ProRanger Program at Temple University: Jacks of All Trades...

... Masters of some, definitely better than masters of one

It has been another good week at Denali with a lot of different things going on. And just as I predicted last week; the moment arrived. It is a little far away, and nothing ever looks as majestic in photographs. But for your viewing pleasure I present, the High One, measuring in at 20,310 feet above sea level, Mount Denali. The mountain was spotted from only about mile eight or nine on the park road. I am scheduled to go out west to the end of the road in the coming weeks, so hopefully I will have some better photos for you.

Ranger Page and I have been starting each day doing a vehicle check, and then we usually check for out of bounds camping. People tend to sleep in their cars and campers in some of the parking lots where they aren’t supposed to. This week we gave out several warnings, three to be exact, but no citations were issued on account of somewhat confusing signs in the visitor center parking lot that say “overnight parking,” as well as some confusion with campsites.

We made a few traffic stops this week for speeding. One resulted in a verbal warning and the other in a citation. Ranger Page also let me practice using the different features of the radar remote control.

There was another moose jam this week, it seems to be a pretty common occurrence. Again, there were no issues. I think our presence caused people to be on their best behavior.

Here at Denali the Visitor and Resource Protection division has a biweekly Wednesday training session. This week we went over some of the details of the body-worn cameras the rangers use in the park. We also watched and discussed the In Effigy video series, documenting the mismanagement and other criminal actions that took place over the years at Effigy Mounds National Monument. This touched on ARPA, the Archeological Resource Protection Act; NHPA, the National Historic Preservation Act; NAGPRA, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; and NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act. We had discussed this matter back in Philadelphia for ProRanger, but I really appreciated watching the series. It is well made and does a good job of putting the events that transpired into context and in way that helps you understand how similar mistakes could potentially happen anywhere, definitely worth checking out.

One morning we had a helicopter safety demonstration by one of the pilots and the park's Helicopter Manager. The helicopter they have in Denali is primarily used to fight fire, but can also be used in search and rescue. They went over the features of the bird, as well as the office and gear storage space. They showed several of the rangers and I how to shut off the aircraft in the event of an emergency and if the pilot is unresponsive. We also learned some of the basics for choosing a landing site, approaching and departing the helicopter, and how to remove some of the seats and install a litter for search and rescues.

Later that day, we had a call in from a park employee that a couple had a caribou skull and antlers tied to their vehicle and were heading out of the park. It is illegal, except in certain circumstances where hunting is permitted, to posses or remove from the park an animal, dead or alive, or parts thereof. We went to look for the vehicle but couldn’t locate it, suspecting they had already let the park. A little while later we got another report that the car was in one of the parking lots. When we arrived the couple was not there, so we removed the rack from the vehicle, left a written warning, and returned to the office. After further investigation we were provided with proof that the skull was not taken from the park, but rather purchased outside of it. As such, it is being returned to its owners.

Now that we have transported a prisoner in the back,
those daily searches for contraband will make more sense

Premature celebrations

We were told by one of the campground hosts that he had been given several cigarette butts by a camper, who told him that another camper had been throwing them in the woods. Since a report alone is not probable cause, and the man claimed to be disposing of his butts properly, Ranger Page just gave him a verbal warning.

I did a foot patrol with Ranger Shore of the Horseshoe Lake Trail (much of which runs along various shores), which was also my first opportunity to get to that part of the park. We were looking for some belongings that had been dropped by a woman who was fleeing from a charging moose in the past week or two. We did not find her things, but it was a nice walk. I got to see the work of some busy beavers, the rain mostly held out for us, and we were not charged by any moose.

Rangers pointing at things

There were two lockouts in the same day, both right in C-Camp, just a few yards from the ranger station. One was a cabin lock out, so it was just a matter of getting a master key. The next was a vehicle lock out, which was a little trickier. I regret that I left my phone in the building and don't have any pictures to show you of Ranger Page's expert carjacking skills as well as her personal little step stool she needs to use. Maybe next time.

Another cool thing that I cannot back up with photographic evidence is a lynx sighting. And not only did I see a lynx, but I saw it catch a rabbit, or at least carry a rabbit off. But who will believe me?!

A few other miscellaneous things that happened this week; I attended a meeting of the All Employee Association Board, I have a whole new list of case law to look into, and I learned about some pretty amazing advances in body armor technology. Tip for future cohorts: ask for Safariland Hardwire armor.

On one of my days off this week, I took the Savage River Shuttle, one of the free green school buses that ferries visitors to and from the Savage River and points east. I hiked the Savage River Loop and the Savage Alpine Trail, about six miles in total. I got hailed on and rained on a little, but it wasn't too bad. I may have even seen a small piece of a bear's back, assuming the other folks on the trail weren't pulling my leg. At the end of my hike I hopped back on another shuttle and returned home to my warm, dry cabin.