This is the time of year that I love. A few weeks before the campers arrive, the campground is peaceful, quiet, and serene, and I have this wonderful piece of wildness to myself. It is not just the opportunity to sit quietly sipping hot herb tea as I watch snow fall outside my window. Outside, as I clean up the debris left behind by winter storms, at this time of year I get to know the intricacies of the campground: the birds and their calls, the tree species, the small mammals – mostly squirrels and chipmunks so far – and what early species are blooming unnoticed on the south-facing slopes. If I am lucky I will see a deer or other large mammal, but nothing like that yet. I find only the meager remains of an elk carcass, a 2-foot patch of hide and the lower leg. At first, I thought a wolf had dragged it in here but I decided a hunter must have left behind the unneeded parts. Perhaps he/she wanted to leave behind the remnants for wintering animals. If so, it worked. An assortment of creatures have carried off and consumed nearly everything. A few beetles cleaning up the fur and fluff scurried from underneath the hide when I kicked it with my boot.

My favorite find this year is the resident Downy Woodpecker, who is not afraid of me. He flits around as I work in the campsites. He pretends to be pecking the bark in search of food, but I don’t hear his pecking sound very often. When I turn to look at him, he is poised to peck, but is actually watching me. Have people fed him? Is he waiting for a handout? Last year up in the Sierras, Blue Jays followed as I moved among the campsites, hoping for a handout. The, I made the mistake of feeding them some peanuts. After that they pecked on my RV roof, demanding more. I won’t make that mistake with my Wood Pecker.

I am at 7,000 feet or more, and the nights are chilly. The weather demands a nighttime campfire and a small glass of mange-habanero whiskey, which heats me up from the inside. Like last year, it snowed a few days after I arrived at the campground, a welcome sight and a rare treat. In the morning, Tango prances like a deer in the snow as I stroll down the loop roads in search of the best view of the snow-covered peaks that are visible to the east and west. I wonder if there is a better sight than a fresh frosting of snow on the jagged Sawtooth Mountains? I enjoy the winter wonderland, at least for a few hours that morning, before the strong Rocky Mountain sunlight melts every last drop.

Pettit Lake is yards away from my host site! The water is a misty, frosty blue color, like that of glacier-fed streams. I don’t know of any glaciers in the area but the lake certainly must be fed by frigid melting snow running off the peaks. I have walked up to the shore a few times and discovered the water is crystal clear. I imagine launching my kayak. However, I decide the water must be only a few degrees above freezing, a dangerous situation at this point with no one around to hear my whistle calls if I get into trouble. I have a wet suit but, at these frigid temperatures, a wet suit provides little protection. I reluctantly decide to wait until people arrive and the weather warms before I start paddling and exploring.

The announcement board at the entrance to the campground has a sign saying, “Bear in in the Area”. I ask my area manager if that is still the case. I learn that a large male had been invading the campground looking for food about three years ago and was removed. None have been seen since. Still, I keep my bear spray within easy reach in my fanny pack as I work. Sows are out with their cubs and, around the west,  a few highly unusual bear-human encounters have caused concern. A woman walking her dog was mauled and eaten in Durango, CO. A sow and her two cubs that were nearby were killed and human flesh found in their stomachs. This is so rare, and I feel that this is going to be a bad year for bears.

As I stroll through my home for the next four months, I am thankful to find just what I wanted. Like Goldilocks’ journey, my search for the right camp host experience has led me to a place that feels just right, just want I wanted. After my bad experience last year with rowdy people and temperatures near 100 degrees every day, I reassessed what I wanted in future campgrounds. I drove around for over a month last fall looking at possible locations for this summer. For the first time as a camp host, I made an intentional choice and, so far, it seems to be a good one. I am already feeling a sense of pride about my little campground and am working hard to get it ready for the big Memorial Day start to the summer camping season. I want every camper to enjoy their time here and to leave feeling this was a clean and cared for campground.Why do I like it so much? Pettit Lake Campground is located down a dusty, bumpy, two-mile dirt road. It is a smaller, old-school Forest Service campground nestled around a lake. It is remote enough that people who come here will be serious campers who love the outdoors and are looking for a serene setting away from the crowds. The bathroom buildings are a bit worn and shabby looking but the sites have new, spark-containing fire pits (tall sides) and new table tops. And I love that I am left to work independently, creating my own schedule and time off. One day there was a flurry of activity when my golf cart arrived and then the fellow who will deliver my water came by. After that, a worker from the company testing and repairing the well rumbled through. Today, the trash company delivered two dumpsters with a crash and bang that reverberated throughout the empty campground. In the future, my boss will come by on Saturdays to pick up my paperwork and money (camping fees, firewood sales). Their boss (Big Boss) will come by periodically to restock my firewood supply and check in with me.

While some people find my situation rustic and remote, in truth, I have everything I need. The Forest Service installed an old fashioned but functional “land line”. I actually have a telephone up in the cab and can call out in case of an emergency! People can also call in. It it hard to believe I have a phone, but there are some fancy summer homes in the area that apparently have paid to have phone and electric lines run out here. I can see the electric lines drop down through the western edge of the campground, near the trailhead. Not that I have electricity at the site. I rely on my solar system, which has worked admirably, even at the snow storm moved in and the skies remained partly cloudy, The only time it did not work was after the overnight storm, when snow blanketed the panels. I had to run the generator a few hours that morning to charge up my batteries. I decided that it would be handy to have a four-foot ladder and some kind of tool so I can get up high enough to whisk the snow off. Not that I really need it. The newly serviced on-board generator works great and the snow melted by lunchtime.

I do not have a water hookup either, but a man from Redfish Lake Campground will come around on Monday and Thursday to fill my fresh water tank. A full tank twice a week is a luxury and I don’t expect I will run out between deliveries. I should have enough to hand wash my work shirts and for real showers during the week I do have a sewer hookup, which is the one thing I need out here. There is no-way I would drive down the bumpy road to dump my tanks. Good planning by the Forest Service. I have brought up three large and one small propane tank to run my refrigerator, stove, and gas firepit. I also filled my onboard propane tank for emergencies, but I will use the free-standing tanks all the time since I can take them out to be refilled when I get groceries.

My Camp Host site sits at the entrance to the campground, as expected. It is not level. It slopes to the front and is elevated enough that all of my leveling blocks are not quite enough. The boss and I worked on it and only got to “close enough for now”. I will need to get more blocks when I go out on Tuesday to find Internet, I will research the options and then have them sent General Delivery to Stanley, ID. I will also have my mail service back in Nevada send out whatever mail has accumulated there. I know for sure my medication refill is there. I use a mail order pharmacy and always have them sent to the mail service. They hang on to everything until I call and give them a nearby address. This summer it will be General Delivery in Stanley and Ketchum, depending on when I am going where. Stanley is much closer, and I will go there more often. I will drive over the pass and head to Ketchum/Bailey every few weeks when I need groceries.

So, am I freezing cold out here at 7,000 feet, in a still snowy climate? I can honestly say I am never cold. My propane-powered Mr. Heater keeps the living space warm. I have plenty of long underwear and fleece layers. When I sort through my clothes during the year I always wonder why I have so many layers and wool socks. When I get to a place like this, I remember how nice it is to have stacks of clean, dry, warm clothes, enough for the several weeks between laundromat trips. I also have a box of hats and gloves, and several winter outer layers. I laugh as I think about my lifestyle, where I wear shorts and t-shirts all winter and long underwear in the summer. As for other warmth, I have a pile of homemade quilts and ancient wool blankets. I use the quilts when I am sitting in the living room watching movies, reading, or writing. My bed is layered with a comforter, a wool Army blanket that I lined with flannel and quilted, and a zero degree sleeping bag unzipped and laid flat. Tango wears his doggie coat and snuggles deep into his bed or my quilts. His hot weather hair cut is growing out now so his natural insulations helps him as well.

Thanks to months of planning and list-making, I also have plenty of food and supplies. I was not concerned so much about the hour drive to a market, but by the high prices I would have to pay there! When I was exploring the area last fall, I spent a small fortune at a local, boutique market that offered amazing gourmet goodies. That was okay for a week, but not for 4 months. So, I stocked up on basic food supplies (i.e., condiments, coffee, canned fruit, cooking oil), dog food/treats, and hygiene items (i.e., toothpaste, vitamins, wipes). I also spent about $150 to set in a small bar (i.e. flavored whiskeys, pink grapefruit vodka, red wines, Bloody Mary stuff). I cannot drink while on duty, of course, but there is nothing more relaxing that a bit of flavored whiskey at night, especially on a cold night, as I have mentioned.

Unlike last year, this is not a seriously full time job. I can do everything during a few hours or so starting around 10 AM and a few hours around dinner time, with weekends a bit busier. Of course, part of the job involves just being “on-call” to campers, but I can do that while staying busy on my own projects. So, I have plenty of devices to keep me busy: computer, Chromebook, portable DVD player, sewing machine, and Kindle. I also have stacks of print books. I downloaded videos to my phone but will be doing the next batch on my computer or Chromebook once I find some Internet in town. I downloaded magazines from my library to my phone but may try them on the Chromebook as well; the bigger screen is nice. My satellite radio plays in the background most days, starting with some news in the morning and switching to NPR, classic rock, and NFL channels throughout the day. My solar power batteries feed directly to my regular electric outlets so it is not a problem keeping everything charged, no matter where I am.

So here I am, at last, a few miles from the headwaters of the Salmon River, nestled against the Sawtooth Mountains, in a valley on the other side of a majestic mountain pass. Yet I have everything I need. Not just in terms of food supplies, toothpaste, books, whiskey, and electronic devices, but also spiritually, physically, and mentally. I still want to do meaningful work for at least part of the year. I still need to stretch and use my body. I still desire to be out in a beautiful natural setting. Without a job where I can interact with people, unable to challenge my body to stay strong, and without the great outdoors, I am always a bit lost. I transitioned to the RV lifestyle for these most basic reasons. So at the moment, I am living my life, as I define it, to the fullest. And I am grateful for all I have.

Next post: Campground layout, trailhead, and more.