split.

where process meets purpose.

‘the process: prepping for a dawn patrol’ was originally published on October 21, 2018.

the square, gray rack of puzzle-pieced plates slides into position and i once again lower the lid of the industrial dishwasher.

The jets whir to life on a mission to provide clean plates for the line cooks so that they, in turn, could serve food to high class tourists enjoying the night life of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. While the water churns in the dishwasher, I have just enough time to fire off a text before resuming the never-ending scrubbing ritual that precedes the puzzle-piecing and loading of the plates into the dishwasher. The text is simple, yet effective, and will be enough to set the plan in motion since I won’t be able to text back until I close and lock up around 12:15am. “dark start 25 short? Solid forecast… Avy?”.

If he doesn’t have to work, Ryan will be stoked to dawn patrol at 25 Short. A dawn patrol means to hike at sunrise, and to a backcountry skier or snowboarder it means a really early start for a quiet morning of fresh turns before the rest of the world wakes up. 25 Short is a backcountry ski route in Grand Teton National Park, having earned its name because its false summit sits just twenty five feet below 10,000ft of elevation at 9,975 ft. The route also offers access to a bunch of different terrain options to ride down, making it a good starting point for route selection that could change based on the conditions of the day. Given the new snow, recent avalanche forecast, and virtually complete absence of tourists, that’s where I want to be.

I’d assumed my post in the dish pit around 4:45pm after taking the bus from the mountain back to my car and driving over. I had been used to the tight squeeze, but working doubles allows for a few days off every week and my 3 day weekend officially starts tomorrow. I’d been at the mountain since shortly after 8am to make the journey from the parking lot up to my locker, get my gear and uniform on, and get down to the chairlift to meet my client at 9am. The base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is affectionately called the village, but during peak tourist time periods it feels more like a city. Knowing where to go once up on the mountain and off of the crowded base makes it feel like your own isolated paradise. My client and I wrapped up just shy of 4pm when the chairlifts close, and I did my usual mad-dash back to the locker room. From there it’s down to the parking lot and off to catch the bus. The true hurdle is the overflowing crowd of people also commuting from the mountain back toward town on the one road that connects the two.

Swigging my shifty, my complementary beer for diligently performing my illustrious dish sanitation duties for the evening, I rid myself of my smock and pull out my phone with my pruned fingers. Ryan had responded, “Ya dude, I am IN!”. I knew he’d be excited. Our days off don’t always line up, but we occasionally get the chance to take an early lap or two before work. Tomorrow, neither of us has to be back in a rush. “Sweet man, I’ll peep the avy report and give another holler around 5am”.

I finally pull into my driveway around 12:35am, thankful that I hadn’t left my snowboard boots or my goggles in my locker in the village — which I definitely haven’t done before…