Today was the last day of my contract- my final working day. After three consecutive days of cleaning, I was tired of the snack bar and volunteered to clean the washeteria (laundromat) instead.
We had a four-man crew, including myself, and ended up having a great time. The laundromat was dripping with cleanliness by the time we finished.
More friends departed this afternoon- off to Texas, Wisconsin, Kansas and wherever else they came from. I'll be doing the same tomorrow morning.
The three of us who were leaving in the morning got the OK to check out. We took our time and eventually made it back to work. Before our final meeting, we hogtied our manager. Because we could.
After leaving work for the last time, there wasn't much to do. There had to be less than 30 people still left at base camp. It was like a ghost town. So we decided to scavenge the empty tents- see what people left. I found a horseshoe, a 2010 Conservation Department manual, and a carabiner. My friends found a water bottle, silicon squishy bowl, sharpies and pens. All in all, not a bad haul.
Dinner was burgers and leftovers. There were about 15 people in the whole dining hall. It was our last supper.
Later, two friends and I sat under the pavilion, using my computer. All of a sudden, we got hungry. The snack bar was closed. Dinner was over. Our stuff was packed. I wandered up to the Staff Activities Center door that said "Snack Zone". There were people in there. Real people, eating real burgers and real ice cream. I demanded they let me in. They did. My friends came too. It was a miracle. We feasted on leftovers and even made ourselves Heath blizzards.
So this is how it ends. My last full day at Philmont. I'll leave early in the morning tomorrow, on the shuttle to Albuquerque International Sunport. It all happens so quickly. One week you're there, the next- you're gone. Where did the last 3 months go?
We had a four-man crew, including myself, and ended up having a great time. The laundromat was dripping with cleanliness by the time we finished.
More friends departed this afternoon- off to Texas, Wisconsin, Kansas and wherever else they came from. I'll be doing the same tomorrow morning.
The three of us who were leaving in the morning got the OK to check out. We took our time and eventually made it back to work. Before our final meeting, we hogtied our manager. Because we could.
After leaving work for the last time, there wasn't much to do. There had to be less than 30 people still left at base camp. It was like a ghost town. So we decided to scavenge the empty tents- see what people left. I found a horseshoe, a 2010 Conservation Department manual, and a carabiner. My friends found a water bottle, silicon squishy bowl, sharpies and pens. All in all, not a bad haul.
Dinner was burgers and leftovers. There were about 15 people in the whole dining hall. It was our last supper.
Later, two friends and I sat under the pavilion, using my computer. All of a sudden, we got hungry. The snack bar was closed. Dinner was over. Our stuff was packed. I wandered up to the Staff Activities Center door that said "Snack Zone". There were people in there. Real people, eating real burgers and real ice cream. I demanded they let me in. They did. My friends came too. It was a miracle. We feasted on leftovers and even made ourselves Heath blizzards.
So this is how it ends. My last full day at Philmont. I'll leave early in the morning tomorrow, on the shuttle to Albuquerque International Sunport. It all happens so quickly. One week you're there, the next- you're gone. Where did the last 3 months go?
Nice post! That last photo is awesome!
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