PRX default Piece image

Winter Caretaker (Winter Mix)

From: Jesse Dukes
Length: 05:58

Peter Mattox manages a guest cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Winter Caretaker (Winter Mix)
From: Jesse Dukes

Default-piece-image-2 Peter Mattox is a caretaker for the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire. He takes care of Carter Notch Hut, a guest house for backpackers located high in the craggy White Mountains. He keeps the place clean, registers guests, and keeps an eye on trail conditions. On Saturdays, he is busy, taking care of up to thirty guests. On most other days, he is alone. Spending that much time alone can leave you "slighly unhinged" and he spends his time reading and thinking. Often, he thinks about the inherent irony of his job: Wilderness Caretaker, managing something that is valued for it's wildness. Note: There are two versions of this story. This is the longest version, more or less faithful to what ran on Weekend America last year.

More from Jesse Dukes

Caption: A Mayan woman praying in an Evangelical Church in Guatemala's Highlands, Credit: Jesse Dukes

The Soul of Guatemala Part II A Shaking in Our Souls (04:48)
From: Jesse Dukes

Part II in a three part series about Guatemala, Latin America's Evangelical Frontier.

Caption: El Shaddai Church in Guatemala City, Credit: Jesse Dukes

The Soul of Guatemala Part III Christian Citizens (05:56)
From: Jesse Dukes

Part III in a series of three short features about Latin America's Evangelical Frontier.

Caption: A woman in Almolonga, Guatemala, selling carrots and potatos wholesale., Credit: Jesse Dukes

The Soul of Guatemala Part I Miracle Town (05:56)
From: Jesse Dukes

Part I in a series of three short features about Latin America's Evangelical Frontier.

Caption: Pastor Omar Bell laying on hands in El Calvario Church, Almolonga, Guatemala, Credit: Jesse Dukes

The Soul of Guatemala (30:31)
From: Jesse Dukes

Latin America has been overwhelmingly Catholic for centuries, but that's changing, and Guatemala is leading the way, as Latin America's Evangelical Frontier.

Caption: Eagle residents view the 2009 devesation and confront one another. , Credit: Ross McDermott

Bertha Ulvi (02:10)
From: Jesse Dukes

Bertha Ulvi is an elder of the Han or Hungwitchin people in Eagle Village. She is one of dozens who still speak the Hungwitchin language. In 2009, she was one of a handful of ...

Stacey Pare (03:02)
From: Jesse Dukes

Stacey Pare had to run to escape rising waters during the 2009 Eagle Floods. She and her partner Slana Waller made it to safety, and she began working to help other flood ...

Nick Turner (02:24)
From: Jesse Dukes

Nick Turner lost his house in the 2009 flood. Although it was a big slow, he immediately got to work salvaging what he could and eventually rebuilding. He took a break from ...

Caption: Don Mann's home shortly after ther 2009 floods., Credit: Sam Harrel

Don Mann (04:43)
From: Jesse Dukes

Don Mann lost his dream retirement home in the 2009 Eagle Floods, and without his quick acting neighbors, he may have lost everything.

Mark Malcolm (03:33)
From: Jesse Dukes

Mark Malcolm lived in Eagle Alaska.

Caption: Korean Actor Rain in "Ninja Assassin", Credit: Warner Bros.

Fighting for Stage and Screen (02:30)
From: Jesse Dukes

In the holiday shopping season, DVDs of movies are consistently a popular choice for gifts. Seven of this year's top ten movies have fight scenes. Each one has to be ...

Piece Description

Peter Mattox is a caretaker for the Appalachian Mountain Club in New Hampshire. He takes care of Carter Notch Hut, a guest house for backpackers located high in the craggy White Mountains. He keeps the place clean, registers guests, and keeps an eye on trail conditions. On Saturdays, he is busy, taking care of up to thirty guests. On most other days, he is alone. Spending that much time alone can leave you "slighly unhinged" and he spends his time reading and thinking. Often, he thinks about the inherent irony of his job: Wilderness Caretaker, managing something that is valued for it's wildness. Note: There are two versions of this story. This is the longest version, more or less faithful to what ran on Weekend America last year.