Rangers' Yosemite Stories

Yosemite has so much to offer. There are so many places to go and things to do. I always wonder, is this only the tip of the iceberg? You can only do so much before your time in Yosemite is over. Unless you are a local or frequent visitor, experiencing the whole iceberg is difficult. Since I was only there for a few days, I made it a mission to find some professionals who get to see a different side of Yosemite. I wanted the whole picture.

These are the stories from a couple rangers. They told me quite a few different stories, but I only have space for a couple.

Chris Knights, National Park ranger:

"So my story about Yosemite is that I was a school teach for 25 years, high school teacher, and i needed to do something different. So i applied for every national park job i could possibly apply for. There were over 170 different applications and I luckily got Yosemite. I'm happy to be here, it's beautiful." 

His job as a park ranger is working in the camp grounds. He checks people into the campsites, tells them the rules and makes sure they are following the rules. He isn't the only ranger who works in the campsite though. They alternate posts and work different shifts.

As a ranger, he spends a lot of time in Yosemite. I wanted to know where he loved to go, where his favorite place is. They get to see so much of the park, so I thought they would know which places were the best. Here's his happy place in the park.

fave part

"Tuolumne Meadows, it's beautiful up there. It just has a really great vibe. That's why I work in the summer. I just love it up there, it's gorgeous. It's a little less crowded than it is here in the valley."

He also said the road to the meadows probably won't be open until late June or early July. The park's website has updates on roads and weather conditions if you want to check for yourself. 

Knights also added, "Yosemite is a beautiful place and I'm happy it is here."

Farrahn Hawkins, National Park ranger:

"I had a very round about way of getting here. I actually did the Peace Corps in Madagascar and so that gave me a non competitive eligibility status, meaning I could go to any federal job. I saw a posting online and that's kind of how I ended up here."

Hawkins only recently started in February, but already had some very real experiences. 

"It's really cool to like live here in nature. At any given point in time you could run into a bobcat, bear, or anything like that. That's not my thing or anything like that, but it's just crazy. There was one time not too long ago where there was a bobcat that was in front of my door and I couldn't get to my door. I'm just like, 'Oh my god, I'm going to died.' But then there was a law enforcement officer that was on the opposite side of the street and he saw what was happening. He said, 'Do you want me to scare it away?' and I was like, 'Yes, please do."

Other than encounters such as that one, Hawkins talked about how much she likes Yosemite so far. She said that she is excited to see what happens next.

I wanted to get more seasoned employees as well, but I wasn't able to take any tours while I was at Yosemite. I only interacted with rangers when I bumped into them walking around crowded areas or the campsite. Next time I go, I want to add even more stories to this article. If you go, make sure to ask a ranger where the best places are. They might hold Yosemite's secrets.