The Story of Ranger Jay

Last November, when I began planning a bike adventure through Death Valley, I was having a huge problem trying to coordinate the bike and tent rentals for the team. It was proving difficult to rent gear for our 4-day adventure.


I called the Death Valley Visitor Center for advice. The person who answered the phone identified himself as Ranger Jay. I told him about the difficulties I was experiencing along with the travel dates. He said he would meet me at the airport with everything I needed—tent and camping supplies. He even suggested that we stay at his house, which would be unoccupied for a number of days. He was picking up a friend at the same time we were arriving in Vegas. I asked how much I owed him and he said nothing. He was going to give us the equipment at no charge.

I was in disbelief. Was this some kind of con? I was in a jam so I just went with it. Our departing flight was delayed so I missed my meeting with Ranger Jay. However, when we landed I had a voicemail. It was Ranger Jay and he said he would meet us in the morning with all the equipment we would need to camp in Death Valley. I honestly did not believe it was real. I thought I was going to be the victim of a scam or that this was some sort of prank.

The next morning I met up with Ranger Jay and extended my hand to formally meet this generous stranger. He told me he didn’t do handshakes, only hugs. We then proceeded to unload his car of all the camping gear we would need for the adventure: tents, mats, sleeping bags—the works. He even threw in a bag of apples that happened to be in his car.

We took some pictures with Ranger Jay, thanked him profusely, headed to rent bikes, and ultimately traveled on to Death Valley. The time we spent there was truly amazing. The gigantic mesquite sand dunes make you feel like you are lost in the Sahara desert. The view from Zabriskie Point leaves you wondering if you have entered a cartoon. Devil’s golf course is a place that has to be seen to understand how it got its name. After a couple of days in Death Valley I wandered into the visitor’s center to purchase a couple of souvenirs. I met some other rangers and decided to ask them if they knew Ranger Jay. It was immediately apparent that Ranger Jay had an interesting life story.

He had once been a professional but had lost his passion for a conventional life. He decided to walk across the country. Along the way he mostly stayed in national parks and said he couldn’t have done it without receiving help from people along the way. That’s why he will always go the extra mile for anybody who he encounters. He specifically chose to become a park ranger so he could educate as many people as possible about the benefits of visiting national parks. As we were leaving the park I saw him swearing in some Junior Rangers. I just thought to myself that this guy is the real deal.

Traveling experiences like this are exactly why Endgame Adventures feels so passionately about giving back to the community. Anytime we take a group of kids on an adventure we set aside some time to help out the local community in whatever way possible. Lending a fellow traveler a helping hand is rewarding for everyone involved and Ranger Jay reminded me of that during my trip to Death Valley.