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Cindy– wife, mother, and loyal Wisk® user – had always wondered what it would be like to experience life in the wilderness as a Park Ranger. She finally lived out her dream on a VocationVacation®. Cindy spent three days working side-by-side with a professional Park Ranger, learning the ropes and living out her passion. Read about her experience below.

What inspired your passion for becoming a Park Ranger?

Every year I would go hiking in the Rocky Mountains and would take one of my kids. I would act as a Nature Guide, teaching them about whatever I could.

What role did your mentor play?

My mentor knew everything – he knew the history, the geology, about the plants. It was an educational adventure. I learned more in those 3 days than in all my days spent in the wilderness.

What were some of the challenges you faced as a Park Ranger?

You need to be on alert to keep the visitors safe. There is always the challenge of managing the wild animals in the park. We saw fresh mountain lion tracks in a heavily traveled area. Lions sleep above in the trees. You have to do a whole 360-degree surveillance of the area. You really need to balance the two [nature & people] as a Park Ranger.

What was the highlight of your experience?

Hiking all day. One evening we watched bats emerge from one of the rocks at dusk. It was great; there were hundreds of them. Quite a sight I’ve never witnessed before.

So I guess being a Park Ranger is a little different from your day job?

I work in very fast paced, hurried environment. Being a Park Ranger was completely the opposite.

How would you sum up this experience?

It’s a great opportunity to explore your passion. You get to see even the downsides, and learn that it’s not always a dream job. Sometimes you think things seem great, but there are things that you may not think about. But I would definitely do it again!

So is it still your dream job?

I would love to do it [be a Park Ranger], but more of on a voluntary basis when I retire. I plan to move out west once my last two kids are out of college.