The Diary of a Reality that Doesn’t Feel Real

Welcome back to the diary of a reality that doesn’t feel real. I have to remind myself constantly that this is my life as I’m living it. That what I’m doing right now is my reality. Fun at work, wonderful friends, new experiences and the privilege of living in a beautiful place in the world.

Two more incredible months have gone by since my first post about McCall – so I suppose it’s time for another check in. I find it funny that I left off mentioning New Year’s eve and the kids parade in my previous post. This New Year’s Eve has got to be the best I’ve had in a long time. The fireworks were incredible, and I was able to run around with a camera covered in glowsticks taking photos for Brundage.

Here’s a clip from Brundage’s Instagram – if you’re lucky you might catch me.

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A post shared by Brundage Mountain Resort (@brundagemtn)

The rest of the night was pretty awesome, hanging out with a group of friends from in and around the mountain. I did however sleep past my alarm and wake up to my coworker calling me. Oh well, perks of working for a small mountain is that people find turning up slightly hungover more funny than anything.

Besides New Years, there’s been a few notable events I want to have written down to remember.

Maddie and I went for an explore out to Gold Fork Hot Springs near Cascade in early January, which was absolutely worth the 45-1 hour drive out there. We caught a brilliant sunset of pinks and oranges over the mountains, out to a remote part of the valley. The hot springs themselves were run by an older couple who’s front office was a yurt. The pools were nestled between big rocks and layered beautifully. There were little candle lights everywhere, which was awesome.

We got some incredible snow early February, which meant getting out into the backcountry. Earning my turns for the first time in my life is a humbling experience. Especially when the 45 year olds are outpacing you on the uphill.

The snow in these parts of the mountains is insane – like nothing I’ve ever skiied before. The kind of snow that has you giggling like a kid, even if you snag a tree or two on the way down.

One of the most comical pieces of equipment I’ve been lucky enough to try are the FIGLs. Or simply pronounced ‘Figgles’. These short stumpy skis will absolutely have you skidding back and forth trying to catch your balance as you hurtle down the mountain, but are so much fun. The ones I wore desperately needed a wax – the photo below shows how much snow got stuck to them.

There’s a lovely family – the St. Clair’s – who invited Maddie and I to a Valentine’s firepit evening. We shared hot dogs over the fire, two giant stale marshmallows that burned brilliantly into an evening pudding and enjoyed a short storytelling of an excerpt from a book about a group of friends and their series of unfortunate events. Even though it was snowing, it was a lovely night that I wish I could say I’d be around for more of.

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to spend four days at Mt Hood in Oregon. It’s about a six hour drive from McCall, but was so worth it. We had three days there – one sunny, one rainy and one with the best powder I’ve skiied in my life. We got twenty inches overnight, which transformed the mountain from slushy, heavy snow to waist deep floaty heaven. It was awesome to get to see more of the country too. Oregon was the last state I had to cross off of the west coast.

Something that came with the new year, was plans. I’ve solidified a job as a wrangler for summer at a ranch in Coeur D’Alene in the north of Idaho. Just before this I have two weeks in Hawaii, as well as two weeks of roadtripping with my best friend Michael who is coming over from NZ. It’s relieving to have the next few months figured out, and I can’t wait to experience it all!

Until the next two months come along – more big hugs from McCall,

Emma

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