Fun with the Ranger

[RedRoxx44]

Speaking to the monument ranger on the phone this morning. A very pleasant man, sounded a little sour but perked up when he heard my purpose to the call.
Him: Roads are open, but as you know may have downed trees, washouts etc.
Me: I carry a shovel, pick, have a winch, hand saw, pry bar and sand/ mud trap traction boards.
Him: Ok, sounds good, also no cell phone service, remember to leave an itinerary with someone.
Me: I have a Sat phone, and mult map sources.
Him: Wow, do you know the terrain where you are going?
Me: Been going to that area a few years. Yes, I know the road is very slow and boulder crawling for miles in that area. I am in no hurry.
Him: Good, going with a group??
Me: Nope solo vehicle and person.
Him: Uh, um not that good an idea. Supplies?
Me: Going in with 9 gal spare gas, and 10 gal of water, also do know of water supplies in the area and I can treat it. Air compressor with sidewall plug kit. Car repair supplies, about a week on the food. Sealed battery charger.
Him: I give up, you seem well prepared, have fun and good luck, stay safe.

[CannondaleKid]

@RedRoxx44
He probably perked up because it was a relief to know you wouldn't be in need of rescue services, and thus not be a burden ($-wise) to the agency.

I had a similar conversation with a Maricopa Sheriff's Deputy at First Water TH yesterday... we went through the litany of:
Do you have plenty of water? Yes
How much? More than enough in the bladder along with two extra 'emergency' bottles
Where are you hiking? Second Water Trail to Boulder Canyon area
Are you going all the way to Canyon Lake? Nope, just to the Indian Paint mine area where I'll recon and/or climb a peak just south of Battleship then another just west of it. (He didn't seem happy I would be 'off-trail')
Do you have a map? I don't need one... I know the area well and I have a GPS.
A cell phone GPS or a true GPS? A GPS.
I see you are hiking alone, do you have a SPOT? No. (I'll skip that debate which simply wasted 5 minutes of my hiking time.) Besides, I left a detailed itinerary at home including the trails I planned to hike, potential off-trail routes along with key way points.
Well you know, there were three men in 2010 who went missing on the hottest day of July... blah,blah, blah (Another 5 minutes wasted)
Yeah, I know all about them, I spent many hikes searching for them, and in fact I was on Yellow Peak (where two of the three were found in January 2011) on two occasions, once seven days before and a second time two days before they were found. As it turned out on my second trip I had come within a 100 yards of the spot there were found. So yes, I do know the area as well as the hazards.
Watch out for rattlesnakes (Another 5-minutes wasted... before he seemed to get I knew more about rattlers than he did)
Well, if you get airlifted to Good Sam for a rattlesnake bite you're going to be starting at $100,000 blah,blah, blah... No comment...
Well, be sure to fill out the log before you go. Will do...

Whew! After a 20 minute exercise in futility I could finally get started on my hike.

I fairness... due to how many stupid people he & I have both seen or heard about, I fully understand his concern.
However, in this case it was pretty obvious I wasn't dressed in shorts & tank top with flip-flops holding one half-empty 16 oz bottle of water and planning to hike ten miles 'over that way somewhere'.

[chumley]

I always sign the First Water register as Jacob Waltz. If I have to talk to a ranger I just hold out my phone and ask if they know where the Second Water pokéstop is. I've always been waved right on by.

[CannondaleKid]

@chumley
What's a pokést... oh, never mind.

[trekkin_gecko]

four rangers at first water sunday, one per car in parking lot
never said a word to me at 0830, other than sign the register

[Nighthiker]

Never have this type of encounter while night hiking.

[cw50must]

I always sign the First Water register as Jacob Waltz. If I have to talk to a ranger I just hold out my phone and ask if they know where the Second Water pokéstop is. I've always been waved right on by.

I rarely "lol" while reading forums, but this was one of those occasions.

[SuperstitionGuy]

On the rare occasion that I would meet a ranger in the Superstitions (if he already did not know me) I would ask them if they knew where they were going. It had a tendency to ah, p i s s the off.

[big_load]

On the rare occasion that I would meet a ranger in the Superstitions ...

I met Snakemarks twice.

[SuperstitionGuy]

I met Snakemarks twice.

And whirlwind Snakemarks could out hike most of us anywhere anytime and she always knew where she was going.