Rocky Mountain High

Hey everyone~

I hope Logan's grad party went off well. Glad it was a nice day for you. I hope Logan raked in a little cash, since we all know that's what it's really about. :) I can't believe he's going into training soon. Sounds nuts! How's the rest of the bunch doing. Next time you all see Jessie, tell her to get her butt out here! But say it with love, of course.

I'm having another great summer out here. I've been hiking like a mad woman. I'll hit 200 miles tomorrow. And I'm really glad to see that my body can totally handle it. I've never been much of an athlete, so I'm impressed that I can hike everyday and not get too worn out. I'm starting to think of all kinds of crazy hiking/mountain climbing adventures for my future. I'm not sure which of them I'll actually be able to do, but I'm gonna try a couple I hope. I was hoping to climb mount Rainier this year out in Washington, and then perhaps Mount Whitney in California, the tallest in the 48. And if those go well I'd like to plan something even bigger, like Denali (McKinley) or Kilimanjaro in Africa. Those things cost a little bit of money though. I'm also thinking a lot about hiking some or all of the Appalachian trail. Jesse and I are both talking about that actually. I feel like that would be a hell of an acheivement. Plus a great way to see that part of the country. I hear it's pretty amazing on the trail, the Smokies, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah National Park, the White Mountains, the Green Mountains, and a whole bunch more.

I'm volunteering for the park service part time. Which involves me hiking to a designated site with a spot scope and some binoculars and trying to count all the mountain goats or Pikas I see in a 360 degree scan around the area. I like it. It's a good way for me to help out since I'm always on the mountain anyway. And it's always good to score points with the rangers.

Jesse and I are talking a lot about moving to Seattle again this fall, it seems the most likely. We're also considering Salt Lake City, but that depends on a few things which we won't know about till August or so. I'd be happy either way, but Seattle seems like the easist since I could already get work there. That's kind of a big deal these days.

Summer has begun to do it's thing and fly by more quickly then I'm able to keep track of. I mean it's great an all, but it sure is fleeting. I know it just started though, so I probably shouldn't worry about that yet.

Does anyone know much about finding health insurance when you don't have a job that offers it? To me it seems like the bottom line is, it's a crock of shit! Is there anyway to pay a reasonable amount of money and actually get coverage. I wish Obama and I could have a little conversation about this and see what he's planning and how long it'll take to come to effect. But I figure he's kind of a busy guy. I am too.

Well I suppose that's enough talkin' at ya all for now. Have you found out more about that job yet Tammy? Are you doing it for sure? Sounds like a good opportunity.


TTFN,
Shayla