John Wilber - 2007 Snowmachine Support

In 1984, I came to Alaska from Wisconsin for a volunteer stint with The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. The summer went well and my wife, Sara and I never left. The next year my career with Alaska State Parks began with seasonal work for three summers on the Kenai River. The seasonal lifestyle did not pay the bills and I transferred to Nancy Lake State Recreation Area in Willow where I have been a Park Ranger for the last 19 years.

Running snowmachines around Nancy Lake, Denali State Park, and Hatcher Pass for patrol, trail maintenance and search and rescue has been loads of fun, but running 20,000 miles on the same trails has lost some the adventurous feeling. Having met and talked to Norman Vaughan several times over the years and feeling his spirit of adventure the Serum Run would be an incredible opportunity for a venture into the wilderness and places I have never been.

Musher Jeff Davis and I had discussed the Serum Run for a couple of years and when the deadline approached, it seemed like the right time, and promptly went out and bought my first personal snowmachine for the trip and have been excited ever since. My daughter, Kiersten (15), has been very excited about the snowmachine acquisition as Park Rangers rarely invest in the motorized recreational toys. This new toy will be used for lots of fun trips and get us out of the parks and away from work.