My Cabin

Hey Friends,

Well, I have finally arrived at my goal. I have finally been in-processed as a Yosemite National Park Ranger. Tomorrow I receive my badge. Yahoo! Some of you know how hard I have worked to get here. This is my dream job come true. 

I am stationed at a prestigious location, have a great boss with 33 years experience, I am respected and liked and sought after by visitors. All of my jobs, professions and projects from the past have prepared me for this gig. I love it. I wish I could have done this since I was 18. Oh well, I will make the best of it now.

Here are a few pix of my little cabin. It is basically just a bachelor pad right now. Next years I will fix it up really cool.

I learned recently that my cabin used to be a toilet. The floor has been cemented over. Late at night I think I can still hear toilet type related sounds. Maybe there are toilet ghosts. I don't know. Also something is eating my cabin walls late at night. Many nights I am awakened by wood chewing sounds. I turn on the light and it stops. I can't locate the source. Mouse traps have caught nothing. It's deep subalpine forest. Anything could be out there. Ooooooooooo.

Wildlife Pix

Geology Pix

The large stones on the mountain top came from a completely different area of the park. The glaciers picked them up and dropped them here when they melted.

The gouges in the rock are called glacier chatter crescents. The glacier couldn't pick up this rock so it skipped over it and made these markings.

Glacial polish is created when heavy glaciers move over the mountains for a very long period of time. It literally polishes the rocks as you see in this picture.

Wildflowers

There are about 1,400 species of flora in the park. There are about 50 varieties of wildflowers at the elevation where I work. Here are just a few.

Misc Images

Here are just a few of my fun images.

Wildlife Everywhere

The wildlife here is really kewl. The deer graze at the front door of my cabin. The bears literally come knocking at the front door. When I pass other wildlife in the forest we just stop and look at each other as if to say, "Hey man, what's happening?" Of course I don't feed any wildlife, but we all cohabitate very well together.

Guided Hikes

Part of my duties is to guide hikes to local destinations. We have six trails originating from Glacier Point, five of which are used as guided hikes. Here are pictures of two of our guided hike destinations. One is Talf Point and the other is Sentinel Dome. The hikes are typically two to three hours long, cover one to four miles and hundreds of feet in elevation change. During the hikes we stop a points of interest and discuss the natural aspects of the resource. On my hikes I discuss geology, flora, history, wildlife and more. It's fun.

Subalpine Flora

There are also some amazing flora specimens in the park. I have added only a select few here. I am in the process of photographing and cataloging as many of the different 1,400 flora specimens as I can find.

Half Dome

The focal point of the park is Half Dome. From my work station at Glacier Point, Half Dome is quite the prominent feature. It really is an amazing structure. I have also thrown in a picture of the Clark Range and a hang glider.

Water Everywhere

With all of the interesting granite mountain formations in the park, you would think that they would be the main focal point of the park. I guess the mountains are a favorite to most of the visitors, but the water is equally amazing. More visitors hike to view waterfalls than they do to view mountains. Here are a few of my favorite water pix.

Winter is Back

Being from the south, I am not used to such a late spring at 8,000 feet above sea level, much less a late winter. June 6 the temperatures dropped to 26 degrees and it snowed a couple of inches. It turned the forest and mountains into a winter wonderland. I got out an hiked in it all morning. It was all gone by the afternoon.