When RJ Devitt first sought out a trail crew job in Glacier National Park 20 years ago, he figured he’d do it two, three years and then move on to something else.

Devitt was already 35 and had spent the previous 10 years as the director of the Big Creek Educational Center up the North Fork for the Glacier Institute.

Back then you could just stop by park headquarters, grab an application and wait to see if you got a job. It definitely worked out.

Devitt retired from the seasonal position earlier this year and perhaps, just in time. At age 55 he had not one, but both hips replaced in the past four months.

He’s doing much better now, but his trail crew days are behind him.

It was a rewarding career. While Devitt never took a supervisory position with trails, he was the go-to person when

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