A Ranger Story Summer Adventures with Campers and Wildlife

By Tracy Moos

Maple Park is a beautiful campground surrounded by mountains, forests, and waters. Visitors, campers, and wildlife create surprising events for a new park ranger. Lynn is asked to intervene with mischievous raccoons, stubborn elk, and marshmallow fights. Fortunately for her, Lynn finds support from a local firefighter. Together they share a desire to serve the public, a love for the outdoors, and a lighthearted look at life. Join them for a summer to gain a glimpse into the beautiful and unpredictable life of a ranger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781635254167

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A Ranger Story

Summer Adventures with Campers and Wildlife

Tracy Moos

ISBN 978-1-63525-415-0 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-63525-416-7 (Digital)

Copyright © 2016 by Tracy Moos

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

296 Chestnut Street

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Introduction

As a child, I loved animals—all animals. As I got older, that love grew into a passion for biology, ecology, and science in general. I followed that love in college and graduated with a bachelor of science in biology. After college, I was excited to be hired as a park ranger. My passion and my dream were becoming a reality.

I soon realized that I had no idea what a park ranger actually did on a daily basis. The next seven years were filled with wonderful experiences. I worked in some of Washington’s most beautiful places, observed wild animals in their natural habitat, and met some amazing people. I also worked very, very hard.

I was taught how to mow and weed eat lawns and how to use a chainsaw to cut down and then cut up a tree. I raked grass and seeded grass. I was taught how to build wooden signs and wooden fences. I was taught how to wire an outlet and fix a leaking sink or toilet.

I learned how to register campers on a software program, how to collect fees, and how to provide educational customer service. I learned how to talk to people—happy people, upset people, all people. Park rangers often say that they will spend a career, learning how to manage a park. They are always thinking, learning, and solving problems. Park rangers work very hard.

Campers and visitors would comment, I wanted to be a park ranger when I was a kid. I always smiled and told them I enjoyed my job, but I often wondered what those campers and visitors thought a park ranger actually did. I am fairly confident that they never considered the freshly painted welcome sign, the cut green grass, or even the empty garbage can they used during their visit. And so I wrote this book to share some of the unusual and hilarious things that happen in a park. These stories are inspired by events that did happen. Of course, names, locations, and specific details have been changed.

I was working as a park ranger when I met my husband, who was working as a firefighter. As we shared stories of our day, we found that people were unpredictable and that real life was funnier than fiction. I have shared some of his stories here as well.

I hope you enjoy reading this book and will learn a little more about what goes on in a park! I also hope that you will be encouraged to take a hike, go camping, or explore a park near you.

Chapter 1

Leaving the Ocean for the Mountains

The last cardboard box was placed in the U-Haul. Lynn pulled down the U-Haul door and secured the latch. She turned to hug Michelle and then Kevin. Drive safe, Lynn. And call when you arrive, said Michelle as she hugged her coworker. I will, thank you, said Lynn. The park won’t be the same without you, Kevin said as he opened the door to his truck. He and Michelle got into the brown Ford Ranger, and they drove away. Lynn waved; they both had been great park aides, and she had enjoyed working with them in summers past. Lynn now stood in her driveway, thinking about all she was leaving behind.

Her first assignment as a park ranger had brought her to the Pacific Ocean. She had been thrilled at the chance to work at a campground next to the ocean. Lynn was born and raised in the plains of the Midwest. And while she loved her childhood, the desire to do something different and to create her own adventure, her own story called to her. So after graduating from college with her bachelor’s degree in biology, she had packed her green Ford Escape, said good-bye to her parents, and headed west.

Pacific Park was on the Washington coast just west of Aberdeen. The park was large, over two hundred campsites divided into four large circles. The park road turned to the left and to the right, each making a large circle with campsites staggered on the inside and outside. Large waxy green salal bushes and shore pine trees provided privacy for campsites. The park staff also managed several miles of beach. Lynn smiled as she pictured the green dune grass that led to the light-brown sand. She could smell the salt in the air and hear the seagulls. She could hear the waves rushing onto the beach. The sight of dark-blue waves crashing onto the beach and then returning to the sea was beautiful. Sometimes it was difficult to see where the water ended and the sky began.

That first summer was three years ago. She had worked her way through the ranks and was now a seasoned park ranger. When the opportunity to work at Maple Park first arose, Lynn dismissed it. She didn’t like the thought of giving up her dream to live near the ocean. And she didn’t want to leave the campground that she had walked every night for the last three years. Even now, Lynn could smell the smoke from the campfires, burning throughout the park—red-and-orange flames appearing surrounded by people in lawn chairs, roasting marshmallows and telling stories. She could hear the laughter of happy, relaxed campers. But the winters on the ocean were gray and cold; the little beachside community offered very little for a single woman in her twenties. And so searching for the next step in her journey, Lynn had applied and received the park ranger position at Maple Park. She was leaving the ocean and heading into the mountains.

Lynn called her dog, Jade, who jumped into the front seat of her Escape. The black lab had become Lynn’s best friend. Okay, Jade, say good-bye. Lynn pulled out of the driveway with her Escape pulling a small U-Haul with all her possessions inside. It was a two-hour drive to Maple Park. Lynn was thankful for the time. She needed the time to sort through her emotions. She was sad to leave her first park, but also excited for what was to come, what this next step might bring.

As she drove east, the trees began to change from short fat shore pine to taller thinner Douglas fir trees. The highway was lined with evergreen trees. She passed several small towns along the way and finally turned off the highway onto a two-lane road. The road paralleled the Hood Canal to the east—a beautiful body of salt water that began at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and ended at the city of Olympia. The water sparkled when the sun hit it. The west side of the road was lined with trees. Douglas fir trees one hundred feet tall, western red cedar trees large enough for an adult to hide behind, and maple trees with leaves larger than a grown man’s hand created a border on the road and a canopy over it. The drive was breathtaking.

The first sign for Maple Park appeared on the right side of the road, and Lynn felt her heart begin to race. The petite brown-haired, brown-eyed girl clinched the steering wheel and turned left into the park entrance. The park was located on the east side of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula. It was nestled between the forest of the Olympic Mountains and the shores of the Hood Canal. It was a smaller park, having just over one hundred campsites.

She pulled into the driveway of a small brown cabin. The front door was red, the large logs were stained a deep brown, and a red brick chimney sat atop the house. This would be her new home. The backyard bordered the forest. The front yard met the park entrance road but had a shelterbelt of shrubs and evergreen trees. Lynn opened the passenger door and let Jade out. The dog excitedly ran around the front yard, smelling everything new. Lynn walked up to the front door, inserted her key, and stepped inside. The home was simple. The door opened into the living room. There was a fireplace to the left, a small kitchen straight ahead, and a hallway to the right.

She turned on the hallway light and walked down the hall. A bathroom was on the left, and a guest bedroom was on the right. The master bedroom was at the