I gathered a small group to join us and witness a beautiful moment of redemption. Cathrine, Michael and another girl named Laura all came with us and we had a great time. Going in a bigger group helped us find the correct trails (still not sure how we missed them last year...) and we made it there in excellent time. It was nice being able to admire all of the scenery. The Wild Basin area is known for having lots of wild flowers, and it was so cool walking around and seeing all of the different color patches. I rounded the final corner to see the lake and my heart exploded with joy. The lake was stunning. It was everything I hoped it would be.

Celebrating because WE FINALLY MADE IT!!!

*Cue "Just Around the Riverbend"*

     I could have stayed there all day. It was just fantastic. Unfortunately, we had to leave at some point, and the way back was just as beautiful. My favorite part was sliding down a huge snow drift. It was a little steep on the walk up so we decided to sled down to make it down faster. I tied my raincoat around my waist and made a valiant attempt to go the whole distance. Instead, I almost ran straight into a rock. I got the bright idea of moving to my side and sliding, which made my whole left leg almost go numb from being so cold. Eventually I made it down without injury and we continued on our way. The hike wiped me out so I stayed home and prepared to hike CCY on Sunday.
     CCY is a super popular hike in the park. It's three peaks that you can see right from the YMCA. Kristina, Amanda, Rachel and I drove up Old Fall River Road and started on the trail around 7:45 AM to conquer them all. It was way steeper than I expected. (At the top of Mount Chaquita we realized that we went 2.4 miles and gained over 2,400 feet of elevation. So that's lovely.) The trails haven't been maintained for two years because Old Fall River Road has been closed from flood damage. For us, that meant that we had to figure out where to go when the trails split. We were optimistic and thought at one point that taking the trail that went downhill would still get us up the mountain. We were wrong, of course, and ended up having to go straight up the mountain to get back onto the trail. Even though we were on the right track, the turn to hike up to the peak of Chafin was easy to miss. We hiked right past it. Instead of hitting our first peak we started a 1,000 foot incline to the second one.

Going straight up is a little less terrible when this is your view.

     Here's where I have a bit of a confession to make. I enjoy hiking and I try to read up on things before I do them, but when it comes to mountains I tend to go all into without thinking everything through. When I thought of doing CCY I thought about how cool it would be to do three peaks. I didn't think, "Hey you're hiking above treeline so you should bring a lot of sunscreen or maybe wear actual pants or think to bring thicker clothes, right?" I just thought, "Three mountains HELL YEAH LET'S DO IT!" So when we started getting to the peak of Mount Chiquita (it's 13,075 feet high) and things got super windy, I started feeling miserable in my Nike shorts, t shirt and sweatshirt. Everyone else felt unprepared as well, so we decided to only summit Mount Chiquita.

At the summit and wearing my roommate's raincoat because she had an extra and, of course, I forgot that I took mine out of my backpack from the day before (I'm usually better prepared for hikes. Promise).

Seriously one of the most beautiful things I've seen all summer.

     Even though I was disappointed about not fully completing CCY, I was totally content with only doing Chiquita. It was beautiful and definitely one of my favorite hikes ever. There were some wind breaks built up on the summit so we were able to spend three hours there. We ate food and napped and it was glorious. My favorite part was making friends with a marmot that we endearingly named Franklin. Franklin enjoyed coming super close to us to try and get our food. There was a point where he came around the wind break and poked his head out right on top. We all screamed, thinking he was going to jump on us, but thankfully he let us be.

"Everything the light touches is yours"- the conversation marmots definitely have with their children.

He basically cornered us, which was adorable and terrifying all at once. 

     The descent took forever, mainly because we tried to go a different route. We ended up miserably climbing over a ton of rocks to try and get back to our original trail. After finally making it back, we drove up the rest of Old Fall River Road, which leads to the Alpine Visitor Center on Trail Ridge Road. We could see the center throughout the hike so it was cool to come full circle and see it up close.
     After the hike I hung out and wallowed in deep regret for not applying enough sunscreen to myself all day. I have a sunburn on my face and down both of my legs and it hurts so freaking bad. I wore a coral shirt today and, no joke, my legs matched my shirt. Oh well. I deserve it for not being more careful. At least I learned before I did Longs and at least the view was beautiful.
     This next week is going to be fantastic. Not only is it a week full of fun events, but one of my roommates from last summer is coming to visit. It's going to be a blast catching up with her and taking time on my days off to actually relax. I can't wait!!!