Hey everyone! This week’s post is late because I got time off to go to Glacier and I wanted to include my travels! Unfortunately, my website has been down for some reason, but not to worry I will do it in email format!!

If you all remember from last summer, I had a hearing family come in with a deaf daughter and we did some accessible programming together. They were locals and loved the programs so much they wanted to come back this summer, with the knowledge that I would be here as well. We had been staying in touch, and the family was able to come through again! Although the weather was a little rainy, we had the best time working on a science book together and using a simultaneous communication approach. She was the sweetest little girl and very intelligent, making these kinds of connections is always fun and impactful for me. 

Additionally, I also had a long time family friend Mike Anderson come by with his family and surprise me. What a heartwarming moment it was to reconnect with them all, my deaf fix cup sure was overflowing!

Yellowstone has been so busy this year, we have a huge increase in visitation, which has meant more opportunity for visitor connection in programs, but unfortunately more troublemakers for us as well. Whether it’s bison or people they sure keep me on my toes! For the good parts first: here’s some photos of me giving a Junior Ranger Program and a Geyser Galore, look at those crowds!

The bison here are wild animals, so they go where they want, but lately we have had some mischievous bison walking right around the visitor center looking for the best grasses to eat, which in turn means we have to start corralling the visitors. 

With all the excitement surrounding Yellowstone, we unfortunately have had lots of difficult visitors come through and challenge Ranger authority, including 4 more conewalkers in the past 2 weeks, one of which I had to handle myself. To be honest, that was a very scary experience, but with the support of my coworkers I was able to handle the chaos as best as expected.

With all the Old Faithful craziness, weekends have been my escape to spend the time how I want to and filled with exciting hikes. I got to check off 7 Mile Hole on my bucket list, which was a 10 mile hike round trip that drops you straight into the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. I saw the tallest waterfall in the park, Silver Cord Cascade, hiked through a thermal area and saw some dormant geysers, and reached some of the most beautiful views that few visitors get to experience.

The only bummer and challenging part of this hike is that we got poured on for 7 of the 10 miles, by the end I was completely drenched, even my raincoat was soaked through, what a time that was. 

The following day of my weekend, Michael and I decided to take it a little easier and hike up in the Lamar Area. We did several short hikes to check off the Day Hike Sampler and finish out some of Yellowstone’s favorite trails, we got lots of great views on backcountry lakes, a new view of the canyon and went through Ranger Joanne’s favorite entrance, the Northeast! The absolute best part of it all though was I got to see some adorable river otters!! Another mammal to check off my list, these cute guys I found back in Lamar Valley.

On our way out we saw three bears, got my photo of a black bear and confirmed that the Bearmuda triangle is still very much active, and we finally got our Huckleberry ice cream!

One of the things that was at the top of my list this summer was to make it out to Glacier NP. The park is about a 7 hour drive from here, but it is the closest I would be anytime soon. Fortunately, I was able to get 2 extra days off over July 4th weekend and Michael and I successfully made the trip to Glacier, and let me tell you it was so worth it! We camped in different areas of the park all week, and took the shuttle out to various hikes, explored, met cool rangers, became Junior Rangers and even went up to Waterton NP on the Canadian side & became Canadian Xplorers! (their version of our beloved Junior Ranger book). I brought out my film camera, so lots of my photos are on there, but here’s some of the highlights!

On the last day, we went to the Many Glacier area, which had a special importance for my family, especially my Grandma. She rated Glacier in her top 3 favorite national parks, and remembered staying at the Many Glacier hotel after finishing 8th grade and again with my grandpa later in life. It was neat to be able to go to this hotel and see what special memories it held for her. 

We went to several evening programs each night we were at the campgrounds, and the Rangers were so cool. My favorite though was going to a program called Native America Speaks, where a member of the Blackfeet Tribe, Jack Gladstone, came and performed some songs, shared stories and his experiences with his heritage. It was fascinating to hear his connection to the land and how important this area was to his people.

On our way back we stopped at the Missouri Headwaters State Park, which is where the Missouri River starts, pretty neat to see. Overall, this trip was 10/10 and much needed to have a break from Yellowstone and its busyness.

My family is planning on rolling in this Sunday and spending a week with me, so I’m looking forward to their presence to help me recharge. All in all, life is good. Ranger on!