Sunday, October 21, 2007

Hug Your Ranger!

After spending the weekend in Mammoth Caves National Park (highly recommended, by the way), the experience there has re-enforced some notions I have been harboring about the rangers that rove around our National Park system.

Thing is, they are very highly developed ambassadors between the wonders of the park and you, the public. They are not the bumbling, green-clad rangers of olden times, content to just sit back and lead silver-haired tourists around the hotel lobby, or sit in the ranger station and wait for the "SOS" plea to come over. These rangers today are highly educated, motivated people. And as the public, you should take full advantage of what they have to offer.

This summer I spent some time in the Tuolumne with friends, and we decided to go on a ranger-led hike to Mono Pass. The ranger who came with us was a female who was taking a break from her graduate work to be a ranger. She had a wealth of knowledge about the flora of the high alpine Sierra, as well as the complicated glaciation that helped carve out the valleys through which we hiked. She was environmentally-aware, giving us the back story of Mono Lake and the current efforts to preserve it. She turned what would have been an interesting, but fairly routine, hike into a walk of discovery among the granite peaks.

The same happened this weekend past. Going into the caves, the tour group was over 100 strong, too big for my tastes. As there was a ranger at the back to help keep prodding people along, we stayed back with him. With most of the people thronging ahead to be first in line, we essentially had our own personal guide through the park. He was an active caver himself, part of a team of volunteers who map new sections of the cave. He knew the history, the geology, and the intricacies of the cave system. He was engaging, friendly, and very helpful, making it a delightful tour.

I have been too austere with interacting with these guides and guardians in the past, but these experiences have taught me better. These interactions can add an untold dimension to your overall visit and experience of the park, making it richer and more rewarding than if you had gone it alone. Now there is always a time for personal exploration, but don't eschew the company of these green-hatted servants of the park; they just might clue you into something you've never known about.

I doff my hat to you, great rangers. Keep up the good work.