Category: Uncategorized

I don’t make it a habit to wake up at 6 am on the weekends. Especially Sunday! I mean, who does that?? Crazy people! That’s who!!

But this Sunday would be unique. It would be something really special; an exhausting, exhilarating, challenging adventure.

As I lay in bed, rudely awakened by my iPhone alarm, I had to decide if I was going to do this or not. I was supposed to go with a group, but in the end. I would be taking on this adventure, all by myself!

I was actually a little nervous that morning. Sure, I’d been on hikes before, but hikes I knew, and typically no more than a couple of miles. This would be a 6 mile trail with a pretty solid incline.

Being overweight doesn’t help. Having shortness of breath due to mild asthma doesn’t help either. And having flat arches is the worse, especially when you’re packing extra weight. When your feet get tired you get these extremely sharp pains right in the middle of your arch that feels like you’re being stabbed right in the middle of your foot!!  But when you’re determined to do something, you find a way to do it, no matter how much your body fights you!

So I got up, packed some snacks, a large water bottle, my sunscreen and off I went. I would have to drive deep into one of the mountains to access the trailhead. As I drove out there, finding the location pointed to by my iPhone’s GPS, it seemed like a dead end, not a trail head. I was about to turn back around and go home gleefully! But, I’m a MexiCAN, not a MexiCAN’t. So I drove about 500 feet and finally ran into the trail head.

I removed all my valuables from my car, as the warning sign stated, locked my car and off I went. I wasn’t sure just where i was going, but the entrance to the trail was well marked.

My nerves were a lot calmer now and I was taking in the beauty that is the Santa Monica Mountains. A breathtaking, 7am view due East.

I wasn’t actually sure if the trail was 6 miles in and 6 miles out, or 6 miles altogether. But by that time it didn’t really matter. Time to keep on keepin on!

 I trekked for what seem to be an eternity. I looked at my watch, and it had only been an hour. At that pace, I figured it would take me at least 2 more hours to get to the top of this beautiful hike.

I pressed on, little by little, taking breaks often to let my flat feet and my weak lungs a rest. Lucky for me there was plenty of shade along the way because this was a HOT day!

California had been having these ridiculously global warmed days this summer that were blistering with a smoldering of humidity!

I must have reached several plateaus on the way up and every time I thought, am I there yet? Am I there yet??  My feet aching, my lungs burning, and my water running out. I knew I should have brought 2 bottles! Nonetheless, I couldn’t give up. I had to push myself.

I saw the signs, stating the peak was about 2 more miles. I cringed, but I collected myself and moved forward. The scenery was beautiful. The stillness of the air, exquisite. Nature, I felt, could cure almost anything!

I finally made it to the top, out of breath and nearly out of water, but I made it!! And it was all worth it.

If i had to do it all over again, I would do it.

I climbed onto the precarious large set of rocks at the top, managed to perch myself into a spot and took in the beauty of looking down at the Conejo Valley from 3000 feet above ground. Spectacular doesn’t even seem like a justified word to use; magnificent maybe.

I would use extraordinary, but I think that word has lost it’s meaning from overuse. Whatever it was, it was one of those once in a lifetime moments where you feel like you’re on top of the world and you kind of sort of are!

Time slows down up there. You take it all in, relax, and sit still with your thoughts and feelings. You let go of everything. This is the place of where epiphanies happen.

There were others there, but less than a handful at a time. I made some small talk before signing the Sandstone Peak log book. After about an hour of calmly relaxing with the wind at my back, the Pacific Ocean at my fingertips and dozens of mountains across the  way, I was ready to descend.

I had ran out of water by this time, and the weather was starting to get a little brutal. The way down proved to have no shade and was steeper, with a lot of loose gravel. It was challenging heading down. I had to watch every step carefully all while trying to maintain my thirst at bay.

Fortunately the way down was shorter, because it was steeper.

Although I didn’t feel ill, I kept kicking myself for not bringing sufficient water and becoming parched most of the way down the hill.

After what seemed like an eternity (a different eternity), I saw the parking lot within site. I sprinted down the trail and tried reaching my car as fast as possible. I had to get to it, and head somewhere to buy some water. I had none left in my car.

I finally arrived at my visor-less protected car, relieved, exhausted, uber-parched. Yeah, but did you die??? No, not really!

I headed off to the nearest gas station 10 miles away. Grabbed multiple cans of various non-carbonated drinks, and proceeded to pound them like a college student at Oktoberfest.

My legs were weak, my body tight, my feet exhausted. But my mind was operating at 100%.

There’s nothing like the feeling of overcoming something you thought you couldn’t. It’s empowering. I believe it increases your willpower and your intestinal fortitude to pursue what most people won’t. I prove to myself once again, that I’m not a quitter. I prove to myself that I CAN do it, and that in the end, it is ALL worth it!

Frank Barragan has been hiking on and off for about 5 years. He lives in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles) where he owns a small Web Design business. He loves to hike, meet new people, and volunteer his time to various non-profit organizations. Frank is also a member of Toastmasters where he has honed his public speaking skills and is working towards becoming a professional speaker.

I remember we were on a Biology retreat in 6th grade at Beulah Mountain Park, and that’s when it happened. I almost fell into the pond while skimming the water with a net, but instead jumped ten feet from the dock to the bank.  One of my classmates said “Whoa you should be a park ranger or an action hero”.  Hmm…action hero…  After already enjoying the outdoors most of my life I knew early on that my career would be something related to the outdoors.  Believe it or not, in 8th grade I went and saw Cliffhanger in the movie theater.  This movie was another catalyst that leads me on the path that I am on.  Park ranger, rock climbing, snow and action heroes, what more could a person ask for.

After a little research on the different types of park ranger careers I realized I would have to focus on math and science.  Through high school, I took many different AP classes including AP Chemistry.  I knew I wanted to go to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado has many of the degrees related to the requirements of a Park Ranger career.  However, due to cost I ended up taking my first year and half at Southern Colorado University (which later became CSU-South) to get the general requirements done.  I then went to Colorado State University and after switching my major from Forestry to Natural Resource Management I graduated in 1999.  There are numerous programs out there for someone who would want to get into this field but I realized early on that having experience and knowledge in numerous topic best suited my overall career goals.

As I write this blog post for Latino Outdoors, I realize I’ve mentioned nothing of my Latino heritage, not because it isn’t important but mostly because it was a part of me already.  I was the first in my family to graduate with a four year degree and the first to complete my Masters, which seems to be the norm for our heritage.  Being Hispanic means something a little different to everyone in our culture.  To me family, culture and  pride were the cornerstones of my future successes.

During my undergraduate college years in Fort Collins, I first volunteered and then was hired as a seasonal for Lory State Park.  I was hooked on state parks after this experience.  I had originally thought I wanted to be a Federal Park Ranger, but after seeing what state parks folks accomplish on a day to day basis, I realized that is what I wanted to do.  For anyone that might want to pursue a career in this industry, I can’t stress the point enough of volunteering or working as a seasonal for a federal, state or local park.   First you gain experience second if you do a good job it may be your first step towards permanent employment.

After I graduated in December of 1999, my son was born on January 1, 2000, so I knew I needed to find a permanent position in my career of choice.  I ended up applying to several western state’s park systems and Nevada was the first to call and offer me a position.  I spent the next several years first working as a Park Ranger at a historic site and then as a Park Superintendent at a reservoir park.

During my Nevada State Park career, I made it my mission to be one of the most qualified state parks employees around.  I received my M.S from Slippery Rock University, became a certified Peace Officer and a Certified Public Manager. I am not sure it is advice, but I will say working on a Masters while working full-time and having a family is not the easiest thing in the world. During the next several years, I worked on every certificate that related to my job that I could find from EMT to Cave Rescue and everything in between.  The moral of the story is the jobs and promotions in this profession are competitive, so you need to have a competitive edge.  If you find training that relates to being a park person, take the training.

 Approximately two years into my park superintendent position one of my colleagues and I started a park ranger association.  We started to work on various topics at the state legislative level and I loved it.  I knew I wanted to run my own parks system.  I was very blessed to apply and be the successful choice as the Administrator for Wyoming State Parks.  The last seven years has been a whirlwind of learning and growth.  The last piece of advice I will give folks looking to pursue this as a career is to take calculated risk.  The old adage “you never know unless you try” is a must for this profession.  As a matter of fact, it may be the key to success.

Domenic Bravo is the State Park Director in Wyoming. He is also the incoming president for the National Association of State Park Directors and the first Hispanic president in its 50+ year history! You can contact Domenic at:domenic.bravo@wyo.gov