Do you recall the song, 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover? When Paul Simon told us the myriad ways to set yourself free?
Maybe it's time for a new ploy, Roy - a different way to feel free, Lee. I proposes several new choruses for the song, such as:
Slip on a pack, Jack / Hop off the New span, Stan
Stay away from that grizz, Liz / Pay attention to me
Catch the Red Bus, Gus / Don't make no big fuss
Just kayak the bay, Kay / And set your soul free
The National Parks - often called America's Greatest Idea - officially began in 1872, when Congress established Yellowstone as the world's first 'National Park'. (Yellowstone was NOT the first land set aside by the federal government to preserve it for recreation, but it was the first labelled as a National Park.)
Today the National Park Service (NPS) administers over 400 parks, monuments, battlefields, historic sites and parks, rivers, shorelines, memorials, and other sites. There are currently 63 sites recognized as National Parks, spread out over 32 states and two territories. They represent the 'cream of the crop' of protected lands in the United States.
Many - most? - people who visit National Parks will experience them in the same way: hike a trail; take a ranger-led tour; drive a scenic road. (Some - incredibly - will then give the park a bad review!) However, the parks offer many diverse opportunities to have unique visits in these special lands. Airboat tour in Everglades? Dog sledding in Alaska? Peak bagging Mt. Rainier?
Thus, the challenge: can I identify 60+ distinct ways to experience the different National Parks? And can I then visit the parks using those methods?
The past year-plus has been strange for everyone, with lockdowns, restrictions, job uncertainty, and more. With life now returning to 'normal' (and wondring if a fall/winter surge will upend things again), we're all wondering what the new normal will look like.
In my case, I choose to take a more pro-active role in charting my new normal. The last time a flailing economy (2008) caused my job to disappear, I drifted into the first available job I found. This time, I've chosen to take a different approach.
My wife and I are no strangers to adventure. Nearly thirty years ago, mere months after marrying, we embarked on a 12-month odyssey to cross the US by foot, Maine-to-Oregon - and collected over four tons of roadside litter along the way. (I recounted that story in my first book, Underwear by the Roadside.) Since then, I have helped build houses overseas, rebuild castles in France, rapelled into vertical caves, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, and bicycled thousands of miles across the US, talking at schools and libraries to inspire kids and adults to explore our great land.
More importantly, I recognize that noone knows how much time we have left to us. In the last few months, I have heard several stories of friends looking forward to retirement, only to have health issues ruin those plans. Today is always the best time to chase your dreams!
Here is a listing of some of the most memorable park visits so far. Click here for a complete list.
| Park | Date | Experience | blog post |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs | 2022 Mar 1 | enjoy a bathhouse treatment | Get Spa'ed |
| New River Gorge | 2022 Apr 26 | Walk a catwalk | Plug into the sky (Bridge-Walk) |
| Great Smoky Mountains | 2022 Apr 27-29 | hike to remote high-country lodge | Endure the crowds (and meet A.J.) Unplug (Leconte Lodge) Unplug (Leconte pt. 2) |
| Congaree | 2022 May 1-2 | overnight canoe trip | Plug into the water (canoe the Congaree) Unplug (Congaree pt. 2) |
| Petrified Forest | 2022 May 21-22 | geo-caching hiking into wilderness |
Findings in the Stone Forest Let's Do It Again, with wilderness |
| Fundy (Canada) | 2022 June 9 | kayak a super-high tide | Moose vs. Flark and other ... |
| Cuyahoga Valley | 2022 June 11-12 | ride a scenic train | Cuyahoga Choo-Choo |
| Badlands | 2022 June 21-22 | take a helicopter tour | 1 if by Land, 2 if by Air (3 if by Ladder?) cell-phone tour |
| Redwood | 2022 July 25-27 | get my feet wet, hiking in ferns | Headaches and Neckaches Feet: Frozen and Frying The Fingers of God |
I have started a blog, so people can follow my efforts to organize this adventure - and of course, follow along as I begin visiting parks. Please join my blog, and send my information to all your friends. I would love for this project to go viral!
Good times are better when shared. I plan to open many of my park visits for people to join me.
Once completed, I plan to document this adventure in a book filled with both photography and text. I will dedicate the book to the people I meet in the park - park rangers, staff, outfitter, and visitors to the park - and the book will tell their stories. Anyone supporting me in this adventure will earn a copy of the book - and a possible mention inside it.