Gunsight Cave. Photo by Doug Thompson

Retired Park Ranger Doug Thompson. Courtesy photo

LIBRARY News:

Retired Park Ranger Doug Thompson is the featured author in Mesa Public Library’s Authors Speak series, 7 p.m. Thursday, April 27. The talk is held in the Upstairs Rotunda of Mesa Public Library, 2400 Central Ave. in Los Alamos. The author will be available after the talk to sign his books.

Thompson has written a book about his adventures in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, but the book relates far more than simply his experiences in the park. He writes eloquently of his love for the natural wonders of the world. He also chronicles his journey from being too afraid of heights and too claustrophobic to enter the cave as a child to becoming the man who could squeeze through the tight passages of Spider Cave and complete a 50-story rappel.

Thompson’s talk will appeal to lovers of our National Parks, to climbers and cavers, and to those who overcome fears by confronting the things they fear. The Authors Speak series is presented by the Los Alamos County Library System and supported by Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries. The Authors Speak lectures are generally held on the fourth Thursday of each month. For more information on library events, call 662-8250 or visit the Events tab at losalamoslibrary.org.

“For six exciting years Doug Thompson worked as a park ranger at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. In “Underground Ranger” he passes along the essence of what he learned on this unusual job and in his related adventures exploring the surrounding Chihuahuan Desert. He overcame his fear of tight spaces and heights, learned to climb rope, and went on to explore many of the deep vertical caves in the Guadalupe Mountains.” – from book jacket, University of New Mexico Press.

More information can be found on Thompson’s website: parkrangerdoug.com