Rocky Talkers Do Some Talking

“Rocky Mountain National Park. This is Karla. How may I help you?” That’s how I answer the phone dozens of times each week as I volunteer in the Information Office at the park. When staff organized volunteers in the park over 30 years ago, it was fashionable to have “cute” names (e.g., Bighorn Brigade, Tundra Guardians, Roadhogs) for the groups. We were the Rocky Talkers, although we seldom use that moniker these days.

Many questions are repetitive regarding planning a trip to the park, campground reservations, or the timed-entry system. The Information Office fascinates me because one never quite knows who will be calling and what they want to know.

Another volunteer invited me to be a Rocky Talker over 8 years ago. At first, I hesitated to consider the opportunity. I have never been a telephone talker, probably because I grew up on a “party” line in rural Iowa and my parents never encouraged us to talk long or to talk about anything that might be gossip. I, however, gave volunteering at the Info Office a try. I now love working there and “being in the know.”

They say there are no dumb questions, but I think I have encountered unusual ones as a Rocky Talker. Sometimes people catch themselves in the process of asking a silly question. This week a caller asked me if he had to walk to the trail that had all the zig zags on it. I said I wasn’t sure what trail he was talking about, and he replied, “Of course you don’t but I just thought I would ask.” Duh…

Last week I had a conversation with someone about when Trail Ridge Road usually re-opens in the spring. This person wanted to come in early May, and I told him that we aimed to open it Memorial Day weekend and no earlier. He replied, “Well, Memorial Day weekend is in March, isn’t it? It would be open then when I come in May.” No…

On one hand, I have had people hang up on me when I give them information that they did not want to hear. On the other hand, people have told me I made their day or saved their vacation by giving them the options. I take the positive comments with grace and ignore the grumpy people.

We always work as a team with at least one other person staffing the phones. I love getting to know the other volunteers. I have also treasured working with my supervisor, Katy. She kindly thanks the volunteers daily for being there. Katy is planning a well-deserved retirement after 27 years as the Manager of the Information Office. She told me that when she started our desk manual, called “Just the Facts,” was 16 pages. The latest version has 209 pages.

I continue to be amused by the questions. Nevertheless, we Rocky Talkers know by answering the phones, returning emails, and sending information that we are contributing to helping people have cherished memories of our beautiful park.