In Montana for the Winter

Well, I am FINALLY back in Montana, huzzah! I arrived on Saturday, after a ridiculously long bus trip (an extra 24 hours long thanks to a storm in the dakotas) and was greeted by my good friend Yampah (yay! I had missed him!) As soon as I got off the bus the smell of sweet pine trees and cold mountain air washed over me. In that moment I was immensely happy I was back. I am still very happy to be back! It is good to see everyone again. It didn't take me long at all to fall back into things. I feel quite at home again. The season hasn't officially started yet, so we don't have a schedule, aren't going on patrols or having meetings, which is leaving some of us wondering what to do with ourselves. I've already been cleaning quite a lot, ha. There is only one other person here who is as crazy about cleaning as I am, so there is typically plenty of cleaning to do. I'm sure I will be able to keep myself occupied until the season starts up.

Yesterday I helped Yampah carry necessaries up to his new house in the woods, a fancy 10x12ft wall tent. We covered the floor (really just the ground) with tarps and carpets, put in the bed and the stove and covered the top with tarps. There are a few more things to get ready and to put in, but it's already looking quite cozy. Actually, I'm just a wee bit jealous of his awesome little home ;-) It's in a beautiful spot and since it's away from the cabin, it is very quiet and private. Ahh...maybe I will be lucky enough this winter to enjoy its luxuries every now and then.

I'm planning on being here all season, at least until April or May. Right now it's a little cold, and cloudy, so not too bad (actually I've been enjoying it). I've picked out some good gear, boots and thermals and such, so I've been warm. It will only get colder though, so we'll see how that goes ;-)