My mom told me, that at some point in your life, you will stand up for something. For her, it was protesting the Vietnam War. Today, I did my part, and I would like to think that she was proud of me.
Rocky Mountain National Park has always been "my" park since I first set foot in it at 5 years old. My mom started coming after high school to Rocky with her friends. She was even in Rocky during the 1976 flood. She started bringing me, and I would cry every time I had to leave.
I got a job after college and stayed for four years, then moved around and finally returned to the place my heart has always called home. I have faithfully purchased a park pass, even when I couldn't really afford it. I have hiked, ridden horses, and driven through the park countless times.
The current administration's firing of park rangers has hit Rocky hard. It was already an understaffed park and cutting more rangers isn't going to help when Rocky sees 5.5 million people annually, most of those coming between May 1 and Nov 1.
Today, along with countless others, I stood for Rocky.
