So this is the first week of Exit Glacier Guides staff training here in beautiful Seward, A.K. All of the guides and support staff come from varied backgrounds such as a former Peace Corps Volunteer to a practicing Nurse. From College students to Ski Bums we represent a diverse group, and we are all psyched to be here in Seward for the summer to guide, climb, dance, and drink a few beverages.
So far we have had a productive week of clearing out the cobwebs from our facility and our vehicles as well as clearing out the cobwebs in our brains. We've had some very productive discussions about client care, risk management, and logistics that we are all looking forward to putting into practice in the near future.
The last couple of days we have been getting out on the trail to survey the conditions as well as acclimatize ourselves and kick our fitness levels into overdrive. There's been a subtle, but healthy dose of competition all the way around to hike fast and work up a sweat and nobody has disappointed. Hiking fast combined with post-holing through snow sometimes as deep as three feet deep is humbling in all the right ways. At 29 I am becoming acutely aware of some of the limitations of my body that weren't even an issue a couple of years ago. The more time we spend hiking though, the more I get excited to explore the ice caves, climb in the crevasses and work on my helmet-strap tan-line. Even more exciting than my hopes for the summer will be seeing the astonished looks on our guests faces as they experience the joy of discovery and exploration of our stellar playground, the Exit Glacier.
We hope to see our first group of guests within the next week so we'll keep you posted on how we progress!