First Timer

By Samantha Bermitz

Just fresh out of high school and already I am on a great adventure and meeting awesome people.

I must say, seasonal work isn't for everyone – you are away from home and living with strangers. However, it is an awesome experience especially for a high school graduate.

I am going to school in the fall to become a chef, so coming out here was just the thing I needed to get me motivated. I've learned so much (like how to make bread and pies). I've also altered some recipes to make them my own.

Some advice for a new timer: If you're young like me, bring someone with you or go with someone. In my case I have my dad. He was a captain here last year and brought me with him for round two. I have no regrets; I'm glad I came and got to have this amazing experience at such a young age. I would recommend it to anyone.

More advice: While packing, remember that this place won't have stuff like q-tips and tooth brushes – at least not for free. Bring everything you need to live, and don’t be afraid to send a package to yourself, so you don’t have to lug it all around!

All in all, I'm super glad that I came to Yes Bay. I would do it again ,but maybe somewhere else were its warmer.

Remember: NEVER bring a gun to a sweagle fight!

Just Like Swazye

By Jaimie Gleissner

Tunes: “(I've Had) The Time of My Life” - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

If you're thinking about getting into seasonal work, you should probably watch Dirty Dancing first. The movie, starring Patrick Swazye and Jennifer Grey, encompasses all that is seasonal work. However, believe it or not, the flick does exaggerate a few things. After watching the movie (for the thousandth time), I've compiled a list of scenarios in the movie that will help you gage the likelihood of your summer being like Johnny's.

Scene: “I carried a watermelon.”

Who can forget when the Swaze marches up to Baby and asks to know what she's doing at the party? Baby's awkward interaction with Johnny calls attention to two major aspects of the job: socializing with coworkers and socializing with guests. Let's start by discussing crew dynamics. Baby follows Johnny's cousin to crew quarters to discover a sweet dance party going on after hours, and it's likely (pending staff chemistry) that there will be opportunities to cut loose after work. Just be careful to observe your employer's code of conduct; don't risk your job just to have a good time. Unfortunately, not every job boasts a fun crew. Each new crew is a toss-up, and people don't always click. Advice: arrive on location ready to work, and the fun will work itself out.

As for socializing with the guests, every establishment is different. Remember how hostile Johnny was when Baby showed up? Well, he had good reason to act that way. For those of you who have never lived at work, crew quarters are a sacred place. Rooms designated for staff aren't just other places at work, they're the staff's home for the season. Lodges, ranches, and other seasonal operations cater to the guests, and most establishments have clear boundary lines between crew and guest areas. Common areas and living spaces provide a sanctuary for crew to vent about demanding guests without hurting the tip pool. That said, some guests are pretty cool and may want to partake in staff outings. Here are a few things to keep in mind when socializing with guests off the clock:

-Could my actions negatively affect my tips?

-Will being drunk around a guest get back to my boss?

-Will this cost me my job?

Every place will expect a different level of employee-guest interaction; it's important to use discretion.

Scene: Baby and Johnny Get it On

I hate to be the barer of bad news, but you're more likely to have a Penny style , back-ally abortion than to fall in love with a guest. However, each season does present the opportunity for sparks to fly. I know plenty of people who have met the love of their life on location. Still, I know more people (myself included) who have anxiously walked into a second season, nervously anticipating the first interaction with a former fling. Fraternizing with patrons is generally frowned upon. After all you've been hired to make their stay pleasant. Then again, you're hired to make their stay pleasant. Johnny made out with fat tips before he ruined things by falling in love with Baby. I'm not condoning prostitution, merely advising you, once again, to use your best discretion. Remember, if someone can deliver a line that can compete with “nobody puts Baby in a corner,” go for it. He/she is clearly a keeper.

Scene: Closing the Season with an Impromptu Dance Number

This happens every season no matter where you are because the Pachanga is overrated, and Johnny always does the last dance of the season! (Sorry, I got carried away.)

Ok fine, you probably won't end the season with a sweet, seemingly impromptu yet perfectly choreographed, dance number, but that doesn't mean you'll ever forget the months you've spent forging friendships and sharing one of a kind experiences. Or you could talk it over with your coworkers and see if you can come up with a few moves. I'm just saying, it would be awesome.

Lake McDonald

By: Lara Cleeland

You can undoubtedly count on adventure when you allow two hooligans hailing from Yes Bay Lodge to travel upstream. Like their fated fellow the salmon, this journey begins up river. On a happier note: we survived, whereas our bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwiches and endless bag of cookies were not so fortunate.

So it all began when Jaimie and I headed up the trail to Lake McDonald, through the treacherous enchanted forest, through unicorn fields and bear pastures. We sang Brittney Spears to repel the bears with our peppered voices. Through thicket, wet brush, and muddy terrain, we savaged our way to the cabin – hauling about 20 pounds of kindling, sleeping bags, cookies and lots of hydration (wink wink)!

Drenched with dew, we arrived at the cabin, ready to settle in and call this place home for a night. We started a roaring fire thanks to a surplus of kindling supplied by our favorite dock hand, Kenny, and roasted up some sandwiches! As any lady in the woods would do, we popped open some aged Alaskan Ale and pondered how real mountain women, whilst hiking, should be savage: drinking brew, bleeding blood, and brawling bears. These are obvious and crucial characteristics to possess if you’ve spent any time in Alaska, duh!

So we drank the night away, listening to the fire crackle and the rain go pat pat pat on the tin roof above our heads. Conversing for hours, we watched the wick of the candle burn into nothing, as our voices trailed into a whisper, then deep slumber on our solid wooden bunks.

It’s such a surreal experience to surrender yourself to the raw beauty of the wilderness, and to let the peace and quiet settle deep inside your bones. It will change you, even if it’s just for that moment where you become one with your natural surrounding. There’s nothing better than to escape, even for a brief period of time, into the wild from which we were created.

Lake McDonald Fly By (taken on our way back from town - see "Surviving Town") - Photo by Lara Cleeland

A Nice Little Metaphore

A Direct Quote from Jaimie and Lara

BLTs at McDonald Lake

Lara: It seems that life works in seasons, and here we are at the end of another season, trying to figure out our next move, like in college when you have a big paper due the next day, and you haven't even started it yet

Jaimie: Like a 20 pager

Lara: And you have no idea where to start

Jaimie: Because you haven't even researched it yet

Lara: And now your about to settle in for an all nighter

Jaimie: So you better drive down to the gas station to get a giant cup of coffee

Lara: Or better yet a Four Loco because you know this paper is going to suck

Jaimie: God, I hope my life is better than my college papers

Surviving Town

By: Jaimie Gleissner

Tunes: “All These Things That I've Done” - The Killers

One great thing about seasonal work is that it can open doors for you to live in remote locations, both domestic and internationally. The main drawback to living off the beaten path is that, more often than not, technology will be limited and town trips few and far between. That said, it's extremely important to make the most of your time in civilization. Since our season started at Yes Bay (a remote Alaskan fishing lodge), Lara and I have managed to get into town once, so we came up with a few pointers to help you make the most of your time away from the great outdoors.

First of all, have a plan of attack, but remember when you sit down at the bar for round one, your plans will probably change. Make sure you give yourself enough time to run any important errands. In fact, you might want to run those errands before you decide to do anything that might cloud your judgment. Should you allow fun to take precedence over necessities, you'll end up in McDonald's with a backpack of booze and no second chance to get back to town. Remember, it's all fun and games until you run out of deodorant half way through the season.

Whatever you do, know where your friends are and how to get a hold of them should you become separated. After months of being cut off from the real world, you're apt to forget somethings about it (social cues, currency, cell phones, etc.), so it's crucial that you keep track of your travel companions. As I stumbled through Safeway trying to locate my roommate, I couldn't help but think how great it would be if she had a working cell phone. Maybe then I wouldn't have lost her twice in a 5 minute span. Get the phone numbers of coworkers who are also in town, and be ready to call them when it's time to meet up. Even if you can't stand the people you went into town with, you'll be grateful to see a familiar face in a sea of strangers.

Keeping track of time is the single most important thing you can do while visiting civilization. If the group has to wait for you to show up at the designated meeting place, there will be repercussions. Punctuality makes for a more pleasant trip back to work and a greeting from a jovial boss once you return. Don't let your tardiness be something that could negatively affect your job.

And whatever you do never, NEVER, fart on the float plane!!!