RAMROD honors the passing of Mt. Rainier National Park's Maragert Anderson
The life of a National Park Ranger is one of stewardship and public service.
I came to know a little about the life of a National Park ranger through a friend I knew many years ago. His father was a Ranger for most of his working life. I learned from my friend that Rangers are not well paid. Most Rangers love their work. They care a great deal about the National Park and take their stewardship duties seriously. Rangers also spend most of their lives away from the general community. They live in or near National Parks. They often have to relocate.
Margaret and Eric Anderson were a young couple starting a new family. They were both Law enforcement Park Rangers. Law enforcement rangers carry firearms. Their job is to patrol the Park to protect the natural resources as well as the safety of Park visitors.
The job of Park Ranger is normally peaceful. The Rangers I have met over the years have all been concerned with making sure Park visitors had a positive experience. If they enforced rules, they did so with consideration, fairness and patience. They do encounter tragedies, they are involved in search and rescue and are usually at the scene when a visitor is injured or killed. The environment in Mt. Rainier National Park can be treacherous, particularly for those who choose to climb or traverse high altitude glaciers.
On January 1, 2012 the peaceful world of Mount Rainier National Park was shattered by tragedy.
From all reports, Benjamin Colton Barnes was mentally and emotionally unstable. He was also trained in weapons use from recent military service and he was heavily armed. He is believed to have shot four people in Skyway. Reports say he left the area of the shooting and somehow ended up on the Paradise Road in Mount Rainier National Park.
Paradise Road in Mt. Rainier National Park in winter is as dead-end a spot as you can find. It is an approximately 17 mile climb from the Park entrance to the Paradise visitor's center. In the winter there is only one road passable to traffic. The road dead-ends at Paradise. Snow is often present at the entrance in winter; the snow depth increases as you climb, at the higher altitudes the snow depths are massive. I have seen depths over 20 feet at Paradise as late as May. The road is like a tunnel into an impassible snowy wilderness.
Paradise is a popular destination even in winter. On January 1, 2012 there were approximately 100 visitors at Paradise.
For unknown reasons Benjamin Colton Barnes drove into the Park and attempted to drive to Paradise.
Because of difficult road conditions, the Park requires chains for vehicles in the upper portion of Paradise Road. Benjamin Colton Barnes blew past the checkpoint, attracting the attention of Park Rangers.
Margaret Anderson was working at Paradise. She got a radio call and drove her vehicle down, positioning the vehicle so it would block Barnes from advancing to Paradise. Her actions effectively prevented Barnes from reaching Paradise, thus protecting over a hundred visitors from a probable nightmare encounter.
Barnes was armed. He shot and killed Margaret. He also shot at a second Ranger approaching from downhill. Effectively trapped by Ranger vehicles blocking his vehicle on both sides, Barnes chose to flee the scene on foot. He was not dressed for the weather (apparently he was not even wearing a coat). His body was found the next day, death caused by exposure.
Both Margaret and her husband Eric were familiar with RAMROD. They both worked as patrol rangers during the event. They lived in Eatonville and had two very young children. Margaret's untimely death is a huge loss to Eric and their young children.
The Park Ranger community is close-knit. The tragedy has deeply affected everyone in that community.
A fund has been created to assist Eric and the children. All of the funds go directly to the family.
RAMROD is asking all associated with the RAMROD community to consider donating to support Margaret's family in dealing with this tragic loss. We will collect voluntary donations from members and forward those donations to the fund.
Donations accepted by the Club will be forwarded to the Margaret Anderson Donation Account, Key Bank, Eatonville, Wa. Donations can also be made directly to the account.
As far as we know, donations to the account will NOT be tax deductible. If you are seeking to make a tax exempt donation consider donating to Washington's National Park Fund, they are collecting donations for a Margaret Anderson Memorial Fund.