Life as a Campground Host
It’s a cold and rainy Sunday, as I sit in Squeaky and watch camper after camper pull away from Wallowa Lake State Park. I just got back from my two days off that I spent exploring the canyons, mountains and plains of this region. I’d round one corner to be greeted by a bright yellow field of mustard sweeping up the hillside just below a red barn, all under the guard of the snow-capped Wallowa mountains beyond. Horses and cows graze on amber hillsides, below jagged cliffs I imagine mountain goats roam upon. Some of the fastest and coldest rivers rumble down over boulders and logs, so swift I worry Olive might be carried away if she gets too close. I wonder what it’s like to live in such a place. If you stop seeing the majestic beauty. If it becomes routine, like the mural I pass on my daily commute.
I’ve been here about two weeks and have a little more than two weeks to go as a volunteer campground host. I’m here with four other couples who are also hosts. They’re all couples and they’re all straight and they’re all a bit older than me. They’ve taken to calling me “kid,” which I have to admit, I like.
My workday starts at 10. That gives me time to have a leisurely morning to write, eat breakfast and take Olive on a nice walk before I set her up inside the van with a kong and the air conditioner on low. I head over to the ranger station and pick up a list of which campsites will be vacated that day. I grab a golf cart, a shovel, a rake and gloves and head out to clean the campsites and get them ready for the next campers.
Check-out time is 1. Some folks are up and out early and others like to linger to the very last moment. I usually make one sweep of my list and then stop have lunch at the van, let Olive out and refill my water bottle. Then it’s back out to shovel out the firepit coals, make sure all campfires are fully extinguished, pick up trash and fill in any holes the campers or their dogs might have dug.
I’m also available to answer camper questions. Usually it’s about reservations or wanting to switch sites. A lot of times they ask about hikes in the area or places to explore. Within hours of starting my job as a campground host, I had a woman report to me that a deer attacked her dogs, apparently something that is not that uncommon here, a consequence of the deer getting acclimated to humans. I had heard before I arrived of the “tame” deer at Wallowa Lake State Park, people allowing their kids to pose with photos and feed the deer Cheetos. None of which, of course is good for the deer.
The campground gets very busy between 4-8pm. Folks checking in, buying firewood, getting back from their days adventures out fishing and hiking. Kids ride their bikes up and down the roads yelling, people walk their dogs in laps and the loud diesel trucks try to back the campers into their tight spots. Since my site is right in the middle of it all, I try to get away during those hours. I come into town to shop, or get on the library wifi, which I’m doing now.
Not having good cell service or wifi has been the hardest part for me. Hard to keep up on this blog, for sure. Not to mention keeping in touch with family and friends and the news and all that is happening in the world right now.
Quite a few people have asked me about campground hosting. It’s a volunteer position, but you get a free site with electric, water and sewer hook-ups. If you enjoy working outside and talking to people, I recommend it. Here’s more about volunteering at Oregon Parks.
