I am made for this.

Today I found out that I am basically living on a island, cut off in both directions.

To my west there is a boulder blocking a tunnel that is currently immovable. To my east the road washed out taking out an entire lane and compromising the other. The highway is closed completely with only narrow, winding detour roads that aren’t in the best conditions in winter during a good year.

This year, mother nature is moving and shaking. Here in Yosemite there has been snow drifts a story tall, avalanches, flooding, and landslides. Through it all we keep going.

Safety is Paramount. This was the motto of my high school during my senior year. I always thought it was cliche. However, I’ve been finding myself uttering that very phrase during this blizzard of 2023 that closed Yosemite.

The entire staff throughout the park has been safe and put human needs above structures. There have been emergency shelters, road crews working (nearly) non-stop (yep it got that bad a couple times that the plows had to stop because it wasn’t safe), supervisors and leads managing personnel, resources, and assessing needs. It has been a great team where I feel seen and heard, even as one person in a bigger operation.

Since I am here in park housing, I have the honor of stepping into duty during an incident case and help wherever my talents are best served. My main duty is to man the gate, which is basically my main job anyway. Since the park is closed, the gate is closed, but a few people need to get through like residents and utilities.

I enjoy my job. I find it peaceful. I can even have pleasant conversations with the curious lodgers that got stuck between the gates and town. I am thankful for this opportunity to serve, even under less than ideal circumstances.

Something happens in conditions like this. Everyone bands together and in an intentional or even a subtle way we realize we all rely on each other. I enjoy these interactions. I enjoy the human connection. This is why I love this job.

Hearing that you were stuck between a boulder and a landslide would concern some people. I am acutely aware of what that means, but I am not afraid. My strength does not come from my ability to handle all of this on my own. There is no need. That’s why the park service exists. These are places that are worth banding together and protecting.

As a fees employee for the park service, I have the extreme pleasure to greet visitors and share my passion for the place of inspiration they are about to enter at Yosemite National Park. I talk about the park service so much because it is a part of who I am.

Being here in this moment, I feel like I was made for this. I am very good at holding down the fort, at looking on the bright side of things, at communicating and understanding what needs to be done, at staying calm in times of stress or uncertainty, and then sharing lessons through experience.

My brief time here so far at Yosemite has been very dynamic. I am so very happy that I am here. I am thankful every day for this experience and intense time of growth and learning.

I have what I need. A shelter from the weather. (Thanks MC!) Food to last me for a while. (Always be prepared!) Water is a question mark since my pipes are still buried in the snow. (Ration and resupply!) People I can call on for help, companionship, and strategizing. (Thank you fellow humans!)

I am doing okay amidst the chaos. When all this began I felt like there was something to learn from all of this. Now that I am still in it two weeks later, I realize that I am being transformed. I am learning to be where I am. I am expressing myself more openly through words and art. I am embracing my authority on the resource and stepping into my own confident self.

I am at one with nature. I am eager to express my experiences. I am adaptable and resourceful to do what I can, with what I have, wherever I am.

I am Ranger Anda. I am Anda the Adventurer. I am the authority of my own life. I am in charge of my own destiny. I will outlast this storm. I will come out shining brighter. I am made for this.

Peace be with you.