Came for an afternoon. Stayed for a lifetime.
The year — 1975.
The place — Yosemite Valley.
I was driving around the foothills of the Sierra Nevada looking for work. After growing up and going to college in rural New England, I spent over a year living and working in San Francisco. I soon realized that city life wasn’t for me. Arriving in Yosemite Valley in my 1967 Saab (which I’m still driving) I was overwhelmed with the beauty and majesty of the park, but I had so many questions. How was the valley formed? How do those trees grow out of the bare rock? Where does the water come from that feeds those waterfalls? So, I went on a naturalist walk with Ranger Roger McGehee. By the end of the walk, I not only had all of my questions answered, but I had made up my mind that I wanted to become a Ranger. So, I asked him “How do I get you a job?”
He laughed and said “everybody wants my job, but if you are really serious, you can go ask at the Park Service offices.”
So off I went and I knocked on every door in the administration building and said, “Hi, I want to be a Ranger” and the response everywhere was “Sure get in line”, or “Send in your application we will call you.” The unspoken message was “Don’t expect anything!” The last person said if you go out the back door there’s another door to a little office and you can try there. So, not giving up, I tried once more. The sign on that door read Yosemite Natural History Association (YNHA).
“Hi, I want to be a Ranger.” Henry Berrey (CEO of YNHA) told me to have a seat and he interviewed me on the spot. At the conclusion of the interview, he said “I think that you would be perfect to fill our volunteer position.”
Really, how much does it pay? I said that I would think it over and later that night I went to the evening ranger talk. Ranger Roger was there and I told him about the position that was offered. He said that those volunteer positions are also really hard to get. The next
morning at 8 a.m. I told Henry Berrey that I would accept the volunteer position.
It did come with room and board (sort of): A 12’ x 12‘ room in El Portal with a roommate, who also just started work. We went to our new home together to find only one twin bed. We flipped a coin. I got the bed the first week, and he got the floor. Every week, we would switch. I also received $4/day for food ($20/week). It was a great life for a year. By that time, I was presenting a few different naturalist walks and talks for the Park Service, as a YNHA volunteer. I had my foot in the door, and the next summer I was hired as a summer Ranger.
YIPPEE!
After almost 10 years as a seasonal ranger, by working two seasonal positions -summers in Tuolumne Meadows and winters at the Badger Pass ski area, I worked my way into a permanent position. Then, after more than 30 more years with most of those summers at Glacier Point, I retired.
I searched for and found Ranger Roger McGehee and invited him to my retirement party.
After retirement, I immediately began working as a Naturalist Guide for YNHA (oops! I mean Yosemite Conservancy) again.
Full circle.
Forty seven glorious years and counting.
Dick Ewart, Yosemite Conservancy staff member