Park Ranger True Stories from a Ranger's Career in America's National Parks [Paperback]

Nancy Eileen Muleady-Mecham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2004

What Park Rangers really have to deal with in any given day and how training, stamina and attitude make all the difference. Theis book could almost be a reference manual, training tool and recruitment handbook for any one interested in wearing a Smoky Bear hat. The author has lived and worked in parks ranging from USS Arizona in Hawaii to the Florida Everglades with most of her career at Grand Canyon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An informative read for those who may be considering a career as a Park Ranger. -- Jack Davis, Associate Director NPS retired - back cover

Forget campfire talks and Smokey the Bear. --Tom Myers, author of Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon - back cover

About the Author

Muleady-Mecham is an Adjunct Professor of Biology at Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff. She works part time as a Registered Nurse, Board Certified in Emergency Medicine. She continues to work seasonally as a Park Ranger in America's National Parks.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Vishnu Temple Press (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967459540
• ISBN-13: 978-0967459547
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very exciting read!, July 19, 2004

By 

Shawn (Central California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Park Ranger True Stories from a Ranger's Career in America's National Parks (Paperback)

I worked with Ms. Muleady-Mecham in Sequoia NP, many years ago. I was a brand new, seasonal ranger, and had the opportunity to see her in action as a paramedic. I was very impressed with her knowledge, and her calm demeanor under pressure.

My dad picked up this book for me, because I had worked as a ranger before, and thought I'd enjoy it. He had no idea that I actually (sort of) knew the author.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt like I was there on the scene as everything happened. The author definitely gives the reader a feel for the behind-the-scenes action that is going on in the national parks, stuff the average visitor to the park will never be aware of.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is as real as it gets., April 17, 2005

By 

Snow Ranger (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Park Ranger True Stories from a Ranger's Career in America's National Parks (Paperback)

I have been a second-career park ranger for the past 17 years, working in federal, county and state park agencies, and even before that, since 1971, a wilderness search and rescue volunteer. I am a 30-year-plus EMT and was a paramedic for a while. I just wish I could have put it all down on paper as well as "Ranger Nancy" (Her phrase) has in this excellent book. This book captures the exhilaration of hanging at the end of a short-haul line, or taking that first step over a cliff on a rappel rope; the aggravation of dealing with crowds and drunks and the hope of doing everything you can to save a life, and having it work just when that hope seems lost. It is both magnificent and gut-wrenching, and Nancy realys it in great, highly readable prose. The author is a ranger, Critical Care RN, Paramedic, rescue specialist and has both Masters and PhDs on her resume, yet I never felt she was talking down to the reader. Despite adversity, her book has none of the cynicism or bitterness towards the NPS that overshadows ex-ranger Nevada Barr's novels. Ranger Nancy's stories are the real deal, and, like many of us, she obviously loves the work. She takes you with her on ambulance and rescue calls, murder and mayhem, and makes you feel like you are there. When she told the story of the murder of Ranger Joe on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and his wife having to clear the parking lot so the helicopter could land to take him to the trauma center, I had tears in my eyes and a big lump in my throat. My only criticism would be the repeated explanation of various technical terms, as if we won't remember them from chapter to chapter. Because of her extensive medical training, there is a lot of detail on the EMS and rescue part of being a ranger, but that makes for good reading for EMTs and medics, too. This rates as one of the two best books I have read about being a park ranger, along side Dan Sholly's "Guardians of Yellowstone" Well done, Ms. Muleady-Mecham!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful read!, August 5, 2004

By 

K. Day (Santa Ynez, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Park Ranger True Stories from a Ranger's Career in America's National Parks (Paperback)

Not only is Ranger Nancy a paramedic, an RN, a teacher, a firefighter, a cop, a swiftwater rescuer, a marksman, an artist, a friend and a wife, she's quite a storyteller, as well.
Oh, the images she paints for her readers! I could feel the heat of the flames, the chill of the October night on the desert, and I swear I gasped as I looked over the rim to see the body on the ledge, 400 feet below.
Ranger Nancy makes me wish I'd been a park ranger, too!
One more thing, Please, Nancy, tell 'your Kent' that now I have a good picture of the fire engineer at work. Thank you, Kent.
Thanks Ranger Nancy Eileen; when is your next book due out?
Kathleen, RN