Zion Ponderosa

So this weekend I went to the Zion Ponderosa for guide camp. I’ll probably be working there at the end of the summer through sometime December as a recreational guide. Basically, I’ll be shooting guns and riding ATV’s and getting paid for it. Sweet!

I arrived on Thursday night and we (the rest of the guides and I) didn’t do a whole lot. Mostly played pool and got to know a lot of the others.

Friday we had a little meeting in the morning and then went on the overlook hike, pictured below. Then we learned how to hook people up to the zipline and assist the rock climbing wall.


Saturday we shot .22s and shotguns. It was the first time I’d shot a shotgun. Man, it was satisfying! Gotta love the pump action. We then went on a hike called Diana’s Throne or something along those lines, pictured below. This pic is of my sister, Chistin, and I.


Sunday we learned how to instruct and guide people on the ATVs. That was about the whole weekend. So I blew off a ton of homework and played in the sun. Can’t wait till I start working there. And I should mention here that the other guides were awesome people.


Mike may find this story interesting. While sitting in line for Trilogy Tuesday about 2½ years ago, there was a local radio DJ named Laura who got all dressed up for the movie. She also had lots of stuff to give away while she was there. So I was sitting there with the Sloans and she walks by and says, “You look cold, do you want a sweatshirt?” At first I just thought it was a loaner and said no. But as she was walking away I asked, “Is it free?” And she said yeah and threw me one. It’s a LoveSac hoody and it’s one I still love to wear today. Anyway, at the resort this weekend we were shooting guns and a busload of people show up. In the group happened to be Laura and her son Josh. She ended spending a lot of the day with us guides, both shooting and hiking and eating and what not. Apparently she actually makes costumes as a hobby and a passion of hers, and she used to be an english teacher, too, until she couldn’t pay the bills on that salary and went to DJing. Anyway, I thought it was a strange coincidence that the radio DJ that changed my life (she was the first radio personality to give me anything – even though I didn’t win any contest to get it) and she happened to be at the resort the same weekend as me. I thought it was cool, anyway.

One a side note, I think I saw more deer this weekend than I ever have in my life. Hundreds of em. It was cool.