Living & Working in Great Places

first timer

well i should introduce myself...my name is brandon and i am from new mexico. this will be my first summer working out there with you guys and i have to admit i'm a bit nervous!!! i won't know anyone out there, but i hope to make friends fast. i've been away from home many times, but never doing any work like this.

i have no idea what to take. what to expect. nothing. i think and worry about it all the time!!! i'm glad i found out about this group. i hope you can all help me in figuring out what i should take and what i should expect.

i hope to meet some great people out there. i know i will :)

but if anyone has any suggestions on ANYTHING, PLEASE let me know because i'm at a loss...

thanks guys :)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Caitlin on March 6, 2009 at 3:28pm: Hey!
Welcome to MPL!

First and foremost BRING COMFY SHOES! No matter what job you have you will be on your feet a lot. Secondly you need to bring books or plan on making quick friends because when people get bored they tend to drink a lot and get fired very quickly. My roommate last year got canned for that.
Rain stuff is pretty important too. An umbrella should be ok but just know that it can get extremely wet up there for days at a time.

Also be advised that MPL is not in a town. We're our own little property and the nearest town is an hour away and that town has no chains. There are 2 stores, a pizza place, a breakfast place/bakery and a tiny taco stand and a book store. MPL lives up to being a Wilderness Lodge. It can get a bit cabin feverish but we have tons of fun. We have a movie night every once in a while, a softball team and a few different theme nights. We have Hawiaiin Night and Wisconsin Night. We also have Halloween and Christmas too. It's really great.

Hope this helps!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rick Peterson on March 6, 2009 at 4:41pm: Caitlin, you are the bomb-diggity.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caitlin on March 6, 2009 at 5:23pm: Why thank you Rick. Your checks in the mail :); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on March 6, 2009 at 4:44pm: Whoa, haha I definitely won't be playing softball. I'm so bad at sports! Movie nights rock :) And the theme nights should be interesting haha. Are the costumes provided?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Kate on March 6, 2009 at 6:45pm: Yeah, Caitlyn, how many costumes/theme outfits do I need? Ha ha.(Thanks to the fun times in Yellowstone!:) I've got a couple.....)
Looking forward to movie nights and softball, etc...
Alaskaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! Woo!!!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caitlin on March 6, 2009 at 7:45pm: Well for Halloween I had to work so I put my hair in braids and had my suite mates did my eyeliner and pale make up and I was Wednesday Addams. I'm a hoot to be friends with around halloween. I made Trick or Treat bags for everyone and during Christmas I handed out socks with my friend Derrick as stockings. Unless you're going to the bar at Mary Carey's you probably won't need a real costume. It's still tons of fun. Christmas time we have a huge dinner with table cloths and everything. Very fancy and we all wear christmas hats!

Although if you don't want to wear a hat you can claim being Jewish. That's what Derrick did.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caitlin on March 6, 2009 at 7:50pm: Wisconsin night was really good. We got fried cheese! What's better than fried cheese on a cool day?

Thank you Mindy and Rick for being from an awesome state!

Rick's a hoot too. You may not be working with him alot but he wears a purple shirt that makes everyone's day. His ties aren't to be missed either.

It may be odd to be crowing about your bosses wardrobe but you'll see when you get there.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on March 6, 2009 at 9:16pm: Caitlin, when did you work there? Summer or Winter?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Caitlin on March 7, 2009 at 7:21am: Summer. We shut down for winter and only a couple of people stay up there to do maitenence and hiring; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rick Peterson on March 6, 2009 at 4:41pm: One idea I like to share with people involves your packing. When we pick people up at the airport, we make a quick stop at Wal-Mart before getting to the lodge. What I recommend is that you don't waste luggage space with your toiletries (deoderant, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.), but buy those items when you get to Wal-mart in Alaska. That way you have more space in your suitcase for socks, t-shirts, whatever, and it might help with meeting the airline weight restrictions.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Michelle on March 6, 2009 at 4:42pm: I'm so nervous, too! I am definitely worried about meeting new people the most! This will be the first time I've been away from home besides the random weekend vacation here and there. What's your job going to be?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Rick Peterson on March 6, 2009 at 4:51pm: I'm the Hotel Services Manager at the lodge. I've been living here for 4 years now. As for your nerves, believe me, I still remember my first season and how nervous I was. I think you'll find a lot of people really eager to get to know you, and the good thing about this site is that you can start chatting with people before you even hit Alaskan soil who are in the same boat as you.; ▶ Reply to This