Hailie Hauser told the director of her law-enforcement academy on day one what she wanted: to be a park ranger on horseback. He shook his head. Six months later she sent him a photo of herself on mounted patrol at Buffalo National River. Her #MyParkStory, told for the National Park Service, is about how she got there without the four-year degree she was told she would need — and what the job has cost as well as given.
The route in
| College | Feather River Community College in Quincy, California: an associate degree in equine and agriculture studies, and certificates in colt starting, pack skills and ranch skills |
| Training | the Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Academy in Santa Rosa, California, on a friend's suggestion |
| The obstacle | repeated warnings that without a bachelor's degree she would not qualify; her volunteer firefighting, other jobs and associate degree got her found eligible |
| The grind | six months before her first seasonal job, then ten moves in four years to build the service time for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act, which opens permanent jobs to seasonal staff |
| Since | a permanent post, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and field training |
She has done mounted patrol and search and rescue at Buffalo National River, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Yosemite and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, and credits the rangers who mentored her along the way.
The best and the worst
Her standout moment: making a traffic stop on horseback in Yosemite Valley, under the cliffs of Glacier Point — a "wow" moment in the career she had chosen.
The hardest parts are the ones no training covers: death investigations, overdoses, suicides, body recoveries. Their effect on a ranger's own well-being is unpredictable, she says, which is why knowing yourself and your limits matters — only you know how you really feel.
Looking back
Her relationship with the job has changed, from jumping through hoops to finding a better balance between work and life, recognising what she has achieved, and accepting that one person can only do so much. Asked whether she would redo her first five years, she says no: she is thankful for the good, the bad and everything in between.
Sources
Written from "#MyParkStory: Visions to reality — Hailie Hauser, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area", National Park Service.
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