Oregon
My love for hiking began the summer before high school. I left the inner city of Chicago to go on a two week expedition in Colorado with Outward Bound. We went backpacking, rafting and climbing. That experience sparked a passion for outdoor adventure that I have never lost. Later…
I fell for Yosemite hard. The winter sparkles in the Sierra Nevada. The summer smells of Bay Laurel, duff and smoke. Happiness can be fleeting and contentment can be elusive, but I found more of each in Yosemite than anywhere else.
Now, at 62, I have over 30 years of front desk and hotel management experience under my belt and I no longer have to hitchhike from park to park hoping to be hired.
My journey into the hospitality/seasonal job industry started back in 2016. Sweating on a Toyota car lot washing cars, I texted my friend who had spent the past two years living the dream in Alaska. I simply asked “Hey man, I’m tired of this Atlanta heat. Just curious, is…
My story has been long and bumpy at times, but the lesson from all of my experiences is this: I am human and I have made mistakes. I hope going forward I can embrace love, tolerance, patience, and a willingness to be teachable in my next adventure. I hope…
The jokes of leaving our lives behind have been replaced with jokes about going back to what we had before discovering seasonal work. On top of getting paid to vacation, seasonal work has helped us get control of our finances, as most places offer free/inexpensive housing with utilities included,…
How can I not do it? How can I not explore, live, work, and play in this diverse country of ours? How can I not meet some of the best people I have ever met in my life? How can I not escape the comfort bubble and challenge myself?…
Four years ago, CoolWorks changed my life with my very first seasonal job, so much that here I am still in love with working seasonal jobs in the National Parks, and I never want to go back to the life that I had before. These experiences have given me…
I’m sure lots of people will point to the amazing travels they’ve experienced because of seasonal work. I can absolutely agree with that. But it goes a little deeper for me. I, too, have traveled to amazing places and seen a lot of beautiful things. But the thing that’s…