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Last Visited: 8/19/2009
McGrath and his citation book will catch up with the latter eventually.
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McGrath, 27, seems quiet at first but grows more talkative with each swig of coffee.
Hunkered forward in his seat, he watches the road over one hand while stroking the corners of his black goatee with the other.
This is his second summer with FWP as one of the few full-time rangers exclusive to the Blackfoot River and he approaches the job with a relaxed confidence.
At his first stop at Angevine, McGrath makes small talk with an early-morning fisherman-whose license is in order-then jumps back into the truck.
The day sounded long when McGrath described it over the phone; now it sounds longer.
Eighty-five miles of river, from Weigh Station to Brown's Lake, all fall under McGrath's charge.
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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Ranger Chris McGrath checks a trio of fishing licenses at Corrick’s River Bend on the Blackfoot River. Unlicensed fishing is one of the tamer infractions McGrath runs into during his patrols. - Photo by Alex Sakariassen
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Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Ranger Chris McGrath checks a trio of fishing licenses at Corrick's River Bend on the Blackfoot River.
Unlicensed fishing is one of the tamer infractions McGrath runs into during his patrols.
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A sound system spat music so loud you could hear it from the highway a half-mile away, McGrath says.
He and a few other rangers, some with FWP and some with BLM, spent a bulk of their afternoon just at Johnsrud, taming the throng as best they could.
A few drunks got riled up when the officers requested the music be turned down and the confrontation neared a point McGrath considers uncomfortable.
Wardens with FWP and BLM don't have authority to make arrests.
Rangers like McGrath don't even carry pistols or batons.
"I do the best I can to avoid a bad situation," McGrath says.
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McGrath gabs a moment, and a man in obnoxiously orange shorts recognizes him.
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"Huh, you don't look like a Diane," McGrath says, amused.
The man tells McGrath he must have grabbed his wife's by mistake.
"Well, either you're going to have to call somebody and have them bring it out to you, or you're going to have to stow the pole in your truck," McGrath says, trying to sound congenial.
Just to make sure the man complies, McGrath sets to work pulling apart a stone fire ring set up on the beach.
He takes his time, lugging the blackened rocks to the water and bagging the charred bits of log.
Back in the truck, McGrath watches the man glance back up the hill.
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"Mornings are definitely the best for me," McGrath says.
"Everyone who's doing something wrong is hung-over, so they're not too fast."
But stopping to check in with the odd group of campers helps break the monotony.
We drove through Thibodeau campground at a crawl a half hour ago to collect campsite payments from the tall iron deposit box.
There, a woman with thick blonde curls beckoned McGrath to a set of five rubber tubes, four tied in a square around the fifth.
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"If I were you, I wouldn't tie a bunch together like that," McGrath said.
"You can get hung up on a rock, and if that happens someone's going to have to get out in the middle of the river.
These ropes can get caught on rocks.
It can get really dangerous really fast."
McGrath grew up in Helena, surrounded by politics and outdoor excursions.
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Ranger Chris McGrath grew up camping and rafting on the Blackfoot River with his father, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court Mike McGrath. Enforcing respect for the resource through his work with Fish, Wildlife and Parks keeps McGrath connected to a valued part of his childhood. - Photo by Alex Sakariassen
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Ranger Chris McGrath grew up camping and rafting on the Blackfoot River with his father, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court Mike McGrath.
Enforcing respect for the resource through his work with Fish, Wildlife and Parks keeps McGrath connected to a valued part of his childhood.
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"Person running back into the trees," McGrath mutters.
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Some bread of some kind and some water," McGrath suggests.
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McGrath heads back to the truck, contemplating radioing the sheriff about the drunk student.
"Bet that'll make a perfect ending to your story," he says.
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McGrath scans the masses at Johnsrud Park for glass containers and disorderly behavior.
Carrying a glass bottle on the Blackfoot will get you an $85 fine, McGrath says.
And there's always a ranger somewhere on the river.
McGrath said it best earlier-that the definition of fun on the river changes dramatically depending on who you ask.
That's just the nature of the beast.
McGrath's job, like the Blackfoot itself, is fluid, unpredictable, lacking in guarantees.
Progress in enforcement isn't a complete lack of disorderly conduct but a greater respect among river users for the resource, for those patrolling it and for others seeking to enjoy it.
Most people are courteous, McGrath insists.
They're cooperative and friendly, even the drunks.
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