Ranger Retirement

Ranger Mike Gosse has hung up his national park ranger hat to go to the other side (Forest Service). He is GREAT! We are so lucky to have crossed paths with him. Most of the good things that have happened to me in my life (or the good things that are happening right now) happened in the shadows of Timpanogos. Never had "park ranger" on my list of things to do, but thanks to Mike, I became one and that has led to some serious blessings.

We were supposed to roast Mike, but K and I couldn't think of any dirt we had on 'im. K just remembers Mike and Alethea dancing the polka and my favorite thing is Mike's t-shirt which says, "Drop the pine cone! Do it now!" On top of everything else he did, Mike was law enforcement.

One day I was scheduled for an evening program and mine was about snakes. On the hike to the cave, there just happened to be a little rubber boa at three-quarter way, so it got a ride to the ranger room up top for use later on. I mean, I was going to return it to the same spot we found it...just needed it to show to my visitors...but Mike got wind of it and called me on the radio, "Jody, put the snake back." The end. I did not muster any questions. Mike was always there to preserve and protect. Except for those times when he grabbed a stapler to smash spiders on the counter in the VC.

I remember Mike warning us all in training to NOT play with the "party lights" on one of the park vehicles we may be driving because it would wear down the battery really fast and it was, uh, against the law to use those lights if we were not, indeed, law enforcement rangers. Loved his little stories and warnings and examples. Another favorite was his mentioning that we had an OB kit in the VC should we ever need it. He followed that up by suggesting that if a woman were in labor on the trail, we should have her body positioned down trail so she wouldn't have to push against gravity. In fact, his impersonations of a woman in labor on the trail (yes, he really acted these little scenarios out) were the best! Like we didn't know that was a caving helmet under his shirt.

One of the most unsettling things I ever heard him say, and I've heard him say it more than once, had to do with hiking up to the cave during training with ice and snow. We had to cross the avalanche chutes one at a time because, "If this thing blows, I'm only going to lose one of you!" Statements like that from your boss make you sit up and pay attention a little. He made other statements as well, "Jody, you are an EXCELLENT employee!" He asked me to house sit once and told me I could have friends over, drink alcohol, whatever I wanted, but "just make sure the dogs get fed..."

I think Mike has a great ability to hire wonderful people. One of the things that keeps a ranger going back to the cave is the awesome coworkers! I appreciate all that he did for me. Whether it was telling me to jump in his law enforcement vehicle for a ride ("Watch out for the rifle, it's loaded!") or buying me (and others!) ice cream or whistling at me on my first day as a national park ranger ("Look at that woman in uniform!"--don't worry, it had nothing to do with sexual harrassment), Mike was the best! He has invited everyone to Florida and I'm pretty sure we're going to take him up on it. I should probably try hard to be more thorough and come up with a few more stories, but for now, that's my tribute to Mike.