chapter 279

Greek Peak Lodge

4/18/2012

half century of roots

link to Greek Peak's  Hope Lake Lodge folder (46 photos)

Virgil roots run deep. That also goes with the Greek Peak Ski Center, located there. It's just play time for most people but I have blood, sweat, and tears there. These 2 lodge pictures I took a half century apart. The one above was from Jan 1968 taken while riding the chair lift. I was on duty working going relieve the guy in the top shack.

  Worked at least a couple seasons maybe more during college Christmas and semester breaks. A variety of jobs included early morning lodge sweeping and mopping, parking lot attendant, T-bar loading, lift line cop, ticket puncher, mid station, top station, chair lift, wood fetching, fire building, pro ski shop equipment rental fitting and adjusting, hauling trash to the dump, night duty driving skimobile up to adjust the snow guns, etc. Several Olmsteds have also worked here and sister Kathy taught blind skiers how to feel the moguls.

My best memory was on a slow day the manager Al Kryger took me to the top for my first skiing ever. Was into a modified parallel by the time I got to the bottom. It literally changed my life. Fate would lead me into family life and world wide adventure.

Next best memory: shoveling out the T-bar ruts at the end of the day and riding the shovel down the slopes. Just point the wooden end downhill and sit on the blade. Usually ended in a wipe-out. Probably not OSHA approved.

Almost 50 years later I stayed in the new Hope Lake Lodge with some family in upper left corner of this picture. Climbed up the mountain up to expert black diamond Olympia trail for kicks and nice overlook of the Hope Lodging. Stopped in to say hello to Al Kryger who is now I think the President of the corporation. 

Folder holds some of the historical pieces. I was working for Don McKee surveyor in the 60's when we survey layout for the original chair lift towers. Drove our first Scorpian snowmobile from home all the way to top of Greek Peak where we used to hunt deer. At the DEC my office required sewage treatment limits that resulted in the oxidation lagoon ditch system pictured. Rode to old Tucker Sno Cat groomers. One spur of the moment decision from college at SU led to a trip to Virgil for night skiing when it was a windy 15 below zero. We had only dungarees but had the mountain to ourselves. Like I said it was spur of the moment.

It was a surprise this year for family members to arrive and find their pictures on the cove to the 2011 Resort Brochure that is also on the Greek Peak website home page. Five year old William enters lodge, beeline to ATM machine comes back with $20 bill free. Later hits arcade Jackpot: machine spits out 146 tickets for several minutes. Future power ball contestant.

Search for Greek Peak within chapters yields several entries.

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