These fine spring days are the ideal time to do what us fortunate inhabitants of the Grand Valley can do; hike in the Colorado National Monument — which is what I set out to do a few days ago.

At the east gate I showed the two rangers my annual park pass. I was then asked for ID. Too surprised to do anything differently I showed them my driver’s license.

The rock formations at Devil’s Kitchen continually awe me, but that day it was hard to forget the attitude of distrust and control displayed by the park rangers. Identification to hike?

I was not writing a check or hopping on a plane or taking money out of my bank account. I was recreating on my public lands, which I visit to get away from things, like scrutiny and suspicion.

I think the rangers, and the Park Service, need to remember where they are and what they’re ultimately doing. I was expecting a “Welcome, enjoy your time here,” not an attitude of “You’re lucky we let you in.” However friendly, “Can I see your I.D.?” may be said, in this situation it shouldn’t be said at all.

In this new world of the Patriot Act and like policies, mannerisms of inquiry don’t need to spill over into every aspect of our lives. Mistrust begets mistrust. Maybe it’s time to start trusting again.
I. D. indeed! I believe John Otto would be surprised and disappointed at the rangers and the Park Service at our monument.

SARAH JILKA
Glade Park

This entry was posted on Friday, March 21st, 2008 at 9:04 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.