So You Wanna Be a Park Ranger

In the last year or so, I've been getting this question more and more: "How DO you become a park ranger?" The simple answer: "It's complicated." But if the inquiring party has the time and interest, I am always happy to help as much as I can -- because I know I how much I appreciated getting the inside scoop when I was trying to figure out the answer to that question myself.

In light of this, I thought it would be useful (for both you AND me, to get this all written down) to just write a blog post about it. Let's do this!

A trip to the coast

I just finished my first term of grad school (hooray!) and finally had some time to post photos from my Thanksgiving weekend trip to the Oregon coast. 

Autumn.

I think it's fair to say that I've more or less settled into my new life in the PNW. I can't believe I've been here over a month and a half now. I have a nice little circle of new friends, plenty of social outlets, and I've started swing dancing again. Fall colors have finally peaked (I'm so lucky to have gotten two falls this year!) and the daily drizzle of rain has begun. Things are going surprisingly well, considering the doubts I had about leaving Alaska and going back to school.

Pacific North Wonderland

I have been at a loss for what to write since I moved to Oregon for graduate school. It's not for lack of stories. But I've just felt lost. Scattered. Pieces of me everywhere. And I'm not entirely sure what my story is anymore. 

This has resulted in what could be considered a minor existential crisis, but I'm getting myself re-organized, re-normalized, and re-calibrated to life in the lower-48 and as a student again. I'm surrounded by stimulus: people everywhere, new ideas, new demands, new sounds, new responsibilities, new routines, new culture. 

I miss my cabin in the woods, and being able to walk into the forest and be totally alone, out of sight and out of mind. Here, I feel like anywhere I go, I'm within sight of someone somewhere, whether or not they're actually looking at me or paying attention. Some say being in the city feels anonymous, but I feel so exposed here.

Aurora Borealis

One of my high priority goals this summer was to see the Aurora Borealis one more time while I was still in Alaska. Just when I was beginning to think my luck had run out, last week the northern lights graced the skies with their elegance more spectacularly than I ever could have hoped for!

Aurora and fall colors

Aurora over my cabin 

At one point, the lights exploded, illuminating the night

I'm still learning how to find the best camera settings for photographing them, but I think I'm getting pretty close. The last image in the set above was featured on the US Department of the Interior's social media, and received over 22,000 likes on Instagram! Nothing like a little validation for some encouragement. 

This time, I also worked on trying to edit them to more lifelike colors, since the 10-second exposure of the camera picks up more light and color range than is visible to the human eye. The photo of the aurora over my cabin, and the last photo of the set have more true-to-life color, but the other two photos were too beautiful to edit down. :) Regardless of the camera's interpretation of the colors, the lights were as bright as I've ever seen them. My friend and I laid out in the deserted parking lot for over an hour watching as the bands of color danced above our heads.

The Future (is now)

Sunset over Savage River last week

At long last, my days in Alaska are coming to an end. Today is the beginning of my last week working in Denali National Park, and the last week of one of the best summers of my life. I think it goes without saying that I am devastated to leave -- and not just Denali, but this entire beautiful state and the communities of which I have become a part over the last 4 years.

Where do I even begin?

I came to Alaska at a critical point in my life, a point at which I was open to all the possibilities of existence in the world. And beyond just learning to fend for myself in this rough and wild place, I also grew into myself as an individual, an adult, and a woman. I came to Alaska to be closer to the roots of the connections between humans and nature, and that is what I found.

Seasons of adventure

The last two weeks have been busy beyond belief. Last weekend, one of my friends from college and her boyfriend came to visit for a few days, and they happened to come on our week of the craziest weather yet this year. It was the last week of August, and over a period of 3 days, we experienced all four seasons in one. But that didn't stop us from tackling all the adventure the weekend had to offer.

My first rapids!

To Meet a Mountain

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I've only got a couple weeks left in Denali, but lately I've been feeling much more spontaneous than usual. Yesterday this newly rediscovered spontaneity took me thousands of feet into the air to finally meet up with the mountain I have been working under for the last several months. 

I called the air taxi company in the morning, intent on asking about flights for the next day, but instead they said they had a spot open on the noon flight and to be there in an hour. I threw together a quick lunch and snacks, grabbed all the camera gear I could stuff in my backpack, and made it down to the bus stop just in time. 

A ten mile walk

I've done it. I've successfully hiked all 18 trails on the east end of Denali this summer, saving the 9.5 mile Triple Lakes Trail for last. 

Vista from the first summit of the trail

I got a late morning start yesterday, catching the 9:30 bus to the trail head, and set off into the warm, sunny morning. Counting for steep elevation changes, lunch, and short breaks, I estimated I could average about 2 mph walking speed and make it to the end of the trail by 2:30-3pm. Thus, roughly every half hour, I could assume I had walked a mile if I didn't stop to take pictures for too long.

Denali Canyoneering

There are few things in this world more exciting than picking a place on the map, and going there. And that's exactly what my friend and I did last weekend for two full days out on the west side of the park.

The day started out a little iffy with the weather; it rained a few times over the course of our 4-hour bus ride into the park, but by the time we got to our hiking destination, it had begun to let up. As the bus slowed to let us out on the side of the road, I could feel all the other passengers staring at us: two girls heading into the backcountry alone with impending variable weather conditions. I couldn't help but feel a little hardcore, even though this would be just an easy hike.

Into the canyon!

The Lynx

When I first caught a glimpse of it, I thought it was someone's dog off leash, walking out of the dwarf birch by the bus stop just as the bus pulled out. But the tawny creature that prowled out of the bushes was far too catlike, and it took me only a second to realize that I had finally set eyes on one of the most coveted species I've been wanting to find in Alaska: The elusive lynx. 

It was 9:30am and I had just arrived at work when it caught my eye out the window of the Savage River check station. I grabbed my camera and ran outside just as 3 buses rolled up and my coworker went out to greet them. It took me only a matter of seconds to get to the bushes where I had seen the lynx disappear, yet there was no sign of it at all -- not a sound or a rustle in the bushes, no visible tracks or trails. 

Some things from the week

Earlier this week: I looked out my window at about 11 o'clock at night, and nature was staring back at me and standing about 8 feet tall.

Railroad Ranger

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to work on a train. I don't know what is so appealing about them, but there's something about the nostalgia of train travel, and the fact that very little has changed about the railroad in all its years of existence and it still remains one of the most effective and enjoyable means of travel.

Well, this sure seems to be the summer of dreams, because recently I've started getting some shifts to work on the northbound train, to welcome Holland-America guests to Denali and teach them a little bit about the park before they arrive. It's seriously one of the most fun (and chaotic and stressful!) shifts I've ever worked!

Mount Healy

I love that it's the middle of the season, and I still haven't hiked all the trails on the east end of the park. Maybe that makes me a bad ranger, but I like to savor the place. But now after last weekend, I only have one trail yet to be hiked.

My second-to-last was Mount Healy, arguably the most strenuous of our east end hikes. It gains almost 2,000' in elevation over 2 miles, with about a 25% grade most of the way up.

About halfway up Mt. Healy

Happy.

Yesterday morning I received this Instagram message from someone with a picture they took of me leading the afternoon hike earlier this week, and the following words:

Besides being impressed that they actually found me on Instagram, it was also incredibly affirming and reminded me of why I do what I do. It is extremely rare in this job to know the full impact of what you do on a daily basis, but you do your best and hope that you can inspire at least someone along the way. It reminded me that even when you're leading a huge hike of 23 people for 2 1/2 hours on a steep, narrow trail, and feel like you can't possibly connect with everyone, you can still make a difference. At least I know I had an impact on one person, enough for them to track me down and tell me!  I am so touched and honored!

(And in typical fashion, they caught me with the Italian hands going during my plant succession activity!)

Hunting for Dinosaurs

I've kept a journal since I was 8 years old. One of the first entries I ever wrote was about how I wanted to become a scientist when I grew up, and find evidence of dinosaurs. Although my dreams of making groundbreaking scientific discoveries has long since passed, part of that dream did come true yesterday, in the best way possible.

Two of my friends, Jessica and Ashley, and I set out for the day to find Denali's dinosaur tracks, which were discovered in the park just 10 years ago -- a very recent discovery by many standards! The story goes that in 2005, a college class from Fairbanks was visiting the area and the professor was explaining that this part represented the Cantwell Formation, which should display evidence of dinosaurs from the late Cretaceous period, about 70 million years ago. Although nothing had ever been found, remarked the professor, we would expect to see things like plant imprints and dinosaur footprints around here.

"Like this?" asked one of the students, pointing to a footprint in rock they were standing next to. Just like that, the student discovered the first of thousands of dinosaur footprints since found in the park.

Wildflowers everywhere!

A Day at Eielson

You know you work in a big park when it takes you 3 months to even make it out past the first 60 miles. I am rather ashamed to admit it's taken me this long to go out to Eielson Visitor Center, but alas, it is the truth, and so I'm going to own up to it.

Last weekend I finally took the plunge and rode 4 1/2 hours out to Eielson for a day trip to see what all the fuss was about. It was a long, but beautiful 4 1/2 hours, where I sat packed like a sardine in the back of a full bus.

Polychrome Pass, looking like a painting again

The Caribou Incident

On Monday, I was working at the Savage Check Station, just doing my thing, standing on the road with my clipboard waiting for a line of buses to pass over the bridge so I could hop on and give my ranger-welcome to the park. The buses were stopped on the bridge so the passengers could view a couple caribou in the river below.

As I stood there patiently waiting, suddenly the bushes across the road from me began to rustle, and out pops a huge caribou with a full rack of velvety antlers. It was way closer than 25 yards -- probably more like 25 feet. The caribou began to trot towards me.

Intent on increasing the distance between myself and the beast, I calmly began to walk up the road backwards, facing the caribou with my clipboard held tightly in front of me. The caribou followed. I crossed to the other lane. It continued to follow. I crossed back to the right lane. And still, it followed, closing in the distance between me and it. The buses were beginning to creep forward, and the caribou quickened its pace. There was nowhere to hide.

At a total loss for what to do, I hopped off the shoulder of the road and up to the base of the tall embankment on the right, with absolutely no plan for what to do next, gripping my pathetic clipboard-shield with white-knuckled uncertainty. Fortunately, the caribou continued on its way up the road in the righthand lane. As it passed by, our eyes locked and we had a moment together. And then it was trotting off into the distance and a bus rolled up in front of me, its front window plastered with visitors and their cameras.

When the driver opened the doors for me, everyone was roaring with laughter. Picture perfect for all of them, slightly hair-raising for me. Still, I hope that one day in the distant future, one of their photos will surface. Would love to see what that looked like from the bus.

Erratic Adventures

I am alone. And I'm out of water, dehydrated, and overheating, my heart pounding in my ears. I can only see about 10 feet around me in any direction, the alders are so thick. I can barely fit through the tangle of their trunks with my huge backpack, and I'm not tall enough to see above them to re-orient myself. I know I need to continue downhill, but unless I can get out of these alders, I'm going to tire myself out before I ever reach the creek. Up until this point I was having the time of my life, but now I'm seriously questioning whether I'll even make it out of this wilderness just a couple miles from the road. 

The journey begins

The adventure began at 8pm the night before. It was a late start for a backpacking trip, but because it's almost summer solstice, the sun doesn't really "set" until the wee hours of the morning, so it was totally doable to start the hike after one of our friends got off work. 

Adventure is coming...

Fun things are about to happen (hopefully). I'm leaving this evening for my first backcountry trip of the summer. Hooray! It's been a couple years really since I've had a good backpacking trip, so I cannot wait to get out there and enjoy this warm, sunny weather and explore the wilderness.

Photos to come when I get back tomorrow or Saturday!

Endless beautiful days

After days of sunny, 75-degree weather, we've finally started getting some rain. And of course sun + rain = lots of wildflowers! Denali has way more wildflowers than I saw last summer, and almost as many as I remember from Bering Land Bridge. I spent a decent amount of time last week walking the trails with a wildflower guide trying to learn all the varieties. 

Saxifrage, with alpine arnica in the background

I've gotten pretty good at recognizing the genuses, but narrowing it down to species still confounds me sometimes. For instance, the saxifrage pictured above -- still can't decide if it's tufted saxifrage or yellow-spotted. Either way, it's gorgeous so hopefully it doesn't mind if I just call it saxifrage for the time being. 

Savage Alpine Trail

After having a lazy 3-day weekend of catching up on responsibilities and sitting in the sunshine, yesterday I decided it was time to kick myself back into gear by tackling the 4 mile strenuous-rated Savage Alpine Trail. 

The trip started off a little bit rocky. My hiking buddy and I were just headed to the bus stop to catch the shuttle out to Savage when we saw it roar by, too far away to catch up with. Determined to still make it out there, we hustled down the trail to the next bus stop, and just as we came out to the road we saw the bus about to turn and leave. Waving frantically, we chased it down and the driver was kind enough to wait for us, though I suspect the rest of the passengers headed to Savage got a good laugh out of it. 

Full Sail Ahead!

How am I already 3 weeks behind on blog posts?? The good thing about this is that I have been so busy and having so much fun that time has completely flown by. The bad thing is, I know a lot of really cool stuff has happened, but I'm inevitably going to forget a lot of it as I try to encompass the events of the last 3 weeks into one post. But I'll give it my best shot. 

Windflower, or Northern Anemone

A Tundra Wilderness Tour

Last Thursday for training, we got to take one of Denali's tour buses out into the park for the day to get an idea of what visitors experience when they come, and also for us to get a better look at the park we'll be working in for the next 5 months.

Our bus

Sugarloaf Mountain Loaf

As I staggered up to the narrow plateau where most of my other hiking companions were already resting, I felt sharply aware of how out of shape I was for this steep of a trail. Nothing can really prepare you for a nearly vertical trek up 2,000 feet of elevation in less than 2 miles (ROUGH estimate), especially when you've been in flat Florida for the last 6 months.

View of Denali Park area from the ridge

Nonetheless, panting and gasping for breath as I broke out of the treeline, the view was nothing short of spectacular. I could see all of the headquarters of Denali National Park and Preserve, from the visitor center to the post office all the way back to C-Camp. 

Training Week 1

It's Saturday, and I've completed my first week of training at Denali. Admittedly, it was super overwhelming at first, but that is to be expected anywhere and especially at such a massive park, but thankfully things are starting to make a little more sense now. 

So far we've spent at least some part of each day outside, learning about botany, geology, hike guiding, and interpretive techniques. For our first excursion earlier in the week, we hiked the Horseshoe Lake Trail, which is one of the main trails from the visitor center where we will be leading hikes all summer. With over 30 of us in training, it was good to see the logistics of how to lead a hike for that sized group or even larger, on the narrow trails and under varying conditions. 

Heading up the trail with our big group

Journey to Denali

OH my goodness it has been a long 4 days, and quite the adventure so far at that! Let's just jump right in!

Thursday night I flew across the country to Fairbanks on two long flights where I didn't get any sleep really to speak of. The second flight was the real kicker though: I had just started to doze off when I had a sudden vivid dream about the northern lights. I woke up with a start and peered out my window, and right there, a pale swath of the aurora was smeared across the sky above the clouds! It was extremely faint and grey, but it had enough of its own luminescence and the classic slow-moving waviness that there was no question what it could be. Such an incredible sight!

Update

Hey guys! Just wanted to toss up a quick update since I've been slacking a little in the writing department lately. I actually made this awesome vlog a few days ago that I was going to put up in lieu of a written post, but unfortunately I got a little too ambitious and had a fight with Adobe After Effects, and, well, After Effects won. I may still try to get the video up later, but since I can't guarantee that, I'll just have to catch you up here real quick.

So, I'm finally leaving for Alaska tomorrow, and MAN has it been a long wait this time. Feels like it, anyways. I've packed my life into 2 bags and a backpack and now just have to mentally prepare myself for joys of spending 10 hours in the air tomorrow night.

After that, I'll be hosteling it up in Fairbanks for a couple days, and then heading down to the park in time to start training on Monday.

I have no idea what to expect as far as web access goes, so you may see frequent updates, or I may be MIA for who knows how long. Either way I'll try to pop in when I can, because this is sure to be an adventure and I want to share it with you whenever possible!

I think that's all for now. Let the journey begin!

14 Outdoor Job Sites to Make Life Happen

Anyone who has done seasonal work knows the frustration of trying to look for a new job every 6 months or so. Or maybe you're looking for something more permanent and just haven't quite found the right fit yet. For many of us, having a constantly changing job horizon is exciting and energizing, but it does lead to a bit to a bit of stress in the off-season as you look for new opportunities to fill in your resume and your time.

Why YOU should Find Your Park

The first time I realized how much I appreciated my country was when I set foot back on US soil after a semester abroad in the UK, sophomore year of college. Don't get me wrong, I very much loved my time in London. But four months abroad completely opened my eyes to something I had never seen before -- something that truly sets America apart from any other country in the world: Our public lands.

Yosemite, 2002 (throwback to age 12!)

Coming back to the US, I couldn't wait to be in nature again, to soak up the hot Florida sun, to summit mountains, to paddle rivers, to hike the trails. The concrete canyons of London had certainly taught me many things, not the least of which was how lucky we are in the US to have some 640 million acres of federal land at our disposal, most of which is available to the public (that's about 28% of our entire landmass). Of that, 84 million acres are managed by the National Park Service.

My Alaska 2015 Gear List

Packing RAAGGEE

Packing is probably the hardest part of any trip preparation -- especially when that trip is going to last 6 months and involve 4 seasons worth of weather conditions. What's more, when you're going to be flying with your gear, you'll likely have to figure out how to fit it into 2 checked bags (under 50lbs each) and 2 carry-ons. As many times as I've done this in the last 3 years, it's still a challenge, so I figured I would share my gear list here for others who may be interested in how one might go about accomplishing such a feat.

Discover Denali

By now, most of my close friends and family know that I'm heading back to Alaska this summer, and certainly you do, if you're reading this blog. But I have been surprised to find out how many people have either never heard of Denali, or don't know what it is. Now, I fully realize that my idolization of the park is completely due to my NPS geekery, and I didn't know that much about Denali before I joined the park service either, but that being said, I feel it is now my duty to enlighten you to its splendor and to the reason why it is undeniably awesome.

Map modified from NPS AK Region map

First, you should know where it is. See map above. It's kind of in the middle of the state, but the entrance is on the north side, closer to Fairbanks. Most of its 6 million acres are designated or eligible wilderness, meaning that the land is mostly untouched and undeveloped, is accessible only on foot or by non-motorized vehicles, and with back country permits. That is to say, it's pretty wild.

Trekking Alaska's Trekking back to Alaska!

For the last 6 months, I've been fending off the trepidation that this past summer might have been my last in Alaska for a while. Thank goodness for good fortune, good friends, good family, and good thoughts: I will in fact be returning to the Last Frontier this summer for another season with the National Park Service!

And this time, it's a big one. Ever heard of Denali National Park and Preserve? You know, that 6 million acre park in the heart of Alaska, home to Mt. McKinley (North America's tallest peak), epic scenery, cool archaeological sites, and a ton of wicked awesome wildlife? Yeah, that's the one. :)

I know it's going to be an entirely different challenge than anything I've ever faced before, but I've never been so sure of anything I wanted to do in my life. I will be leading programs for bigger groups than I've ever led, living in a different part of Alaska that I've never seen, and on a team of a much bigger staff than I've ever worked with. Not to mention, one of my favorite coworkers from Sitka also got hired there, so I'm additionally happy that I will already know someone there.

Every season with the park service I've learned so much, and I am sure this will be no exception. I just hope I can use what I've learned to make this experience the best it can be.

So, sit tight, and keep a look out for the first photos from interior Alaska in about 7 weeks. Until then, I might put up a few posts about Denali just to make you as excited as I am about this.

Newfoundland part 3: The Beginning and the End

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Monday was my last day in Newfoundland, so I was determined to make the most of it. My friend had class in the morning, so I took the city bus into town to wander the streets and take in the sights one last time. 

Newfoundland part 2: When in Bonavista...

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Saturday morning we woke up early, packed the car, and headed out to the small ski area where my friend works as a cross country ski instructor. Since I've never skied before and my friend didn't have time to teach me before work, I contented myself with hiking the ski trails in the morning while he taught his class.

It was the windiest day! Gusting at 30mph the air felt about 5 degrees with blowing snow blurring my vision and making my ears and chin ache. The trees provided some buffer, but whenever I came to a crossroads in the trail, I had to quickly trudge-scamper through the snow to get to the next sheltered spot. I spent the last 40 minutes or so waiting in the chalet by the warm stove, content that I had seen as much of the trails as I could that day.

Once my friend got back, we hopped back in the car and took off up the TransCanada highway, heading to the rural village of Bonavista, about 3.5 hours north...

Newfoundland part 1: From Northwest to Northeast

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

One of my favorite things about Alaska are the serendipitous opportunities that come up that you never would have expected -- some even coming up years later. And that's exactly how I found myself on the island of Newfoundland this past weekend. 

Working in Nome, AK for two summers I made so many great friends, one of whom happened to be a student going to college in St. John's, NL. We stayed in touch over the last couple years; he always invited me to come to Canada, I always said I would someday. Finally sucked in by my wanderlust again, I decided to make that "someday" last Thursday. I booked the cheapest ticket I could find, loaded my backpack, and took off for a whirlwind weekend with my friend I hadn't seen in two years on the opposite side of the continent from where we first met. Whoever would've guessed!

Inspiration for the (Female) Adventurer's Soul

I confess: I'm a sucker for a good story with a strong heroine, and we're not talking Scarlett O'Hara here. We're talking that rare breed of female lead that somehow seems to elude most mainstream media, disproportionate to the number of male protagonists that dominate our literary landscape and cultural narratives.

Although this topic is of mild interest to me, until now I have typically shied away from addressing it, frankly because I don't want to be pegged as some feminist whining about the patriarchy. That's not why I'm writing this. I am writing it because I think there are a lot of other people out there -- men and women alike -- who enjoy hearing the stories of female characters just as much as I do, and just as much as we all like stories about male characters.