First day!
Yesterday was my first day on duty, wearing the uniform. Luckily, the rest of the uniform had arrived in time! Of my original order, only one shirt and two jackets fit; the pants, belt, and long-sleeved shirts had to be sent back and reordered. (I had ordered several sizes in hopes that at least one would fit, but that didn’t work with the pants.) Even, sadly, the “flat hat” - the iconic Park Ranger hat - did not fit. That was very disappointing.
But the replacements arrived just in time! Pants which fit - as well as could be expected, anyway - and a belt that wasn’t eight inches too long - and best of all, the hat! It felt strange putting it on, because it is so stiff, but at least it wasn’t teetering on top of my head!
I had a lot of time scheduled to just work on writing programs and learning my way around, but I did go on duty at the front desk for a while. It’s tricky because I’m still learning a lot of the information people want to know about! But while I can’t give details on the trails at the other end of the park, I can explain what the different boardwalks around Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin are like, and what other thermal areas are along the park road. So sometimes I would have to say “Just a moment, I’m not sure - let me ask one of the other rangers,” and sometimes I would go for five or ten minutes and have all the answers!
I was scheduled to rove around Geyser Hill toward the end of the day, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. Roving is largely focused on interacting with visitors, answering questions, etc, and I really don’t know much about the different thermal features yet. I was torn between skipping the rove to work on my program, or walking out with the big geyser guidebook and answering most questions with “I’m not sure, I’m still learning what’s in this area - let’s see if it’s in here!” Then Ali, one of the the rangers who’s worked here before, came through the office calling out, “I’m going roving, anyone want to come?” The perfect solution! I walked out with her, answered a few questions around Old Faithful where the crowds always gather, listened to her answer other questions, and got a chance to ask a few of my own.
While we were out there, I saw a few more wildlife “firsts”! When we crossed the bridge behind Old Faithful, I noticed a bird on a log out in the water. “Hey, is that a dipper?” Sure enough, he started dipping up and down like he was doing squats! “It is a dipper!” As an additional confirmation, the little bird flew up and disappeared straight down into the water, then reappeared a moment later and flew back to the log with some kind of bug in its beak. “Definitely a dipper!” There was a family with some kids crossing the bridge the other way, and I pointed it out to them. The dipper really liked that log - it kept plunking down into the water and then flying right back to eat its catch!
The other first was on the rocks behind Grand Geyser. We had stopped there so Ali could update the sign regarding when the next eruption was anticipated, and some people were asking questions about the geyser, when a few others pointed at the rocks on the hill behind the pool. A marmot! It was certainly ideal marmot habitat, with all those broken rocks - and then there were two! They were scampering about, then wrestling, then up on their hind legs wrestling - apparently that’s just how they play! I don’t know the last time I saw a marmot!
There was one other bit of wildlife which I didn’t see, but which left behind quite a bit of evidence: a pile of chewed-up pine cone bits on the stair outside my trailer! The pile below the step was even bigger, and about a foot away were two freshly dug holes in the ground, about two inches across and two feet apart. It would seem we have new neighbors, and should take even greater care that the side door shuts completely when we leave! I will have to try to remember to peek outside before I open the door and see if I can spot whatever critter is using our step for a table/lookout perch!
But the replacements arrived just in time! Pants which fit - as well as could be expected, anyway - and a belt that wasn’t eight inches too long - and best of all, the hat! It felt strange putting it on, because it is so stiff, but at least it wasn’t teetering on top of my head!
I had a lot of time scheduled to just work on writing programs and learning my way around, but I did go on duty at the front desk for a while. It’s tricky because I’m still learning a lot of the information people want to know about! But while I can’t give details on the trails at the other end of the park, I can explain what the different boardwalks around Old Faithful and the Upper Geyser Basin are like, and what other thermal areas are along the park road. So sometimes I would have to say “Just a moment, I’m not sure - let me ask one of the other rangers,” and sometimes I would go for five or ten minutes and have all the answers!
I was scheduled to rove around Geyser Hill toward the end of the day, and I wasn’t sure what to do about it. Roving is largely focused on interacting with visitors, answering questions, etc, and I really don’t know much about the different thermal features yet. I was torn between skipping the rove to work on my program, or walking out with the big geyser guidebook and answering most questions with “I’m not sure, I’m still learning what’s in this area - let’s see if it’s in here!” Then Ali, one of the the rangers who’s worked here before, came through the office calling out, “I’m going roving, anyone want to come?” The perfect solution! I walked out with her, answered a few questions around Old Faithful where the crowds always gather, listened to her answer other questions, and got a chance to ask a few of my own.
While we were out there, I saw a few more wildlife “firsts”! When we crossed the bridge behind Old Faithful, I noticed a bird on a log out in the water. “Hey, is that a dipper?” Sure enough, he started dipping up and down like he was doing squats! “It is a dipper!” As an additional confirmation, the little bird flew up and disappeared straight down into the water, then reappeared a moment later and flew back to the log with some kind of bug in its beak. “Definitely a dipper!” There was a family with some kids crossing the bridge the other way, and I pointed it out to them. The dipper really liked that log - it kept plunking down into the water and then flying right back to eat its catch!
The other first was on the rocks behind Grand Geyser. We had stopped there so Ali could update the sign regarding when the next eruption was anticipated, and some people were asking questions about the geyser, when a few others pointed at the rocks on the hill behind the pool. A marmot! It was certainly ideal marmot habitat, with all those broken rocks - and then there were two! They were scampering about, then wrestling, then up on their hind legs wrestling - apparently that’s just how they play! I don’t know the last time I saw a marmot!
There was one other bit of wildlife which I didn’t see, but which left behind quite a bit of evidence: a pile of chewed-up pine cone bits on the stair outside my trailer! The pile below the step was even bigger, and about a foot away were two freshly dug holes in the ground, about two inches across and two feet apart. It would seem we have new neighbors, and should take even greater care that the side door shuts completely when we leave! I will have to try to remember to peek outside before I open the door and see if I can spot whatever critter is using our step for a table/lookout perch!