Masonic Village at Elizabethtown residents Jim and Virginia McCall were looking for post-retirement opportunities when they came upon the field of park recreation, which married two of their favorite interests: sight-seeing and adventure, especially at Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Virginia first applied to Grand Teton in 1996 as a volunteer park ranger. After two seasons, she was hired for a paid park ranger position and currently works from the beginning of May through mid-September, the park’s busiest season. As a park ranger, she helps visitors plan and prepare their back country camping trips by giving them activity recommendations, information on how to prevent incidents and tips on what to do if a dangerous situation arises.
Jim volunteers with Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) personnel and lake patrol rangers. His main responsibilities include driving an ambulance and boat patrolling Jackson Lake. Jim has assisted at numerous accident sites including hiking falls, traffic accidents and boating injuries, all of which can be considered very serious. With the nearest hospital 40 miles away, Jim often drives a long commute in stressful emergency situations.
Both Jim and Virginia endured two weeks of training during the first stages of their employment, but they have also learned a lot on their own.
“Much of our knowledge comes from self-study and experience. When you put on your uniform, visitors expect you to know the answers to their questions. You are the face of the park,” Virginia said.
Off the Clock
Besides assisting visitors, Jim and Virginia enjoy seeing one-of-a-kind sights through their positions at Grand Teton, sights which many only see in photographs. According to the McCalls, summer is the best time to be at Grand Teton. With wildflowers blooming, lakes mirroring the Teton Mountain Range and streams cascading down rocky canyons, it is a breathtaking scene.
Along with living in Pennsylvania and Wyoming, Jim and Virginia have a home in Arizona, where they stay for most of the winter. They live at Masonic Village for most of the fall into winter. Changing locations may seem stressful for some, but for now, Jim and Virginia wouldn’t have it any other way. Though they travel, live and work throughout the country, they are happy to come back to Masonic Village and spend time with their four grandsons.
“Just the way we live is a great adventure,” Jim said.
Teton Tales – Update from the Park
Below are some highlights from the most recent issue of Virginia’s newsletter, “Teton Tales,” which she shares with friends and family:
“Let’s talk about bears, because the most frequent request I get is, ‘Be sure to tell us how the bears are doing!!’
“#399 – the renowned matriarch of our Teton bear clan is about 20 years old now and has done her share of cub-bearing. As far as we know, she had one single birth in 2005 and since then three sets of triplets. And she is the mother who began raising her cubs along the sides of busy park roadways where there is the best and most tender food; also where it is the safest for her cubs! However, it seems that this summer she is taking time off from motherhood – no cubs are trailing her, but there is a big boar often seen in hot pursuit.
“Her daughter, #610, is following the family tradition of raising her cubs close to a roadside. So far, all has been relatively peaceful. Photographers have been happily snapping pictures and the Wildlife Brigade of Park Volunteers has been successfully keeping visitors at safe distances, 100 yards away from bears. (Of course, not all people with cameras are as wise; a guy almost met our truck bumper this morning as he darted out in front of us!!)”
