The winter snow blows as hikers make snowshoe prints in the deep, cold snow. In the summer, the hot sun beats down on them and sweat runs down their faces as they hike across terrain. Hikers in Denali National Park can experience many weather extremes as they hike through the park and see many wild animals and different views, from the snow-capped mountains to the deep-river valleys.
      Cass Ray works at the Denali National Park. Cass is an assistant at the park business center, does campground work and is also a leader of Discovery Hikes. Cass has been working at Denali NP since November, and during that time he has worked the winter and summer seasons. He likes both seasons equally, because in the winter he enjoys leading snowshoe hikes, and in the summer he enjoys seeing all of the different kinds of wildlife and different views.
      Out of all of his jobs, Cass enjoys the Discovery Hikes the best because he likes getting to know and meeting new people that he hikes with. The Discovery Hikes are about three to five hours long and include about eleven people and their guide/leader. The groups are usually small, so the hikers don’t disturb wildlife and so that they can get to know their leaders.
      Cass likes to hear different stories and interesting facts from all of the hikers he meets. But on top of all of these stories, Cass has experienced many of them first hand. In Cass’s adventures, he has seen many wild animals such as bears, caribou, moose, birds, lynx, wolverines, sheep, and much more.
      Cass has come across a lot of different wild animals while he has been on hikes, but he hasn’t come across any trouble yet.
      Cass loves being out in Denali National Park, hiking and meeting lots of new people. He enjoys taking out groups of hikers because he really enjoys sharing the experiences with them and helping them achieve their goals.
      Cass thinks the views are beautiful and he loves watching all of the different animals and seasons. He has only been here since November, but he is having a wonderful time. He is very excited about to let visitors to the park see as much as they possibly can and he loves guiding them to success. Cass is looking forward to many more rewarding seasons at Denali National Park.