(Anna Hoppel and Kylie Heikkila)
I spent the summer of 2024 working as a Wilderness Ranger Intern at Glacier National Park. I worked in the North Fork district under the mentorship of Kylie Heikkila, the Lead Wilderness Ranger there. This has been a valuable learning experience for me, in which I had the opportunity to develop new skills that will assist me in my future career with the National Park Service.
During the summer, I lived at the Logging Creek Ranger Station, a historic building built in 1907. The Logging Creek complex doesn’t have running water or electricity. I was really excited about living off-the-grid and found it to be a peaceful and rewarding experience. I spent the first week of my internship going to a series of trainings, including Bear I and Bear II, which taught me about bear ecology, safety in the wilderness, and hazing habituated bears. I also got to know Kylie and the other Polebridge park staff; everyone was warm and welcoming, and made me feel like a part of the community.
Working with Kylie, I began patrolling trails and campgrounds in the wilderness, learning about ecology and wilderness ethics. In June, we focused on opening wilderness campgrounds to Summer Status by checking and maintaining campground needs, such as fixing broken toilets and signage. June is also an important time for invasive weed reduction. Kylie and I spent time monitoring the growth of weeds and removing them. Kylie sprayed them with herbicide, while I picked the heads to minimize the spread.
We focused specifically on reducing weeds in the wilderness such as hawkweed, spotted knapweed, oxeye daisy, mullein, Canada thistle, and bladder campion. I learned about plant identification, as well as the importance of protecting wilderness areas from the destructive impact of invasive species. It was satisfying to remove multiple trash bags full of weeds and spray large areas of the wilderness with herbicide, showing how the individual can make a positive impact on the environment and create space for native species.
In July, I continued regularly patrolling with Kylie and conducted some solo patrols as well, which provided me the opportunity for independent learning. We patrolled trails and visited campgrounds to monitor wilderness character, manage wildlife, evaluate campgrounds, check wilderness permits, look for issues such as food storage violations, and maintain them by scooping fire rings and cleaning pit toilets. We also replaced signage, tent site markers, and lowrider toilet seats at several campgrounds. Additionally, we aided in removing creosote plank and other trail/carpentry debris from the wilderness. I especially enjoyed my overnight stays in the wilderness. Sleeping in the wilderness gave me the opportunity to interact with visitors and experience the park from a visitor perspective, which was incredibly valuable.
Alongside patrolling trails and campgrounds, I had the opportunity to participate in several unique experiences. I took part in a river float with other members of the Wilderness work group, in which we discussed the future of the Round Prairie backcountry campground and assessed possible sites for undesignated river camping in the North Fork. I also assisted with a Wilderness project organized by Kylie. Several members of the Wilderness team joined us at Hole-in-the-Wall campground, and we hiked metal and lumber from an old outhouse to Brown Pass campground, so it could be packed out using stock. I enjoyed getting to know other Wilderness Rangers and learning more about the work group, and completing the collaborative project was very rewarding.
I also had the opportunity to attend a Technical Search and Rescue training course. This was a four-day intensive workshop, where we learned how to conduct a SAR on steep and vertical terrain. I learned skills such as knot tying, rappelling, rigging anchor systems, and raising and lowering a litter. Although I had some climbing experience, this was my first time rappelling and my first SAR training. I enjoyed interacting with other students, who were from a wide variety of work groups all over the park. At the end, I received a professional certificate. This was valuable knowledge that will assist me in my future career with the Park Service.
Later in the season, I conducted more solo patrols. I independently checked permits and maintained trails and campgrounds, as well as educated visitors on bear safety, Leave No Trace principles, and how to act around stock. I enjoyed these opportunities to interact with visitors and independently practice my skills. I also had the chance to collaborate with other work groups, such as Trail Crew and the packers, which was fun and rewarding. Additionally, I assisted with a medical emergency at Logging Creek by participating in a litter carry. I helped carry the patient to a helicopter, which was valuable medical experience for me.
Overall, I found my time at Glacier National Park to be incredibly valuable. I developed a wide variety of wilderness skills, learned about wilderness stewardship, and gained experience that will support me in my future career. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to work at Glacier and am looking forward to working for the Park Service in the future.