fire lookout tower. After two summers, I
became one of three women to be the
first female wilderness rangers in the
U.S. Along the way I was hired as the only
woman on a crew building houses at an
Air Force base. Early in 1976, I became
the first woman station guard at the
Moose Creek Ranger Station, the most
remote Forest Service District in the
continental U.S. where I lived year-round
in a wall tent. Once there was five feet of
snow surrounding me, it was like living in
an igloo—toasty warm!
I raised my children without indoor
plumbing, no television, and only wood
heat.
Do you have any fond memories of
camping trips as a child that you can tell
us about?
We have many family photos of me
standing in a river with waders on
catching fish. In some of the photos, I’m
only four years old. Those are my fondest
memories.
When did you first get into glamping and
why?
Having lived outdoors most of my life,
I’ve always “girlied things up.” A bouquet
of flowers here, a doily there, and things
like red-painted fingernails, perfect for
chopping wood.
In a nutshell what does glamping mean
to you?
It’s the juxtaposition of grit and glam,
rugged and reined in, burlap and lace. I
invented the word “glamping” years ago
while sitting around a campfire eating
breakfast with my wall tent B&B guests.
One of the husbands said, “I told my wife
she was crazy when she said she wanted
to come here for a weekend. I was like:
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