Moving up and moving out: Letting go in the Park Service. - Part 1. Context.

Note: This post and the one that will follow it are two parts to the same story. It started with a brief post about moving on to bigger and better Park Service jobs, but after writing it I realized that without an understanding of the culture inside NPS it wouldn't convey the true emotional weight. This blog is dedicated to helping people get an inside view of what life in the Park Service is like, so I decided it would be better to provide the context first (In this post), and then follow up with the story in the next post. Both ended up significantly longer than I expected, but I wanted paint the complete picture to really explain why this was such a meaningful experience for us.

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At some point in their lives everybody moves away from home. For some people that time is when they go off to college, for others it's their first real job. For me, it was leaving my Home Park.

First, let's put a little bit of Park Service lingo out there: 

"Home Park"

A home park isn't a designated base that we're each assigned to upon our Park Service Birth. There's not a box on a form somewhere that says "Your home park is _________ ", and it's not something official you'll find filed somewhere in Human Resources. 

A person's "Home Park" is generally the first park they ever worked in. But, not always. Sometimes it's the first Park they fell in love with, their favorite Park Service site, or even a site they never even had a direct connection with, but feel strongly attached to. It's a nebulous, touchy-feely thing (like many things in NPS) but it's a strong piece of a Parkie's identity.

A person's Home Park is self-declared, and as such normally holds great meaning to them. In many ways, it marks a person's birth as a Parkie and can tell you a lot about a person. Eastern, Western, Southern, or Northern. Urban or rural. Monument, Historic, Recreation Area, Lakeshore, or Park; it can show what brought them to the Service, or what kept them. It can give hints of their personality though an infatuation with a hidden, quiet, secluded location or display an outgoing personality expressed through the brash love of a big, boisterous, untamed wilderness. It can tell you where they came from and where they've been since then. Home Parks can hold great meaning to people. Experiences, stories, friends, goals (and tattoos!) can all be tied to where you found your niche, made your park, and were reborn into your new home. As people have immense pride in home parks, it's common to discuss in parkie circles not just the park you currently work at, but the home park that shaped you.

So there, good readers, is a overly verbose explanation of a shadowy half-secret part of Park Service culture. 

I might also mention that while "Home Parks" are somewhat of a park-insider term, there's going to be very big push for the National Park Service's centennial in 2016 to help people find their own park. I can't say much yet, but what I can say is that It's gonna be an awesome year if you love the National Parks!

We now move on to the amazing community, the not-shadowy half-secret of the Park Service:

Over an NPS career you build a genealogy of your parks. From your home park you move and grow, and with each jump you help weave the tangled social fabric that makes the Park Service such a tight knit community. Throughout a Park Service career you will likely bounce from place to place for seasons, jobs, promotions, and status. Every time you land in a new site you're displaced, alone, and in a strange new land. Repeat this at hundreds of Park Service sites across the country (and a few we have scattered across the world) you build a working community that understands the difficulty of relocation and works to ease the transition as people come and go. Luckily, most of us share our love of the parks, so the first introductions almost always have an easy topic as people share "their" part of the Park Service.

Add in the remoteness of many parks and the small populations that serve them and you have the foundation for the Park Service culture of incredibly strong, friendly, supportive, self-sufficient communities, complete with their own stores, schools, hospitals, and other services. In a big place like Grand Canyon you have an amazingly tight knit community that exists as an island, even as millions of tourists flow through it every year. The locals all know each other, and if you have a job that lets you interact with other locals it's very common that anywhere you go you'll know every single local there. 

It can be a difficult transition for people who are used to a life with anonymity, or a life that their work and home lives are two very separate things. In many parks there's not really an on duty or off duty. You spend your free time giving lost tourists directions, and your work time joking with your friends (who also happen to be your coworkers, your bosses, your subordinates, the person serving your lunch, etc.) You often end up living every moment of your life as a living, breathing, part of the park, whether you want to or not. Some people hate this, and it chases them away from the Park Service, but others (like me) flourish in it. Your life becomes your park, and helping people see and feel the the place that means so much to you can be an amazing thing. It can give a meaning and purpose to live that might otherwise be lacking, and sometimes you get to feel like you really make a difference to someone. 

Back on topic: Now, you have a strong community system with constantly relocating employees with shared interests. What happens? Strong social networks! With only 20,000-30,000 employees (Depending on who’s counting) NPS is a pretty small organization, and it’s an organization in which many people spend whole careers. Match this with the high relocation rate and it’s very likely that only have a few (if any) degrees of separation from employees at any other park.

Take this example:

In 2012 SaintLost and I visited Puerto Rico. We did very little advanced planning, and had no real plans ahead of time to visit the National Park Site there (San Juan NHS). To be honest it hadn't really occurred to me that that NPS had a presence there, as Puerto Rico wasn't really on my radar as someone who was raised in a Western state. 

After a few days drinking Pina Coladas in San Juan we decided to mosey over and visit Castillo San Cristobal. We pranced over to the interpretive area near the entrance and chatted with the Ranger. We talked about his park and our park and wandered off to go explore. 

After an hour or so we wandered by one of their information desks. As we passed a Ranger said our names. She came over, said hello, and explained that the Ranger that we met when we entered the site had mentioned there were two Parkies visiting from Grand Canyon. 

Image Credit: CBD

One of us had blue hair at the time so I can't imagine we were hard to spot.

The Ranger explained that she had recently transferred from White Sands National Monument and wanted to know if we knew a Ranger she had worked with there (Who had since moved to the Grand Canyon). As a result of the tight knit community at the Canyon, we knew her friend quite well, and we filled her in on the happenings in her former coworker's life while she and another Ranger gave us a tour of the park. 

 Image Credit: CBD

National Park Service and the Caribbean? Sign me up!

That was an amazing experience. More than 2,000 miles away from our home park we were able to walk in and not only be surrounded by our extended Park Service family, but had a single degree of separation from someone. It's an incredibly positive feeling when you realize how far away you really are, but you still feel like you walked right in the door at home.

 Image Credit: CBD

Like many historic doors in the Park Service, walking through this one without looking can have dangerous consequences.

Now, lets take this another degree, because there's no understating how interconnected the Park Service can feel. This month, more than two years after our visit to San Juan, I took an online training. In that training was an employee who worked for San Jaun NHS, and with just a few chats back and forth they had passed on my hellos to the Rangers who I had met all that time ago, reinforcing the community ties that make the Park Service feel like an extended family.

With each Parkie conversation, a new connection is created. Each new connection links a multitude of extended Park Service family members forever, tied by our strong sense of community and love of the places we protect. 

Source: https://www.newton.ac.uk/files/events/themes/idd-350x276.jpg

Okay, that's actually a map of how infectious diseases spread, but I'd bet that Park Service friendship transmissions rates are even higher!

Together we support each other, across parks, across states, and even across countries as US Parks pair with other National Parks all over the world to foster America's Best Idea. 

 Image Credit: CBD

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

If you have questions about specific types of positions, feel free to leave a comment on this blog.

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, are a crossbreed between horses and donkeys. While they don’t have the speed and grace of horses, they also don’t have the ornery nature of donkeys. As explained by a friend who manages livestock “A mule won’t like going up a mountain, but will do it because you ask. A donkey will sit at the bottom and won’t go a step further until it’s damn well ready.” So, when you need to go rugged places, and don’t want to argue with your ride every morning, a mule is your best choice. They may not be the fastest ride, and they may not be the smoothest ride, but they’ll get you there in one piece, and are smart enough that they won’t walk of the edge of a cliff, even if you tell them to. (Which I've heard can be an issue with horses, though always as an anecdote). 

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.