California Park Employee With 'One Of The Most Unusual Jobs' Retires

Yosemite National Park employee John Reynolds has officially retired at the age of 63 after 44 years of service. Now, you might be asking yourself, who is John Reynolds and what exactly did he do? But the real question is, what didn't John Reynolds do? According to SF Gate, Reynolds was Yosemite National Park's official postmaster. For years he worked relentlessly to deliver mail to those living in, and visiting the park. He skillfully worked through dangerous rock slides, floods, and even wildfires that swelled throughout the region. Regardless of what natural disaster was plaguing the park, Reynolds was delivering mail through it.

"I remember throwing the mail over rockslides. The mail truck was on one side, and we were on the other. We had to get the mail in during these times. People look for normalcy, especially in a park where natural disasters happen. They look to the post office for that," he shared with SF Gate. Aside from simple postcards and letters, the postmaster was often tasked with delivering online shopping orders of various sizes to residents tucked in the mountains.

Reynolds visited the post office often, long before he ever began working as a postmaster. SF Gate mentioned that he was born in Yosemite Valley, and that his mother worked at the post office for years. Reynolds plans to stay in Yosemite and use the abundance of free time he has recently gained from retirement to explore more of the park.