EP574: Yosemite

[eytanz]

EP574: Yosemite

AUTHOR: D. S. McNab
NARRATOR: Erik Luke
HOST: Divya Breed

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Have you ever wondered why park rangers are so deliriously happy with their job despite the crap pay? The easy answer is that they just really dig nature. But pull back that mossy curtain, and you’ll find a slightly less pleasant explanation. Here’s a hint: It has a tentacle tongue, about three feet on Shaq, and sometimes leads to the early and unfortunate demise of hikers.

Okay, you might need a more terrestrial hint for this one, so in the words of my idol, John Muir: “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” You see, during a trip I took to Yosemite National Park in my mid-twenties, I discovered that the opposite also holds true—that the forest wilderness is the clearest way out of the Universe. So let me pick up where my boy Muir left off and tell you exactly what I came to find out about the forest and its rangers on that fateful trip.

Listen to this week’s Escape Pod!

[techfan17]

I really liked this story! Like the host said, the writing was so cheeky and fun that it made for an enjoyable read and listen. There were even a few moments where I actually laughed out loud. A lot of sci-fi has some commentary or a message to share, and while that's great, it's also fun to just be entertained every now and again.

[Lionman]

I enjoyed this story.  I thought it was fun, a little playful, a little bit ..I want to say disrespectful, but that's not quite the right word; ruckus, perhaps.  I could imagine there being some additional follow up stories to this one.

[LydiaJ]

This story was great. I was listening to it while walking down the street, and it made me laugh out loud. I wonder what everyone thought was wrong with me?

Apparently it is the author's first professional publication. I sure hope she keeps writing.

Way to keep finding great talent, Escape Pod editors!

[Jethro's belt]

I really like the fact that there is a century old, intelligent and powerful alien creature held captive by the US Park Service and what I picture as a Dr. Strangelovian government scientist and yet this is basically a typical and believable story of how we fall into jobs, careers and life seemingly at random.   

[Katzentatzen]

Didn't really do it for me, he ending was too predicative and the story overall was one-note. Glad you all enjoyed it though!

[Ichneumon]

Does this mean there's a secret facility buried in every national park??

[acpracht]

Does this mean there's a secret facility buried in every national park??

Only if there is an adopted/captured alien creature hidden under every national park...

[Varsha]

This was a cool story.
But more realistic way would be to capture the protagonist ans keep him as a slave, communicating with the alien, not pay him

Narration was good.

[Piet]

As a fan of John Muir who hikes in a park in the Pacific Northwest rain forest almost every day, this story was intriguing to listen to. It was fascinating to listen while hiking off-trail in an area with trees having trunks wide enough to contain secret spaces leading to subterranean tunnels. The plot gradually takes ever more far-fetched twists and turns until this reader/listener concludes that Yosemite is a cleverly written piece of sci-fi humour.

[CryptoMe]

This story was hilarious!! I loved it! Loved the casualness of the MC. Loved the bored alien. Loved the explanation of what a park ranger's job "really" is. Too funny. Thanks for this.

And I second LydiaJ. This author should definitely keep writing.