Pistono said he feels like if he doesn’t continue working, bad things could happen. With 400-plus cars a day parking at the top, it takes just one mistake.

“Without a little bit of refereeing it could get chaotic in a hurry,” he said. “I feel like if I don’t go up there, you might get that one glitch that closes the access. That kind of hanging by a thread thing will always be the situation.”

So he continues emptying trash cans full of dog poop, reminding people of where it’s unsafe to park, and trying to keep the relationship between Teton Valley commuters, skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers, dogs and the Wyoming Department of Transportation intact. Luckily for Pistono, his former employer, the nonprofit Friends of Pathways, is helping somewhat pad the lack of paycheck. But he’ll soon be in the negative again.

“Hopefully it won’t last for too much longer,” he said. “There are a lot of us in the same situation, living paycheck to paycheck. I don’t know too many folks who are casual about it … it’s a weird feeling not to get money.”