Digout: Days 1&2

As I am sure I’ve mentioned, I am spending the summer working in a gift shop in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Well, it’s a pretty tall mountain, somewhere around 12 thousand feet.  And you’d better believe that there is a bunch of snow up there.  It like many places in the mountains is a seasonal spot, and in the winter, they just let it snow.  The road is closed for several months and they plow it out each spring.  And this year was no different.  And while the road is being plowed out we dig out the gift shop.

Apparently, it changes each year, the snow amounts, where it is worse, and this year was no different.  We spent about 3.5 hours up there.  We were supposed to head up sometime last week, but the weather has been a bit of a pain and not very cooperative.  It was nice, in that it gave me an extra week to acclimate to the elevation, which had hit me hard.  We finally got the OK to go up after lunch.  It was about an hour drive to the store.  And boy was it impressive, first of all the scenery was amazing, there was lots of snow, then less snow, more snow, you get the picture.

We walked around for a bit, just to get a feel for it, but it is unfathomable unless you are actually there.  And then we started digging.  It was amazing how much we actually did.  But at the time it just didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere.  Especially since, you’d shovel a few times and then need a break.  Then do some more.  We created a couple of groups and shoveling chains, where you’d slowly move it away from the building.  It just never seemed to get better.  Eventually we dug out a good chunk, and then I had to attempt to make a path for the guys.  So I enlisted Justine and her friend Kat and we tried to stomp one out of the snow.  It was a pretty good time.

Day 2 started much earlier. We got up there around 10 and went straight to work.  The group I was with was still digging down to the bottom of the fire doors.  I have never been so happy to see a key hole or door handle.  And then did something amazing, we were within a foot of the bottom at lunch and then not long after lunch we hit the floor (or ice).  Then we spent a bit of time chipping ice away from the door so that it could be open.  I've never been so wet, I think I stood under a couple of drips for almost an hour.  But hey it was worth it.
Half the group got to leave early, and not wanting to miss a minute of the STANLEY CUP FINALS!!! (GO CANUCKS GO!!!!!)  I went with that group.  So here I am, with internet posting about digging in the snow.