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