Participation trophies?  Oh no, I really earned them (or am about to)

In all National Parks, there are Junior Ranger programs. Glacier is no different. But I thought it was kind of funny there was one for the Jammers. I mean I get having kids go on a scavenger hunt for leaves and bugs and whatnot. But come on. A vintage bus? I could go into the particulars, but at the end of the day, it takes kids through glaciers, waterfalls, mountains, and geology. All done in a wonderfully cute and campy way.

It is also a great way to try and keep a child is who trapped on a vintage motor carrier occupied as they are held hostage anywhere between 4 and 8 hours (however long their parents decided to have all the vertebrae in their spines collapsed).

I’m sure every minute of the kid’s attention achieving Junior Rangers status takes away just one more moment of suddenly deciding they need to go to the bathroom (especially when the stops are an hour and a half apart). It can be a really hard conversation to tell little Johnny that he has to wait to go until you reach the OTHER side of the continental divide where his pee will find it’s way to an entirely different sea. Yes, Nemo, all drains lead to the ocean.

I’m just thankful they don’t sell little Jammer outfits to go with this mini degree of higher learning. But there is a prize. A very special one. A Jammer refrigerator magnet with the buggy headlights of a Red Bus and a smiling bumper with words to live by on it.

But wait, it gets better. Every year they do a special run for the drivers where they imprint the actual year in the headlights.

Dave Eglsaer, head of transportation and a long-time Jammer himself from back in the day, did me a solid. At the training meeting where we were passing out all of the manuals and stuff we need to know, he walked up and presented me with one from LAST summer. Although a lowly employee shuttle driver for the season, I guess I made the Honorary Jammer cut. After all, I did take one out with my former roommate/Jammer Don, and have ‘Driven the Wall.’ I guess that’s kind of like crossing the equator for the first time for an ancient mariner.

But I have something very special and VERY limited. Again, although hired for 2020 when the pandemic stopped the Jammers from running for the first time since WWII, they STILL had a batch of year-stamped medallions made up for all of those who DID NOT drive. Yep, it is my favorite one of them all.  This symbol will be known for generations.

My favorite part about this post is that I have an actual collection of Jammer badges going back three summers, and I have yet to give a Jammer tour. Now if that isn’t a participation award, I don’t know what is.

However, somehow I also have a very real feeling of dread I’m going to earn every single one of these tenfold.  Yeah, nothing is free in the Jammer world. Except for smiles, of course.