One of our SCA writers has been very busy at her current home up in Glacier Bay National Park. Without going into the things she's been doing on and off work (that's for her next entry), we wanted to showcase the project she's been involved in: Rebuilding "Snow", a humpback whale that died in 2001. You can find the details on Glacier Bay NPS's website, along with a brief editorial on the Student Conservation Association's website.
~CBD
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
A Rookie’s Perspective: Why don’t you love this?!
Editor's note: Alexa is a first-time NPS intern at Devil's Tower National Monument. We hope to have her chronicle her first season as a parallel to the "Postcards from Alaska" series. Her author bio is available at our Contributors page.
As the third full week of my internship comes to a close and my life feels less like a vacation, I’m still struggling to understand the tourist mentality.
As the third full week of my internship comes to a close and my life feels less like a vacation, I’m still struggling to understand the tourist mentality.
“Let’s hit as many of these
national parks in a single day as we can! If we leave Yellowstone by 8 a.m.,
we can hit Devil's Tower and Badlands before the closing ceremony at Rushmore!”
What? Why? Why won’t you stay for sunset? Why not just camp here
tonight, watch the sunrise, and then go to Mount Rushmore? Hell, spend a few
days here!
Every day, I see families,
groups, couples, lone travelers stop for an hour or two to look at the tower
before speeding off down the twisting exit road to the interstate. Park.
Snap a photo. Walk up to the
base. Retreat. Leave.
Like clockwork. How can you love
this place if you’re only here for seconds?
How am I supposed to help you understand this place if you can’t even
experience these beautiful Wyoming nights?
How will you ever appreciate this place (“in your own way”) if you don’t
even know what a full day here feels like?
How will you ever know what the other side of the tower looks like?!
I try so, so hard to encourage
people to stay longer. “You know, we have a really cool evening program tonight
at the amphitheater. It’s the perfect
vantage point for the sunset!”
“Sorry, we’re trying to get to
Rushmore by sunset.”
“Sorry, we’ve got a full day of
traveling to Yellowstone ahead of us.”
“Sorry, we can’t.”
During my walks and programs and
informal talks with visitors, I try my best to “give them the information so
they can learn to appreciate this place in their own way.” I try to talk about whatever they're interested
in so they, too, can see how amazing this place is. I try to show them all the cool, secret rock
ledges to sit on. I try. But still, somehow, I encounter those
who just can’t enjoy themselves here.
Normally, I would think that’s
okay. The geographer in me knows that
everyone will appreciate places in their own way – positive or not. But I just can’t help but blame the person
spewing those horrible accusations (especially after I’ve shown them the cool
rock ledges).
You’re never going to love this place if you’re only here for an hour,
mid-day. I know you just want to talk about
the tower right in front of you, but turn around! Look at the view! Look at the plains and the
Black Hills! If you don’t love it, I’m
keeping these rock ledges for myself.
Before this internship began, I
thought I’d be sharing cool stories with curious visitors. I thought I would be talking about geology to
people who are truly interested in learning.
I thought I would be encouraging people to step off the nicely-paved tower
trail to go explore the red beds or Joyner ridge or one of the many wilderness
areas that speckle my map with green.
It’s not that I don’t try; I do.
Maybe it’s because I’m at a smaller park/pit stop for those going
between Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.
Maybe it’s because these people have schedules to keep up with or itineraries
to follow. Maybe I just don’t share
enough of my enthusiasm (I think if I try to share any more enthusiasm I will
be numb).
I guess it just takes patience and practice to make it through the day listening to people rush rush rush when the land is telling you to relax and stay for a while. Or maybe it’s just me, no one else seems as bothered by it. Whatever the case may be, I have an incredible amount of respect for park rangers now after seeing the amount of people they have to interact with on a daily basis, especially those who insult our park.
I guess it just takes patience and practice to make it through the day listening to people rush rush rush when the land is telling you to relax and stay for a while. Or maybe it’s just me, no one else seems as bothered by it. Whatever the case may be, I have an incredible amount of respect for park rangers now after seeing the amount of people they have to interact with on a daily basis, especially those who insult our park.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
A Rookie’s Perspective: My Life is Still a Vacation
Editor's note: This is Alexa's first post. She is a first-time NPS intern at Devil's Tower National Monument. We hope to have her chronicle her first season as a parallel to the "Postcards from Alaska" series. Her author bio is available at our Contributors page.
I’ve always been an explorer, whether or not I use the term formally. One year ago, I sat in an environmental history class with a professor and former National Park Ranger who thoughtfully and enthusiastically shared her knowledge of, in part, the history of the National Park Service. Her enthusiasm matched my interest, and I am now interning at America’s first national monument.
Just a week ago, I arrived in Wyoming after a long, miserable trip from upstate New York. My roommate picked me up at a small county airport about an hour away from Devils Tower National Monument. I was exhausted and it was the middle of the night, but I still managed to gasp when I saw the shadow of the tower against the purple-y night sky. My roommate probably thought my excitement was a little ridiculous, but I couldn’t hide how cool I thought the view was.
I still think the tower at night is better than in the daytime. During the day, you see what you expect. It looks just like what you see in the pictures (actually, it’s much better, but the details are the same). But, when you visit the tower at night, you just see this mass of darkness against the best view of the Milky Way ever. It’s something you can’t photograph and expect to be the same.
The best part of it all is that you can see the tower at night. Not just the rangers. Not just the raccoons that freak me out. Not just me. Anyone can see it or any national park because it’s not just my tower or the state of Wyoming’s tower. It’s public land. I am still getting over the fact that we can all be here whenever we want because it is all ours.
--
I’ve only been here a week, so I kind of am still in vacation mode. Every morning while I’m opening the Visitor Center, I see the tourists sleepily emerge from their warm cars and gasp at the height of the tower. If I didn’t walk to work, I would be doing the exact same thing. I just can’t believe that something so amazing can actually exist. When I take the trail home from work, I can’t believe the red rocks and winding river are actually there. The only thing tethering me down to the real world is the massive amount of paperwork I’ve had to do this week.
Which leads me to the actual work part of this: there is a lot of it. I intern 8-hour days like a real adult and have lots of paperwork. I have to cook my own food (help, mom and dad!). I give (and plan) tower walks and short talks and evening programs just like the Rangers. I work in the Visitor Center. I rove the trails. But, still, it doesn’t feel like any job I’m used to. It may be because it’s the first week, or it may be because I’m in one of America’s amazing parks and monuments.
Whatever the case, I could never have imagined this is what I would be doing for the summer. I never want to stop exploring the boulder field and the red beds and the prairie grass fields. I never want to stop the alertness I have while hiking to watch for rattle snakes. I never want to stop telling people about the geology and history and culture of the Black Hills and the high plains. It may be the new job high, but I feel like I’m on a vacation, and I never want it to end.
-Alexa.
“...so one day my mother sat me down and explained that I couldn't become an explorer because everything in the world had already been discovered. I'd been born in the wrong century, and I felt cheated.” – Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
I’ve always been an explorer, whether or not I use the term formally. One year ago, I sat in an environmental history class with a professor and former National Park Ranger who thoughtfully and enthusiastically shared her knowledge of, in part, the history of the National Park Service. Her enthusiasm matched my interest, and I am now interning at America’s first national monument.
Just a week ago, I arrived in Wyoming after a long, miserable trip from upstate New York. My roommate picked me up at a small county airport about an hour away from Devils Tower National Monument. I was exhausted and it was the middle of the night, but I still managed to gasp when I saw the shadow of the tower against the purple-y night sky. My roommate probably thought my excitement was a little ridiculous, but I couldn’t hide how cool I thought the view was.
I still think the tower at night is better than in the daytime. During the day, you see what you expect. It looks just like what you see in the pictures (actually, it’s much better, but the details are the same). But, when you visit the tower at night, you just see this mass of darkness against the best view of the Milky Way ever. It’s something you can’t photograph and expect to be the same.
The best part of it all is that you can see the tower at night. Not just the rangers. Not just the raccoons that freak me out. Not just me. Anyone can see it or any national park because it’s not just my tower or the state of Wyoming’s tower. It’s public land. I am still getting over the fact that we can all be here whenever we want because it is all ours.
--
I’ve only been here a week, so I kind of am still in vacation mode. Every morning while I’m opening the Visitor Center, I see the tourists sleepily emerge from their warm cars and gasp at the height of the tower. If I didn’t walk to work, I would be doing the exact same thing. I just can’t believe that something so amazing can actually exist. When I take the trail home from work, I can’t believe the red rocks and winding river are actually there. The only thing tethering me down to the real world is the massive amount of paperwork I’ve had to do this week.
Which leads me to the actual work part of this: there is a lot of it. I intern 8-hour days like a real adult and have lots of paperwork. I have to cook my own food (help, mom and dad!). I give (and plan) tower walks and short talks and evening programs just like the Rangers. I work in the Visitor Center. I rove the trails. But, still, it doesn’t feel like any job I’m used to. It may be because it’s the first week, or it may be because I’m in one of America’s amazing parks and monuments.
Whatever the case, I could never have imagined this is what I would be doing for the summer. I never want to stop exploring the boulder field and the red beds and the prairie grass fields. I never want to stop the alertness I have while hiking to watch for rattle snakes. I never want to stop telling people about the geology and history and culture of the Black Hills and the high plains. It may be the new job high, but I feel like I’m on a vacation, and I never want it to end.
-Alexa.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
More than rangers - Organization and job diversity in the modern Park Service.
Not everyone has the advantage of growing up as a park brat, but that doesn't mean that a life in the Park Service is out of reach. We talk with people all the time who are convinced that it's their dream job, but there's just no way that they could do it. They don't think they could compete, they don't think they could relocate, and most of all they don't think their skills are applicable to the service.
The reality is that the NPS is a complex organization, with thousands of different jobs and duties. The Rangers that visitors see are the public face of the Park Service, but for ever Ranger you see there are 5-10 support staff working to ensure that everything goes smoothly in the background.
Many of the contributors to this blog are members of the support staff. We operate in jobs that the public is never going to see, doing things that people don't associate with the National Parks. We don't wear uniforms, or give programs to teach people about the parks, but we bleed green and grey just the same. Our talents aren't suited to interacting with visitors day after day, but we still work hard to ensure that the parks remain safe, functional, and preserved for future generations to enjoy.
If you're interested in becoming part of the Park Service, but don't want to become a "Ranger", then it might help to have a brief overview of the organization of NPS.
NPS Employment within a park, monument, region, etc. breaks down into 5 main "Divisions", each with designated duties related to the Park Service mission.
Administration: The admin staff of parks handles things like payroll, budget, human resources, Information Technology, and purchasing. Other departments, such as Concessions and OPAC (office of planning and compliance), usually also end up as a subset of this division.
Facility Maintenance (also known as "Design and Engineering"): The maintenance staff works to cover everything from building and housing maintenance to trail construction and waste management. In most NPS locations this is actually the largest portion of the staff.
Science & Resource Management (also known as "Natural\Cultural Resources"): S&RM functions as the academic side of the Park Service. Staff who work for S&RM include Biologists, Botanists, Zoologists, Archaeologists, Paleontologists, Hydrologists, Geologists, and every other kind of "ologist" you could imagine. They work in tasks as varied of their specialties, with duties ranging from active research to historic preservation.
Interpretation: These are the Rangers that people think of when they imagine the National Park Service. Flat hats with green and grey uniforms giving programs or guiding events in the park. Interpretation staff make up half of the "Ranger" title. They offer presentations and programs, provide visitor information, and cover all kinds of other work designed to help people learn about, and enjoy their National Parks.
Visitor and Resource Protection: V&RP includes the primary other "Ranger" type. Law Enforcement Rangers. This division also includes programs like Backcountry Management, Fee Collection, Wildland and Structural firefighting, Emergency Services, and campground staff.
Once upon a time in the Park Service a "Ranger" was expected to be everything for a park. The law enforcement, the scientist, the interpreter, and the maintenance staff. These days the requirements of each job have become compartmentalized, because you can't expect every employee to be a federally credentialed law enforcement officer while also having a degree in Botany and knowledge on how to work a bulldozer. Because of this the Park Service family is incredibly varied in skill set, and just because you can't track a deer through the woods or give a Ranger Program to a crowd doesn't mean that's not a place where your skills can be put to use.
So, if you think that you'd rather have a Bison for a neighbor than an apartment building, or you feel like you'd rather be paid in sunrises than cold hard cash, consider taking a look joining the NPS family. You'll kick yourself every time you see your paycheck, and you'll wonder why you signed up for 150-mile grocery runs, but every time you get to step out and enjoy the beauty around you you'll understand that it was the best bad decision you ever made.
~CBD
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Postcards from Alaska - Entry #1
Editor’s note: This is the start of a running series from a first
time NPS employee chronicling her first Park
Service job at Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
Jas here!
So, I made it to Glacier Bay Alaska. First things first, it is beautiful and I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world right now. Mountains, REAL Mountains! Not saying that the part of Georgia I come from is flat, but it isn't exactly mountainy either. I wouldn't call Stone Mountain a real mountain; it's more of a hill.
Anyways, where I am situated is pretty much a glacial plain sandwich. The plain being the meat between the majestic mountains and the open sea. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen any glaciers yet, but I'll work on that.
So, I made it to Glacier Bay Alaska. First things first, it is beautiful and I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world right now. Mountains, REAL Mountains! Not saying that the part of Georgia I come from is flat, but it isn't exactly mountainy either. I wouldn't call Stone Mountain a real mountain; it's more of a hill.
Anyways, where I am situated is pretty much a glacial plain sandwich. The plain being the meat between the majestic mountains and the open sea. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen any glaciers yet, but I'll work on that.
Bear Claw Mountain
Mountain valley road from the plane
The ocean from the plane
Different colors in the ocean water
Post office
The flight to Glacier Bay from Juneau was amazing. The water was so many different shades of blue and green that it was beyond fascinating. On the way over here I was so nervous about all the unknowns about coming to a place I had never been and the fact that I had never met any of the people I would be working for, and interning with, in person yet. Now that I have gotten a lot of it out of the way I realize it wasn't really that hard it was just a matter of facing everything head on and moving forward from there. I feel like a lot of things in the next 6 months are going to be like that. I'm really looking forward to it.
Everyone that I met has been super nice! I'm not so sure about the whole limited Internet thing yet. I met my partner Allisha, the other SCA intern, and she was really nice. We both bonded over complaining about the Internet but I'm sure we'll figure it out, there are several places we can go to get access.
Everyone that I met has been super nice! I'm not so sure about the whole limited Internet thing yet. I met my partner Allisha, the other SCA intern, and she was really nice. We both bonded over complaining about the Internet but I'm sure we'll figure it out, there are several places we can go to get access.
The Fjord Flying service plane I took
So, what we are doing here for the Student Conservation Association right now is working with maintenance. I haven't been told very much, but I do know that for the first week most of what I'm going to be doing is training and paperwork. Our day starts at 7 AM and I'm really looking forward to it.
One of the first things I will be doing is a bear safety class, which I can only imagine has to do with not getting eaten, mauled, or whatever else bears do. From what I have learned in a the brief time I have been here is that you get to see them often. The lovely lady, Allison, that picked me up said she has seen them licking her red Vespa before!* On a related note, when I first met my roommate, he gave me a bottle of bear mace. I would have to say that is the best welcoming gift ever!
One of the first things I will be doing is a bear safety class, which I can only imagine has to do with not getting eaten, mauled, or whatever else bears do. From what I have learned in a the brief time I have been here is that you get to see them often. The lovely lady, Allison, that picked me up said she has seen them licking her red Vespa before!* On a related note, when I first met my roommate, he gave me a bottle of bear mace. I would have to say that is the best welcoming gift ever!
Welcoming gift of bear mace
For all of you that are were concerned about mosquitoes, I am happy to say that it had been a dry year and that there won't be very many. Apparently, they don't have ticks in the park. Well, they have ticks but they are more like deer ticks and couldn't care less about humans. I was told, however, that as a trade off the park had lot of biting gnats and horseflies. To be honest, I haven't seen much wildlife yet. I saw some crows in the trees outside my apartment window and what I can only assume are puffins of sorts.
Allison told me that I would probably run into some local porcupines sooner or later, as they have trails next to the roads. Since I have arrived in town I have learned quite a few terms. While I can't remember all of them right now, my favorite so far is Swamp Donkey, which is code for moose.**
I also heard from my roommate’s girlfriend that the whales were starting to come into the park. As a result, for the first time ever they were recorded singing around this time of year. Normally, they don't sing until the end of the season when they go back to Hawaii to mate. Another fun tidbit I learned about the whales around here today was that they only eat when they come up here and then when they leave they don't generally eat anything till they get back the next year. I couldn't imagine not eating for almost a year! I got to my new apartment and I have to say it's way nicer than the dorms that I had in college. The one I am in is a 4 person apartment with shared living space, two bathrooms, and separate rooms. We get free laundry, which is awesome and almost too good to be true. It is fully furnished and even has a mini TV, which I am now convinced has a smaller screen than my laptop. On the flip side, my laptop can't play VHS or DVDs! My room looks out into a cove and the view is stunning I'm looking forward to looking out every day. I asked my roommate what time the sun went down and it isn't till 8:30 and it doesn't get actually dark till 10:30.*** Btw there is snow outside my apartment which isn't exactly exciting for most people but back in Georgia any snow is exciting.****
They even gave us two fridges, though I honestly don't think we will need considering that most of the food can only be bought at two very expensive stores in the town of Gustavus. I have decided that having stuff mailed to me is probably more efficient than buying stuff in town. The only thing with having stuff mailed to me is I haven't yet figured out how many days it takes for it to get here. The post office said three days and I can vouch and say nope that is not correct, I sent a package 3 days ago and it's still not here.
Until next time!
*Note to self: Do not wear red unless you want bear licks. **Note to self: Start compiling a list of random terms you learn at the park. ***Note to reader: I'm pretty sure I just felt an earthquake already, unless it was the fridge, who knows, I'll have to ask* *I asked- no one else felt it. I mean I could have sworn the ground was shaking. I may be going crazy though who knows! ****Note to reader: Except during Snowpocalypse because no one can drive and everyone thinks they are going to die unless they buy milk and bread.
I also heard from my roommate’s girlfriend that the whales were starting to come into the park. As a result, for the first time ever they were recorded singing around this time of year. Normally, they don't sing until the end of the season when they go back to Hawaii to mate. Another fun tidbit I learned about the whales around here today was that they only eat when they come up here and then when they leave they don't generally eat anything till they get back the next year. I couldn't imagine not eating for almost a year! I got to my new apartment and I have to say it's way nicer than the dorms that I had in college. The one I am in is a 4 person apartment with shared living space, two bathrooms, and separate rooms. We get free laundry, which is awesome and almost too good to be true. It is fully furnished and even has a mini TV, which I am now convinced has a smaller screen than my laptop. On the flip side, my laptop can't play VHS or DVDs! My room looks out into a cove and the view is stunning I'm looking forward to looking out every day. I asked my roommate what time the sun went down and it isn't till 8:30 and it doesn't get actually dark till 10:30.*** Btw there is snow outside my apartment which isn't exactly exciting for most people but back in Georgia any snow is exciting.****
They even gave us two fridges, though I honestly don't think we will need considering that most of the food can only be bought at two very expensive stores in the town of Gustavus. I have decided that having stuff mailed to me is probably more efficient than buying stuff in town. The only thing with having stuff mailed to me is I haven't yet figured out how many days it takes for it to get here. The post office said three days and I can vouch and say nope that is not correct, I sent a package 3 days ago and it's still not here.
Until next time!
*Note to self: Do not wear red unless you want bear licks. **Note to self: Start compiling a list of random terms you learn at the park. ***Note to reader: I'm pretty sure I just felt an earthquake already, unless it was the fridge, who knows, I'll have to ask* *I asked- no one else felt it. I mean I could have sworn the ground was shaking. I may be going crazy though who knows! ****Note to reader: Except during Snowpocalypse because no one can drive and everyone thinks they are going to die unless they buy milk and bread.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
A River Runs Through It (Part 1)
The Colorado River. One of the main elements that shaped the Grand Canyon. Glorious, internationally known, and extremely cold. Less than 10% of visitors to Grand Canyon National Park are estimated to have seen it up close (Durango Herald), and even fewer have traveled down it on the river. It was my honor to participate in an NPS employee trip last summer.
Something that most people aren't aware of is how expensive it is to get on a commercial river trip of the Colorado. Here's what I found in my brief research. Motorized (shorter, full length of Colorado within Grand Canyon) trips run an average of $2,630/person, while paddle trips (usually twice as long in time) are an average of $3,870/person. The people I saw on these trips seemed very happy, but I doubt I would pay that much to raft down the Colorado.
My trip was only the lower half, which seems to typically be about half the full length price on commercial trips. So, I hiked in to Phantom Ranch, the first time I'd ever really been below the Rim, despite living here for numerous years prior. While it was a difficult, it was definitely worth the effort.
I did run out of water before the end, however. That was the hardest part, but I was rewarded with lemonade at the ranger station! The afternoon and evening just consisted of hoping the pain in my legs would go away and resting. A surprising thing, that I'd only heard rumors about in the past, was that one of the Science division employees ran ice cream down from South Rim for us to have that night. She ran down the South Kaibab trail in about two hours, then ran straight back up after having some water! I should mention that this was at night, which is more perilous on the trail.
The next morning, we all rose quite early (for me) and started hauling gear to the boats. Shoving our things into water-tight bags, getting acquainted with the boats and the crew, and trying to figure out what was needed for the ride itself were among the things we did before shoving off. Lo and behold, the pain in my legs had intensified (despite extensive stretching the night before), so that will be a recurring theme for at least this entry.
Starting off on the bigger boat (the S rig), we went through a few smallish rapids before stopping to do some vegetation preservation work. This basically means that we all worked together to water some saplings that the Science & Resource Division was trying to grow on one of the "sandbars". I don't have any pictures of it, but the task ended up being most efficiently accomplished via a train of people passing water buckets up the steep, sandy hill. The hard work was a rewarding feeling, and just standing around in the water meant that I wasn't stressing my already cramped up legs.
After this, we loaded back on the boats and proceeded downriver. We eventually stopped to look at a rowboat that was perched up on a rocky outcropping and a story was told, but I couldn't walk up to it, so I stood just offshore in the wonderful, ice cold river water. One of the boatmen, a friend of mine, stayed down at the bottom with me and we did the normal "gossiping" about NPS Divisional politics, which gets pretty dense, depending on the size of said Division.
I don't remember where we stopped for lunch, nor do I remember what it was, but I can tell you that all the food I ate on this trip was delicious. From what I understand, river guides/runners end up as really great cooks from all the practice. I do think that dinner was chicken fajitas; oh so tasty. Stopping for the night on a really high sandbar is when I discovered that I had a bad sunburn developing on my feet. It wasn't until days later that I realized how bad it was, but that's something I'll mention off and on during this series.
In any case, sleep was easier than I thought it would be and I only needed the footprint from my tent to sleep through the night. You do get a good picture of the consequences of having a solo office job, since I was friends with only one person on this trip and it was difficult to socialize with everyone else, given how socially awkward I am.
I will end this first part by saying that while the commercial trips looked low key, the employee river trip was more wonderful than I could possibly have imagined. More stories and pictures to come in Part 2!
Commercial paddle tour (photo: SaintLost)
Something that most people aren't aware of is how expensive it is to get on a commercial river trip of the Colorado. Here's what I found in my brief research. Motorized (shorter, full length of Colorado within Grand Canyon) trips run an average of $2,630/person, while paddle trips (usually twice as long in time) are an average of $3,870/person. The people I saw on these trips seemed very happy, but I doubt I would pay that much to raft down the Colorado.
Commercial paddle tour (photo: SaintLost)
My trip was only the lower half, which seems to typically be about half the full length price on commercial trips. So, I hiked in to Phantom Ranch, the first time I'd ever really been below the Rim, despite living here for numerous years prior. While it was a difficult, it was definitely worth the effort.
The Colorado River, immediately off the Bright Angel Trail (photo: SaintLost)
I did run out of water before the end, however. That was the hardest part, but I was rewarded with lemonade at the ranger station! The afternoon and evening just consisted of hoping the pain in my legs would go away and resting. A surprising thing, that I'd only heard rumors about in the past, was that one of the Science division employees ran ice cream down from South Rim for us to have that night. She ran down the South Kaibab trail in about two hours, then ran straight back up after having some water! I should mention that this was at night, which is more perilous on the trail.
About to load the boats with our gear (photo: SaintLost)
The next morning, we all rose quite early (for me) and started hauling gear to the boats. Shoving our things into water-tight bags, getting acquainted with the boats and the crew, and trying to figure out what was needed for the ride itself were among the things we did before shoving off. Lo and behold, the pain in my legs had intensified (despite extensive stretching the night before), so that will be a recurring theme for at least this entry.
Traveling down the Colorado! (photo: SaintLost)
Starting off on the bigger boat (the S rig), we went through a few smallish rapids before stopping to do some vegetation preservation work. This basically means that we all worked together to water some saplings that the Science & Resource Division was trying to grow on one of the "sandbars". I don't have any pictures of it, but the task ended up being most efficiently accomplished via a train of people passing water buckets up the steep, sandy hill. The hard work was a rewarding feeling, and just standing around in the water meant that I wasn't stressing my already cramped up legs.
Employees hard at work (photo: SaintLost)
After this, we loaded back on the boats and proceeded downriver. We eventually stopped to look at a rowboat that was perched up on a rocky outcropping and a story was told, but I couldn't walk up to it, so I stood just offshore in the wonderful, ice cold river water. One of the boatmen, a friend of mine, stayed down at the bottom with me and we did the normal "gossiping" about NPS Divisional politics, which gets pretty dense, depending on the size of said Division.
Unrelated shot of the Grand Canyon! (photo: SaintLost)
I don't remember where we stopped for lunch, nor do I remember what it was, but I can tell you that all the food I ate on this trip was delicious. From what I understand, river guides/runners end up as really great cooks from all the practice. I do think that dinner was chicken fajitas; oh so tasty. Stopping for the night on a really high sandbar is when I discovered that I had a bad sunburn developing on my feet. It wasn't until days later that I realized how bad it was, but that's something I'll mention off and on during this series.
In any case, sleep was easier than I thought it would be and I only needed the footprint from my tent to sleep through the night. You do get a good picture of the consequences of having a solo office job, since I was friends with only one person on this trip and it was difficult to socialize with everyone else, given how socially awkward I am.
A random side canyon (photo: SaintLost)
I will end this first part by saying that while the commercial trips looked low key, the employee river trip was more wonderful than I could possibly have imagined. More stories and pictures to come in Part 2!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Bleeding green and grey - Building a life with the National Park Service
If you work for the National Park Service for long enough you'll eventually hear a comment that someone "bleeds green and grey". The term is used either as a compliment for someone that devotes their life to the Park Service, or occasionally as a playful insult when a person's life is so integrated with the Park Service that they couldn't go back to the real world if they wanted to.
The saying comes from a book written by Gregory Moss, a career park ranger who published a collection of stories about his life in the service. (Amazon link for anyone who is interested) National Park Ranger, a.k.a. "Bleeding Green & Grey": High Adventure Tales, Humorous Stories, & Deadly Consequences!
What Gregory hit on with his title is that the Park Service often attracts a certain kind of person: A person who takes the job because they love the places, the people, and the experiences that living and working in America's best idea provides. People who end up staying with the Park Service for a career are there because they deeply care about being a part of the mission to protect and preserve. So willing in fact, that many give up enormous opportunities outside of the service to stay in the places they love. We give up higher paying jobs, relationships, and whatever else is required in order to stay with the Park Service, and to become a member of the Park Service family.
This is not to say that to join the Park Service you must be willing to give up the "real world" for the rest of your life. There are thousands of jobs in the service that you can work for a single season and move on. You'll get the amazing experience, and the eye catching job on the resume, but you don't have to stay forever if you don't want to.
But, many of us do make the choice to stay in the family, to accept a career of lower pay, for harder work, in more difficult and remote locations. We do it because we love it, because we think it's the best thing we could do with our lives, and because sooner or later you realize that you bleed green and grey, even if you never thought you would.
Once you realize that you want to spend your life working for the Park Service your perspective shifts. You stop thinking about how much you'll make in your next job, and start thinking about what parks you want to embed yourself in. You stop thinking about moving to get a promotion, and start focusing on the parks that will allow you to pursue your passions. You lose focus on the short term difficulties from day to day and start daydreaming about leaving your legacy.
Part of the amazing experience of working for the Park Service is that the organization has been around for less than 100 years. In fact our centennial isn't even until 2016! While the Park Service is a place of strong tradition and a commitment to stewardship of our national treasures, it is also an organization still in the formation phase. Every year we gain new sites, new people, and new mission goals. And with only 98 years in operation, there simply hasn't been time to do everything that needs to be done. Therein comes the idea of a person's Park Service legacy. For different people it means different things. To some it's a personal mark they can leave behind when they move on. For others it's a new way NPS can serve the visitors who come to see our landscapes and places. It all depends on your passion and what you think the Park Service needs to become a better place.
One example that comes to mind is the work of a dedicated group of interpretive employees. Together with hard work, sweat, tears, and enormous amounts of effort they built the first distance learning program in the Park Service. In the past students would have to come to a National Park location to meet a ranger, to ask questions about the park, and to start to appreciate the work that we do to protect it. With the distance learning setup Park Rangers from Grand Canyon now give programs for kids all over the country, giving students who don't have access to our National Parks the opportunity to see a condor flying overhead, or look at fossils embedded in the red sandstone. Technology like this introduces people to a world they might never have been able to experience before.
Image source: http://arizonahighways.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/grand-canyon-goes-high-tech-to-reach-students-nationwide/
On its own Grand Canyon's distance learning program would have been a "legacy" item. A change made by a group of dedicated people that will continue to serve the Park Service long after they retire. But the program at Grand Canyon was only the beginning! As other parks saw the new technology, and the new opportunities that it can provide to visitors the idea spread. The single distance learning studio has turned into programs at parks across the country, each unique to the park that hosts it, but based on the ideas pioneered by a few dedicated individuals in a single branch, in a single division, at a single park.
The National Park Service now hosts an entire suite of distance learning programs. Information is available at http://www.nps.gov/teachers/distancelearning.htm if anyone who comes across this is interested. How's that for a legacy? Serving thousands or tens of thousands of students per year from all over the U.S. and all over the world.
A legacy doesn't have to be public facing either. For some, the scientific pursuits outweigh the desire to interact with visitors. For a person motivated by the invisible bits of the park service, a legacy might be out of the public eye, but still critical to the mission, such as preservation of an ecosystem, plant, animal, or even mineral that otherwise might be lost without protection.
Leaving a legacy may not be always be glamorous, but each legacy still provides a permanent place in the halls of nearly a century of NPS staff who have given their careers, and occasionally their lives, to protecting the places that America treasures.
~CBD
The saying comes from a book written by Gregory Moss, a career park ranger who published a collection of stories about his life in the service. (Amazon link for anyone who is interested) National Park Ranger, a.k.a. "Bleeding Green & Grey": High Adventure Tales, Humorous Stories, & Deadly Consequences!
What Gregory hit on with his title is that the Park Service often attracts a certain kind of person: A person who takes the job because they love the places, the people, and the experiences that living and working in America's best idea provides. People who end up staying with the Park Service for a career are there because they deeply care about being a part of the mission to protect and preserve. So willing in fact, that many give up enormous opportunities outside of the service to stay in the places they love. We give up higher paying jobs, relationships, and whatever else is required in order to stay with the Park Service, and to become a member of the Park Service family.This is not to say that to join the Park Service you must be willing to give up the "real world" for the rest of your life. There are thousands of jobs in the service that you can work for a single season and move on. You'll get the amazing experience, and the eye catching job on the resume, but you don't have to stay forever if you don't want to.
But, many of us do make the choice to stay in the family, to accept a career of lower pay, for harder work, in more difficult and remote locations. We do it because we love it, because we think it's the best thing we could do with our lives, and because sooner or later you realize that you bleed green and grey, even if you never thought you would.
(Waking up to sights like this every day might help)
Once you realize that you want to spend your life working for the Park Service your perspective shifts. You stop thinking about how much you'll make in your next job, and start thinking about what parks you want to embed yourself in. You stop thinking about moving to get a promotion, and start focusing on the parks that will allow you to pursue your passions. You lose focus on the short term difficulties from day to day and start daydreaming about leaving your legacy.
Part of the amazing experience of working for the Park Service is that the organization has been around for less than 100 years. In fact our centennial isn't even until 2016! While the Park Service is a place of strong tradition and a commitment to stewardship of our national treasures, it is also an organization still in the formation phase. Every year we gain new sites, new people, and new mission goals. And with only 98 years in operation, there simply hasn't been time to do everything that needs to be done. Therein comes the idea of a person's Park Service legacy. For different people it means different things. To some it's a personal mark they can leave behind when they move on. For others it's a new way NPS can serve the visitors who come to see our landscapes and places. It all depends on your passion and what you think the Park Service needs to become a better place.
One example that comes to mind is the work of a dedicated group of interpretive employees. Together with hard work, sweat, tears, and enormous amounts of effort they built the first distance learning program in the Park Service. In the past students would have to come to a National Park location to meet a ranger, to ask questions about the park, and to start to appreciate the work that we do to protect it. With the distance learning setup Park Rangers from Grand Canyon now give programs for kids all over the country, giving students who don't have access to our National Parks the opportunity to see a condor flying overhead, or look at fossils embedded in the red sandstone. Technology like this introduces people to a world they might never have been able to experience before.
Image source: http://arizonahighways.wordpress.com/2013/02/13/grand-canyon-goes-high-tech-to-reach-students-nationwide/
On its own Grand Canyon's distance learning program would have been a "legacy" item. A change made by a group of dedicated people that will continue to serve the Park Service long after they retire. But the program at Grand Canyon was only the beginning! As other parks saw the new technology, and the new opportunities that it can provide to visitors the idea spread. The single distance learning studio has turned into programs at parks across the country, each unique to the park that hosts it, but based on the ideas pioneered by a few dedicated individuals in a single branch, in a single division, at a single park.
The National Park Service now hosts an entire suite of distance learning programs. Information is available at http://www.nps.gov/teachers/distancelearning.htm if anyone who comes across this is interested. How's that for a legacy? Serving thousands or tens of thousands of students per year from all over the U.S. and all over the world.
Leaving a legacy may not be always be glamorous, but each legacy still provides a permanent place in the halls of nearly a century of NPS staff who have given their careers, and occasionally their lives, to protecting the places that America treasures.
~CBD
Sunday, March 16, 2014
My First Permanent Job with the Park Service
Editor's Note: This post is part #1 of a series on becoming part of the National Park Service. New posts in the series should be added in the coming weeks.
I’m a park brat, the same way that some people are military brats. One of my parents worked for the Park Service my entire life, so it was always a part of my life. It wasn’t until I was in college that I even considered it as a career possibility.
For me, taking this job involved moving cross-country and being over an hour away from the nearest grocery store. My brother made that move easier, but it was also expensive. Only in certain circumstances will NPS be able to help pay for the cost of moving. Mine was not one of them.
Working at an entrance station isn't glamorous. It isn't usually exciting, can be stressful, and doesn't pay as much as other government jobs. Yet, I wouldn't trade the experiences, friends, and career path I made for anything in the world.
One of the main things I recommend if you want to pursue a career with the Park Service is have some notable experience at one. Try to volunteer at the closest location, get a seasonal position, or work as a student hire (much easier to get than a seasonal position, if you lack experience.)
I’m a park brat, the same way that some people are military brats. One of my parents worked for the Park Service my entire life, so it was always a part of my life. It wasn’t until I was in college that I even considered it as a career possibility.
We rarely visited other Park Service locations
when I was growing up. Indeed, we only
really traveled once a year and there was only one NPS location
near where I grew up. However, I did see
almost every inch of the park my parent worked for.
Photo credit: SaintLost
Photo credit: NPS
I think being a park brat heavily influenced my eventual
decision to pursue a career with NPS.
Initially, I wanted nothing to do with it, still being in that
“rebellious” mindset of not wanting anything to do with my mother in the
workplace. Eventually, I fell in love
with it all and set myself on the path to getting a job. Hint: Start looking at USAJobs.gov!
The cert, the list of the top 10 or so people that qualified,
for any given position is going to be heavily populated with either people with
perfect qualifications (some are liars) or those with veteran’s preference (not
a bad thing). You might not think it,
but a lot of people want the entry level positions working for the Park
Service, even working at an entrance station.
My story is more about luck than anything else. I had a lot of drive-thru cashier experience, so it ended up that I was perfect for working at an entrance station. However, I think the only reason I made the cert is because of my stint as a seasonal Park Ranger. How they came to my name above whoever else they had interviewed I’ll never know.
What I do know is that interviewing with enthusiasm was a huge part of why I was chosen. While I didn't know everything about the job I was pursuing, I did know that I wanted it. As a friend of mine always tells me, the worst thing that can happen from applying for a job is that they offer it to you. I realize there are arguments against that saying, but the meaning behind it really is that applying for a job doesn't actually hurt. IF you get the job, then you have to decide whether or not you want it and are willing to uproot your life for it. Working for an organization with remote sites like the National Park Service, upheaval really is a big possibility and commitment. Your new job is likely to be hours away from the nearest major city, and things like going out to dinner at a restaurant or catching a movie after work may no longer be possible. It's up to you to determine what is important to you.
What I do know is that interviewing with enthusiasm was a huge part of why I was chosen. While I didn't know everything about the job I was pursuing, I did know that I wanted it. As a friend of mine always tells me, the worst thing that can happen from applying for a job is that they offer it to you. I realize there are arguments against that saying, but the meaning behind it really is that applying for a job doesn't actually hurt. IF you get the job, then you have to decide whether or not you want it and are willing to uproot your life for it. Working for an organization with remote sites like the National Park Service, upheaval really is a big possibility and commitment. Your new job is likely to be hours away from the nearest major city, and things like going out to dinner at a restaurant or catching a movie after work may no longer be possible. It's up to you to determine what is important to you.
Photo credit: SaintLost
For me, taking this job involved moving cross-country and being over an hour away from the nearest grocery store. My brother made that move easier, but it was also expensive. Only in certain circumstances will NPS be able to help pay for the cost of moving. Mine was not one of them.
Working at an entrance station isn't glamorous. It isn't usually exciting, can be stressful, and doesn't pay as much as other government jobs. Yet, I wouldn't trade the experiences, friends, and career path I made for anything in the world.
Photo credit: SaintLost
One of the main things I recommend if you want to pursue a career with the Park Service is have some notable experience at one. Try to volunteer at the closest location, get a seasonal position, or work as a student hire (much easier to get than a seasonal position, if you lack experience.)
My tips for building your resume on USAJobs:
- Be extremely thorough in your description of duties at past jobs. Even the smallest thing can be seen as a game changer from the perspective of the person doing the hiring.
- Write a succinct list of the skills you gained and the duties you had in your various positions. Be very thorough.
- Read through the questionnaires that you have to fill out when applying for a job ahead of time. Include anything you have experience with, but had not previously included, on your resume. Without this, you’ll be automatically disqualified from consideration.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
The lights are on, but nobody is home: National Parks in the off season.
Our National Parks are amazing places, designed to provide a sense
of cultural identity and a point of national pride, as well as being an
instantly recognizable model for conservation and protection. They serve as
snapshots of the unique locations in our country and bring visitors from all
over the country, and all over the world.
But, therein lies the problem. People. Those pesky other people.
Now, don’t get me wrong: National Park Service employees are incredibly happy
that people love our National Parks. Because the public cares about our parks,
and wants to see them, visit them, stay in them, and learn about them, people
like me have the amazing luck of being able to work in them day after day. But, there are times when living and working
in a National Park can become difficult because our day to day lives take place
in the same locations where millions of visitors have decided to congregate.
Let’s look at the visitation stats for my “Home Park”, Grand
Canyon.
(Note: All stats provided in this article were collected from the
official NPS stats website at https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/
. This is an amazing site, accessible to anyone who wants to see visitation statistics
about the National Parks. Further non-visitation stats for the NPS can be found
through the IRMA (Integrated Resource Management Applications) Portal at https://irma.nps.gov/App/ )
So, in 2013 the total visitor count for Grand Canyon was roughly
4.5 Million people, the fourth highest year on record.
Source:
And if we look a bit closer we can break down those stats by
month.
Source: https://irma.nps.gov/Stats/SSRSReports/Park%20Specific%20Reports/Monthly%20Public%20Use?Park=GRCA
Basically, any month that
a person might consider spending time outside to be a positive experience is
likely to be filled with tourists. Keep in mind that in a place like Grand
Canyon there are only 3,000 to 5,000 year-round residents. On a busy weekend day
in summer it’s very possible for tourists to outnumber the locals by 200 to 1!
Not exactly a point where you’ll be likely to get out and enjoy the peace and
solitude in your park, eh?
This is not to say that it’s
impossible to enjoy a park as a resident during the busy season. One of the
perks of living and working in a National Park is that you get to know it, or
your local part of it, like the back of your hand. Once you’ve been around for
a little bit you know where “that” spot is, the spot where on a beautiful
summer day you can go to a place far from the throngs of visitors, and still
have the beauty and majesty of the park all to yourself. It helps to keep you sane when you're number 30 in line at the post office >.>
Back on topic: The crowds at the parks can
be a bear during the summer, but the tradeoff is the magical time where all the
tourists disappear back to their real lives, the hotels close up, the restaurants
and stores run on limited hours, and the park is all yours.
This is what Old Faithful in
Yellowstone looks like in the summer.
This is the same boardwalk
in January.
Nobody here but us Bison!
Which of those looks like
the way you want to make a connection with a display of nature’s force and
beauty? Mhhhhhhmmmmm…. That’s what I thought.
Now, let’s try this again.
Which one looks like a better time to visit?
This?
Source: http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/2011-05-26_mather.htm
Image Credit: Michael Quinn,
National Park Service.
Or this?
Image Credit: Lance Diskan.
Okay, I’ll admit that last
image is cheating a little bit. It was taken during the 2013 government
shutdown. It’s REALLY hard to find Mather Point completely empty during the
day, even if you work for the park and are there on a regular basis.
But, the point still stands.
If you want to experience a National Park, without all the people, you go in
the off season.
You still get to see things
like Punchbowl Spring at Yellowstone,
But instead of being greeted
by tour groups, buses belching diesel smoke into the air, and screaming children, you get to enjoy things like this
Note: The two other people in this picture were traveling with me. There was not another person visible ANYWHERE when this shot was taken.
Instead of jockeying for
position to take a picture of the upper geyser basin, you can take your time to
get the image just right, and there won’t be anyone to mar your view
Instead of stressing about
being bumped off the narrow boardwalks surrounded by boiling mud, you can sit
down and watch the steam waft by in the afternoon light.
You get the point….
But let’s just drive it home
with more gratuitous geyser pics, all of which were taken on a nice relaxing
walk where we saw not one, not two, not three, but FOUR people on the entire
2-ish mile walk. Oh the humanity!
Possibly my favorite shot of the trip.
And last but not least, the
critical shot of Old Faithful itself.
So, final lesson: Avoid
tourists, enjoy your parks, go out of the way, love the off season!
Ta Ta for Now, from your
friendly NPS-ers, living the dream.
~CBD
Sunday, March 2, 2014
The Perks – Part 3
Now that we've covered some of the business side of working for the park service we can return to the fun perks of living in “America’s
best idea”. If you can work your way into a skilled position in the Park
Service, it is often necessary to work at remote locations. We've covered one
method of travel in The Perks – Part 1, but we’ll discuss another one
today. Mules.
When people think of mules they often imagine the western
expansion of the United States, complete with wagon trains and farmers working
to clear and prepare new land for crops. To many people living outside of rural
areas the idea of using livestock for everyday tasks seems alien. What could a
living, breathing animal do better than a machine? Well, for one, they’re darn
good at dealing with the harsh and undeveloped terrain that is a core feature
of our National Parks.
Mules, like the lovely Skinner posing here,
So,
if your two-day plan includes 17.5 miles of difficult trails, 9,028 feet of
elevation change, 3 people, and 200 pounds of gear, you go make friends with
your friendly local wrangler. (Or Packer, as they tend to be officially
titled).
Once you've made friends with your packer, AND convinced
them that yes, you really do need to haul all that stuff down with you, AND
woken up at the crack of dark to get to the corrals on time, you’re treated to
the most effective way to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon! It’s a bit
slower than the helicopter (about 4 hours instead of 20 minutes) but doesn't
require any fossil fuels, aerospace grade metals, or thousands of dollars of
running costs per hour. Congratulations, the hard work is now done. You can now
sit back, hold on, and enjoy the view as the study and sure-footed animal carries you through some of the most scenic areas on earth!
On the way down you get time to really enjoy the scenery.
Normally when you’re hiking you've got to keep an eye on your feet and the
trail ahead so you don’t end up eating dirt. When you’re on the mule you can
just let the animal do the work, and besides the occasional bit of direction to
keep them from stopping to enjoy a nibble on any vegetation that catches their
eye there’s not much you need to do. You can keep your head up, your eyes on
the scenery, and occasionally try to snap a picture. (Note to those with cell phone cameras, HDR
or High Dynamic Range works by taking multiple pictures in a row, then
combining them. If you’re bouncing around on top of a mule and try to take one
it will end up blurry, hence the lack of amazing action shots in this post
>.< )
Once you've let your majestic ride carry you to your destination you can start the real work. And, because you're not tired from hiking 10 miles before you even started your actual task, you can complete it and still have the energy to snap a couple pictures of the beautiful location you have the pleasure of working in.
And, now that all of your work is done, and you've had a good night's rest in the lovely NPS-managed bunkhouse, complete with a hot shower and a bed, instead of sleeping in a tent on the ground, you can get up early the next morning to head out, and enjoy the real perk of mules; Not having to hike UP!
While getting a ride down into the canyon is a pleasant perk, not having to hike OUT of the canyon is something that people would kill for. Imagine, you've had all of the enjoyment, all of the scenery, and none of the effort. This is not to say that hiking is bad, or the effort is not worth it, (Even with perks like these I do my best to go on a long hike in the canyon at least once a month.) but there's definitely some enjoyment in being able to enjoy the canyon without the work. And it lets you have the energy to take pictures like this on the way out to share with the lovely readers of this blog.
~With much enjoyment (and a very sore butt), CBD.
Makeshift Medical - Doing more with less, the NPS way.
If I ever submit a story, it is safe to assume it is
something odd or ridiculous that happened to me. In this case, it was when I worked at South Entrance
Station for Grand Canyon National Park.
It is standard when working for any job, government or
otherwise, that you do not come to work when you are contagiously sick. However, when you are passed that point, you
should be at work, no matter how miserable you are. During my first year at GRCA, this happened
to me.
I’d been very sick with a respiratory infection for a couple
days, but once the worst of it had passed, it was back to work. I drank lots of water, had soup and fruit
whenever I ate, and made sure I didn’t overexert myself, while trying to
protect my lungs from any cold air. It
being October in Northern Arizona, that was starting to become quite the
feat. Not to even mention all the
coughing I was still doing, which was eliciting some horrified looks from the
visitors that went through my lane (it sounded like I was dying, I imagine).
In order to avoid making myself sicker and to prevent the
visitors from being grossed out, a search for a medical face mask
commenced. Now, this is a standard item
to have in such a work situation where public contact is constant. Of course, none could be found. Welcome to employment with the United States
Federal Government.
So, I made my own. Comprised of coffee filters, rubber
bands, and staples, and despite my constant coughing, copious amounts of vehicle exhaust, and Jason Vorhees style, the mask lasted all day.
Needless to say, my superiors heard about this and from then
on, there would always be actual medical face masks available for use.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Dispatch from Geyserland: Frosty Mornings
Weekend mornings in the Old Faithful District are my domain. I've started taking my camera with me more often for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the mostly un-witnessed beauty of winter mornings. In these hours, Yellowstone becomes my private world - vast, secretive, fantastic. There are more wonders here than can be seen in a lifetime, and at this time of year so many of them unfold for my eyes alone. As I ride my snowmobile past the still-quiet Snow Lodge, I witness bison clad in frost moving along the roadway, plodding along the path of least resistance to conserve what energy they can. For a moment I stop at a distance and consider taking a photograph, but as the lead bison lifts its head to assess my intentions I think better of it and leave them in peace. They are spread out, three or four of them - such a small group compared with the throngs of bison that gather in the fall. We often say here that winter is the ultimate predator. I think for a moment of how much they must have enjoyed these past weeks of 20-degree weather after the bitter cold of early December, then move on.
I often find it difficult to explain my feelings about this place. It is sometimes brutally, heartbreakingly real, and sometimes implausible, magical, seeming to exist outside of time. Like Narnia, Skyrim, Serre, and Middle Earth it is full of wonderment and danger. I can be annoyingly poetic and yet fail to capture even a fraction of the essence of Yellowstone. Even my photos from today fall woefully short.
As I continue north the fog becomes impenetrable. I decide to turn south until there is more light and head for Kepler Cascades. One of my favorite views, I have photos of Kepler in almost every light and condition. Even on a dark night I like to go up and just stand there, listening to the roar of the falls. The snow on the boardwalk thuds under my approach. It's cold - not terribly cold by Yellowstone standards, but the increased moisture is palpable. I never wear gloves when using my camera, and my fingers begin to ache as I snap a few quick, improperly metered shots. Turning to the north I put the gloves back on for a few moments. Old Faithful is erupting in the distance, and the cold has turned the always impressive plume of steam into a billowing storm cloud. I can't see the geyser, but there is no mistaking the source of the steam. Moments later this is confirmed by the voice on my radio giving the next prediction. I head back toward the ranger station, my knuckles still protesting.
I make it back to the station a little before 9:00 and record the weather observations. It's still -4°F. No wonder my fingers hurt. Last night's low of -15°F is still nothing to the weather of a month or so ago, but it's a good 10 degrees colder than it's been the last couple of weeks. For giggles, I check last year's observations for this date. They are almost identical.
The remainder of my shift passes as shifts do during winter in the interior. The snowcoaches pass like colorful canned hams in and out of the parking lot. The snowmobile tours make their rounds, and the ambulance goes out on Mattracks to take a patient to the hospital with the ponderous persistence of a tortoise. By 4:00 it's twilight and I'm happy that the Christmas lights are still up outside the front door. The boards have been up on our lower level and front walkway for weeks, keeping out the snow but also the light. After getting geared down I check my photos and am disappointed. Next time I'll take the extra moment to make the correct adjustments, but I doubt that my camera will ever capture what I see in this place. The snow is more beautiful when one can also feel it.
Now, as I sit here indulging in the narcissism that is blogging, it's a balmy 10°F and has been fully dark for a couple of hours. The days will get longer from here on out, however imperceptibly at first. I'm making my plans for tomorrow which will necessarily include paperwork, but will undoubtedly include something amazing that I didn't even expect.
-- KMR
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