Year 2 is already making headway to be the best, most chaotic summer ever, I am learning quickly that May brings its own unique set of challenges that they don’t highlight in the application process even though they should such as, “You may be on a tour or walking home on the staff path and find yourself FEET from a Mama Bear and her cubs as they frantically run by you.” Yup, that actually happened, luckily no bears or humans were hurt in this encounter but check it out:

Work has officially started and it’s in the full swing. Everyone is looking snazzy in their uniforms, I’ve been giving lots of programs talking about Old Faithful, Beehive geyser, Wildlife, Lodgepole pine and even giving specific Junior Ranger oriented programs. There has been a mama bear and two cubs (same as above video) frequenting our geyser basins, so the other day I was sent on bear hunt/watch. I found no bear, but I did catch an up close Beehive eruption, I got my second year baptism, and there was even a gorgeous rainbow!

We took our annual staff photo, and I was even able to get some individual photos in, AND I actually had a flat hat to wear this this year!! Then the icing on top was Beehive indicator started, so we were able to watch that eruption and take photos with the arrowhead, I love my job!

When I was on the phone with my Grandma the other day, I was telling her how coming back for year 2, although amazing, there was a lot of adjusting with this new role as a returner and just coming back to a busy park life and schedule, and it was much harder than I anticipated. BUT then I told her how on Monday June 5^th I felt like I had my first ‘normal’ day of work, and I really started to reflect on how lucky I have it. I realized how lucky I am to have this job, I know so many people would trade places with me in a heartbeat, and although some days can test my patience, be repetitive or filled with mischief, there’s nothing better than these moments: When a parent asks if their kid can have a photo with a ranger and you let them wear your flat hat the way the kids beam, the way a sticker or a hello can change the course of someone’s day and that moment when you nail a program and everyone tells you how much they learned, those moments are why I want this job, always.

Another one of the things that makes this job great, is the people I work with. We have plenty of hooligans on staff again this year with big extroverted personalities, which means weekly girls’ nights at the Baer-Hollibaugh residence! We caught an evening eruption of Grand, sip some tea or adult beverages (sorry mom) and share lots of laughs and stories together.

My pals have quickly learned that I enjoy to cook for myself and others, so I’ve been busy at work baking or making recipes for people. One night Paige, Michael and I made homemade pizzas. Then at another gathering, we had a big June Birthday bash for the 6 people on staff who have June birthdays, and I made a birthday cake for them all!

One of our coworkers Nicole brought an ice cream ball, so we spent a lot of the evening (literally) kicking this plastic ball around to make ice cream, which turned out pretty good!

On days off, I’ve still been going strong hiking often, Paige, Trent, Michael and I had a random Friday off, so we went out to Cougar cabin, found a fresh wolf kill, got caught in a thunderstorm (briefly) and read the cutest log book as well as adding our own entry. Time with friends outdoors will always fill my cup!

Another day, Michael and I went out to Duck Lake, Lake Overlook, West Thumb Geyser Basin and Mystic Falls. The fun challenge of being here in May is figuring out what trails aren’t covered in snow that can be hiked, but all these trails have patches of snow, which means prime snowball throwing opportunities. I’ve never laughed harder than when I get nailed or smack someone with a snowball, it’s a silly goofy moment of fun indeed.

Michael and I have T/Ws off and we share Wednesdays with this new Ranger Anna Burtch. She is too cool for me, but somehow, she likes hiking with us, so us 3 have become quite the Wednesday trio, we had to take her to the classic Grand Prismatic Overlook, Fairy Falls and Imperial Geyser hike. We had a blast and enjoyed having the geyser to ourselves most of the time we were back there!

Another hike we did was Bunsen Peak and Beaver Ponds loop, both these hikes were gorgeous! Bunsen Peak gave us stunning views of the park including the surrounding mountain ranges and even the Tetons, while the wildflowers and grassy meadows on Beaver Ponds were a nice contrast for a stroll in the woods. This time we had Colin join the mix and what fun us 4 had, but it was a pretty long day, we hiked about 10 miles and were out for 11 hours (including drive time!)

Only in Yellowstone are you willing to test the limits of how far you’ll drive for certain things. This daring challenge was a Lord Huron concert in Bozeman, and it was worth every minute. Paige gets most of the credit, because it was her idea and she was willing to drive us both ways, so shoutout to her. But what a fun night getting to see one of my favorite Indie bands! Nothing beats live music with friends!

Michael and I are doing really well, it’s wild to think we are coming up on a year since meeting, and how much our relationship/connection has changed in a good way since then. God has worked in a mysterious yet magical way in our lives, bringing us together here. It’s been exciting, fun and challenging at times balancing a relationship, but I wouldn’t change it. We’ve had some pretty creative date nights too: from evening strolls, cooking dates, dinners in West to even being spontaneous enough to go up to Bozeman for a concert, I love ya b.

Thank you, God, for another amazing summer, thank you friends and family for reading, supporting and guiding me, and thank you Yellowstone. Ranger on!