Its all over now in Anzere

I dont have much time, we are leaving soon for the staff shitshow in Leysin. Im going to miss the Chalet Chammossaire. Tomorrow I start a new adventure. Don't try to reach me at my old number. I will try and get a sim card or something soon. Goodbye Anzere!

Job in Ireland!

I just got an email from Glenn, my old boss from Hurstpierpoint and I, Tim, and Borja will be helping him for the first week in November with a camp. It is going to be a reunion and I am going to get paid to see Ireland!

Here are some unrelated pictures...
(Top) Johnny from Belfast and I after swimming in the freezing cold lake.
(Middle) The Military Tattoo in Edinburgh out front of the castle.
(Bottom) Carolina, eja le punta, my spanish hero.

I just brought my group back from the two day hike. Thats the last time...because this is the last week. I can't believe it. Party in Leysin Friday!!!

Want to see some pictures?

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(Top) This is from a small pond along the hike in Les Collons. The picture looks great. The Matterhorn is behind the clouds .
(Middle) This is along a hike down from the dam. I've taken this trail a few times now because I really like it.
(Bottom) Saturday we hiked up Sex Rouge, a 2800 meter peak. It was like a different planet up there. We got a beer at Cabine Des Audannes right on the lake. It was gorgeous.

Matterhorn, stupidity, showers and outdoor ed...

It's been a good week in the Collons. I finally saw the Matterhorn, the Vicehorn, and the Dent-blanche which are all quite amazing. I left my camera on the top of Mt. Carre and didnt realize it until we summitted another peak and were well below the ridge. I realized it was missing but couldnt get phone service to phone the group behind us to see if they could find it. I ran ahead of my group up to a point where I got service, called Kodiaks group who were still on the first peak. They said they'd look but my group was still behind me so I decided to just bushwack straight up Mt. Carre. It was kicking my ass but I made it and sure enough, there was my camera, along with 3 months worth of travelling and pictures. Holy crap, I was glad to find it.

What else? We camped out last night and told ghost stories. I got a great night sleep in the tent. We went mountain biking this afternoon which was wild as usual. The group was good and I made it all the way up the real steep hill at the end without putting a foot down, puffing hard but I've been whipped into good shape.

The kids leave at 0800 hours tomorrow and we dont have to work until 2000 on Sunday so the weekend is long. I have to move back to Anzere and then we might try and do a Via Ferrada somewhere which is an Italian style of climbing up ladders bolted into the rock. Hopefully, we'll get around to it.

Congratulations to the NYY for clinching the division. To give you an idea of how removed I am from baseball I'll tell you how one of my kids this week, who had been wearing a Red Sox ball cap all week, one morning suddenly, took it off and replaced it with a Yankee beanie. I calmly made him aware of his ignorance and instructed him to go ahead and throw away the Red Sox hat since they suck. He didn't get it.

Disco tonight and breakfast tomorrow but basically the week is done. There are moments in Outdoor Education where I think, wow, I can't believe I'm getting paid to feed a campfire, or teach kids how to find the north star. And then there are other times, where I just want to shower, put my feet up, drink a beer, swear, and then sleep for a solid 10 hours. On that note, I shouldn't waste my 90 minutes of free time before dinner. I smell pretty rank and ought to scrub a bit in the shower.

Happy Weekend!!!!

Les Collons

Im working in Les Collons for a week because of a mix-up with a group in Anzere. Its supposed to be really pretty here but its rainy today so I can't see much. Yesterday was a good day off. We hiked to the dam and swam in the freezing cold lac. I dont have much time but I promise to write more soon. Go Giants and Yanks today!

Its the overnight time of the week...

We are about to head out for our hike to the mountain hut. I like this day of the week because we get to be in the mountains all day. One of my kids from last week sent me a picture of my group:

Im looking forward to the weekend but I'm not sure what Im doing yet. Well, I'm off. See-ya.

P.S. Here's a link to Annie's blog:

annie1bananie.blogspot.com

Saas-fee, New Clothes, New Crew

Saas-fee, dear dear dear dear dear dear Saas-fee, my woman needs it every day, she just can't stay away from Saas-fee.

It was the most beautiful September skiing I have ever done, also the only September skiing I have ever done. But God, it was gorgeous, not to brag.

Friday afternoon, I went to Sion finally (the big city nearby) and got some new clothes, like pants, which I needed desperately. It is a pretty cool city right smack in the middle of the Rhone valley, surrounded by the Alps.

The bummer of the weekend is half the staff left for Les Collons to work there the rest of the season. Luckily my friends should be back here for the last week of September. It's quieter with a smaller staff, but tomorrow the new group of kids arrive. Its a smaller group so it should be more manageable than last week. I'll keep you updated...

Skiing in September!

I was up at 4am this morning. I could't sleep because im too excited about going skiing. Yes, its true. On a glacier. Check it out:

http://www.saas-fee.ch/en/welcome.cfm?

Here's a quick recap of the week...the kids bitched and moaned every time they had to walk anywhere, which is unfortunate because walking is an essential part of hiking. They weren't bad kids, just spoiled brats. So, I worked hard to make fun of them as much as possible and work on their "please" and "thank you's" which is rare among kids who get whatever they want. For some reason, they all loved me. All bloody 13 of them. I'm surprised I didn't lose any of them. Well, I have to brush my teeth and hop in a car to the mountain. I'll let you know how the skiing is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

P.S. Welcome to Europe, Annie!

Wrong Phone Number

I editted the number below because it was wrong. Also, to dial out of the US you must start with 011. Later skaters...

Address and Cell

Here is my address until Sept. 30:

Village Camps,
Case Postale 50
1972 Anzère
SWITZERLAND

Here is my temporary cell phone number:

+41 79 811 0568

during the week Im generally working until around 10:30pm Swiss Time.

Good campers, campfires and mojitos

Week one of paid work flew by. There is nothing too exciting to tell. My group was great. They were eager and interested in all the activities, listened when I spoke to them and loved playing silly games and just general silliness, which is important when your 13. Our campfire entertainment is usually Adam, aka Rocky, who is from Colorado and knows all the same songs I know. Thus we are able to sing Country Roads, Rocky-Top, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Cat Stevens, etc. He is also the only one who knows that Possum, my new name, is also a Phish song, my little secret. The week was great and I think in general, this month is going to fly by.

Apparently Thursday night is Karaoke night at the Peter Pan Bar. I would love to have been able to share this with some of you back at home. Old men singing Love Shack is difficult to stomache. Needless to say, I did not participate in the festivities even though one of the creepy old men tried to get me to sing Stranger in the Night with him. I had my guy friends block me in against the wall in order to avoid any more attempts such as that.

Yesterday (Friday) was our first pay day, so we went and got a beer in the sun at the square in the center of town. On the way home we picked up rum, tonic for our Mojitos. When we arrived the remaining staff had set up our dinner outside in order to dine with a 360 degree view of the Swiss Alps. Eric the chef had concocted another amazing meal. He serves meals that look like something you would order at the fanciest restaurant. Let me describe it to you. Red wine was a gift from the teachers who escorted the school group. The first course is homemade tomato soup. The second is salad. Then comes the main meal which is stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon sitting on top of a pile of mashed potatoes with crispy onions on top. The whole thing is surrounded by a ring of gravy. Mousse au chocolat for dessert with hidden strawberries. Holy crap!

We started making the Mojitos around 9pm. I got to be DJ in the bar which is always a pleasure, because I never get to listen to my music out loud any more. I got to party with some of the veteran staff, which includes Tui, from New Zealand, who is probably the toughest girl I have ever met. She's 24 and on her 5th year of travelling (17 countries) which she began right after she got out of the Army. At some point we mosied up to the Peter Pan Bar to meet some of the other staff. It was a really fun night.

Today is quiet. I had plans to go paragliding but it is a little bit cloudy so I think I will save it for another day. Next weekend we are going skiing on a glacier. Os Dios, this is so cool. Its weird when I think about the fact that I am just getting started and there is so much of the world for me to see. I would like to be at home sometimes, maybe to watch a Yankee game with my family or to sit around with my friends, but the amount of stuff I've seen pales in comparison to some of the people that I am getting to know here. I dont think I will be doing this for five years but I plan on giving it a go and seeing what happens. Bye for now...