Colorful CO; Shadowcliff

My first few days at shadowcliff went well. As with any introduction, there were awkward and even a few frustrating moments, but it has all been fun and Grand lake is certainly a nice place to work in.

The town is small, only about 450 people, and sits at just below 8,500 feet in elevation. It is best known for being the western portal for Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), and therefore relies greatly on tourism. The lodge, SHADOWCLIFF, actually sits only a few hundred yards from the parks boundry, above the town of grand lake. A short walk will reach you to the town's strip and the lake, or to one of two major trailheads; the tonahutu and North inlet. These trails each follow a valey through several huge meadows before asending more difficult terrain. A longer walk (about a mile) can land you at the East Inlet trail, which is similar to the others.

At shadowcliff, I will share chores over a 35-hour week with a handful of other staff. We will clean, cook, maintain the office and other "special' projects. In return, we are given an allowence as well as room and board. We are free to do whatever- in town, on the lake, in the park- or whatever!

I will be here, amongst the mountains, moose and elk, through the fall, and into the first week of October..!

I arrived Tuesday and became familiar with the place. Tuesday afternoon, I joined a staff member, Jan, on a hike up the tonahutu. Our pace was fast, but after the first climb, I felt pretty good. I hiked about 7 miles r/t- jan went a small bit further.

We found LOTS of mushrooms and flowers- the area has been wet lately. This trip, however, was complimented by PERFECT weather. The sky was spotted with fluffy clouds and the air was a dry 75 degrees. I recognized only two of the many 'shrooms we found along the trail... a few clumps of some coral fungi, and a pair of beautiful, delicious amenitas.

...Did stop to feast on a patch of strawberries that we found about 2.5 miles in!

Lots of different flowers- everything from paintbrush and some pinedrops on the hillsides, to harebells, gilia, gentians, fireweed and something called an elephantella in the meadows and flat areas.