Mount Rainier's Christmas Faerie

Photo by Kevin Bacher

Day 67: My duties at Mount Rainier National Park are varied. Most of the time, you'll find me in the office, seated at a computer and entering information from the dozens of volunteer applications we receive every year. You may also encounter me in the field, often as not flat out on the forest floor with my camera trained on some rare plant or specimen of lichen. You might also see me in the campground, gathering storm debris or putting up tents for our summer volunteers. I've often said I'll do any task assigned to me with the exception of plumbing, a subject I learned to avoid when working at Carbon River in the late 70s, but the latest addition to my growing list of position descriptions is truly unique.

Santa's schedule is pretty full at this time of the year, and some kids (most, I think) are a bit leery of the jolly old fellow, particularly when they're very young. But what child could be afraid of a faerie not much larger than themselves? As it turns out, Mount Rainier National Park has its very own Christmas faerie who appeared magically at the holiday party Thursday night to hand out bags of treats and toys to the children of our employees. Only one youngster was nervous about approaching her, but with a very small nudge from dad, came forward to accept a gift. Several were intrigued by the faerie's wings, touching them gently, as if afraid they might frighten the woodland sprite away. Once her bag of surprises was empty, the faerie disappeared from the hall as mysteriously as she had arrived. Unfortunately, I was absent while she engaged the children, and have only this photo taken by Kevin to prove her existence to me.