Caretaking Remote and Challenging Environments

Dennis Manz, a property caretaker who specializes in caretaking in remote and challenging environments, talks about his transition from the corporate world to the world of caretaking ranches and remote properties:

After working in the corporate world for 25 years I decided to spend the rest of my days exploring different parts of the United States. I prefer the mountains and have worked in remote areas like Canyonlands National Park, Elk Mountains near Crested Butte, CO., the San Juan Mountains of northern New Mexico, and currently near the Hays Canyon Range in the high desert area of Northern Nevada.

The first 25 years of my life were spent in southern Wisconsin. I graduated from Craig High School in Janesville, WI and attended the University of Wisconsin for a few years before setting out to travel the world. I never made it around the world, but did travel (mostly hitchhiking) through quite a few countries before ending up back in the United States. A friend offered me a job in the solar energy field. I jumped at the chance and moved to California, which was my home for the next 25 years. In 2003 I officially retired from the corporate world, subscribed to The Caretaker Gazette, and began my journey as a full-time property caretaker.

My current position, which I found through The Caretaker Gazette, is house sitting at a 600-acre ranch in the high desert 40 miles east of Cedarville, CA. The gentleman I house sit for is a birder and has identified 78 different species of birds sighted from the property. Rancho Rechiso, where I am housesitting, has redefined for me the meaning of quiet, undisturbed, and no pollution. The property is off-grid with solar power, wood, and propane as sources of energy. There is no noise, radiation, or any other type of environmental pollution out here.

Being a property caretaker is definitely a great alternative lifestyle compared to paying rent for a small apartment in a busy city. In my opinion there is no better way to reduce monthly expenses and still maintain a decent standard of living. The best things about being a property caretaker are a renewed sense of personal freedom, reduction in my monthly living expenses, and the experience of visiting new and interesting places.
However, just the opportunity to experience a renewed sense of freedom is an invaluable gift.

In the 9-5 world there is always a faster pace with time frame pressures for having to complete job duties. In property caretaker situations there is still a great sense of responsibility, but there is generally a sense of freedom that allows the caretaker to set his or her own schedule. Of course there are still emergency situations that will occur from time to time that command immediate and sustained action.

Last winter I was caretaker at the Rocky Mountain Biological Labs in Gothic, Colorado living at 9,500 ft in the Elk Mountain range. The annual snowfall is around 400 inches. I had responsibilities that could be accomplished within my own scheduled time. One such job was climbing a steep 150-foot hill with typically new and deep snow to get to the weather station. This was often done in high winds and low visibility conditions.

The key was being prepared, dressing warm, good snowshoes, and taking the time needed to avoid mistakes. Trying to hurry through this sort of task could have proven to be very dangerous. Another job I had every few days was cutting firewood, since that was the only way to keep my cabin warm enough to survive. I had to dig out an 8-foot trench on the woodshed side of my cabin to cut my firewood. The wind would blow down through that trench off of a 12,000-foot high peak and would chill your bones.

After spending the last six years in some very interesting and challenging remote environments as a property caretaker I could never go back to living in the city on a permanent basis. I guess the saying ‘once you have had a taste it is hard to go back” rings true to my experience as a property caretaker. Property caretaking has also given me the opportunity to pursue writing about my experiences. I am currently finishing up an e-book about various caretaking positions I have had. I have other writing projects on the horizon including a children’s book about desert plants and lizards.

Of course being a property caretaker is not just doing whatever you want whenever you want to do it. The keys for being a successful caretaker are simple. First and foremost you are serving the property owners’ needs. I always respect and show the ultimate in responsibility for the properties I take care of. I always follow through with commitments and take pride in doing every task to the best of my ability. I always want to leave a clean footprint where I live and work. This means doing the best job possible and always keeping the best interests of the property owner in mind. This philosophy has worked well for me and continually rewarded me with new and interesting caretaker opportunities.

Plans for the future are to work as a property caretaker at lodges and resorts preferably in the mountain ranges of the Pacific Northwest. I also consider caretaker positions for remote private homes, cabins, and properties.
I love the mountains and the higher the elevation the better, especially in the summer time when things heat up. I can always plan on the temperature at 8,000-10,000 being in the 60’s and 70’s during the day when the temperatures are cranking in the 100’s at sea level.






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