How my family and I camped over 20 National Parks with zero experience
Raining, the five of us huddled inside our instant tent- eating beef sticks for dinner and laughing together as a family. Moments before my Dad was panicked because our rain cover for the tent was beyond tangled and booms of thunder hovered above in Great Sand Dunes National Park. I (the family knitter and lover of string) was able to untie the knots right before the rains came and right before our tent would have been soaked. Now laughing, we look back and cherish every story and adventure of the road trip that changed our lives.
It started when the pandemic hit. All of a sudden, our plans for traveling outside the country came to a halt because of all the travel restrictions. We were planning to go to Portugal and travel Europe because we found $100 flights. I was disappointed that our summer in Europe would have to be put on hold. However my Mom (who has adventure literally running through her veins) was quick to think of an alternative. “How about we take a road trip and see America?” And so it was then and there that our unforgettable road trip was born.
It was perfect timing ; my Dad was given three months paternity leave for my little brother Luke. And my Mom had just stopped working. There would probably never be an opportunity like this again. So we decided to take advantage of my Dad’s three month leave and plan the trip for the entire summer. To plan such a road trip , our family had to stick to a strict military schedule.
You would probably think that embarking on such a trip meant years of camping experience- but believe it or not we had never camped before in our lives. We had to book campsites at 25 National Parks six months in advance. We practiced camping for a night at a local campground the week before. Would you believe that although we can be called experts now, we had never camped before or after that life changing trip.
We all knew we were inexperienced. We also knew that such a long trip was not for the faint of heart. But what we didn’t know going into this trip was how it would further prove to us that learning does not just take place in a classroom. Traveling the parks would bind our family together in such a close way and it would inspire my art for years to come.
Cool morning air embraced us as we awoke to another morning of camping. Packed up and dressed for our long hike ahead of us, we drove to Jenny Lake, Grand Tetons National Park. This hike would test our hiking abilities because it would take us through steep inclines and last for seven miles- one of the longer hikes of our trip. I remember on our hike back, my nine year old sister- Kristina was beyond tired. She looked up at all of us and asked “why can’t we just be a normal family”?! In her perspective- she was right. If you looked around on the trail, we were some of the only hikers that had submitted with young kids, including my 7 month old brother Luke. Even through her tiredness, Kristina was secretly grateful to be a “not normal family”. We learned things that other families can’t learn because we were outside. Facing challenges like long hikes- taught me how to persevere and have grit. Many of the greatest lessons I’ve learned have not happened inside the confining walls of a classroom, but outside in the real and authentic beauty of the National Parks. How is a young child supposed to feel the joy and pride of overcoming a great challenge if they are never exposed to challenges at all?
Being constantly surrounded by nature was like living in a living textbook. In each National Park, my sister and I would learn as much as we could about the geology, native plants, wildlife, and history. In every park we strived to get a junior ranger badge by completing the Junior Ranger booklet specific to each park. Reading about all the natural wonders of the parks was so fun because we were actually there experiencing it. Whether it was listening to Ranger talks under the stars in Black Canyon of the Gunnison- or learning how hoodoos were created in Bryce Canyon Nat. Park- we were constantly in a discovery mindset.
Having no internet connection for sometimes weeks on end- meant no distractions and uninterrupted family time. There was no escaping each other- literally. If you needed some alone time, you would pick up your camping chair and walk 20 feet into the woods. When you drive countless hours, eat every meal together, summit every hike together, sleep in a one room tent, and talk endlessly to each other- you become very close. We look back and laugh at how satisfied we were with every meal. Whether it was Kristina living off of pistachios because she disliked sandwiches, or nights where we would be huddled around our gas stove savoring the aroma of Minute Rice and sausage- the memories made there are talked about almost daily in our house.
Driving in the West often meant driving through exposed cliffs and winding mountain roads. My sister had a great knack of asking the most random questions while driving on these sheer cliffs.“Hey Daddy?” Kristina said, breaking the deadly silence. “Yes” he would reply while gripping the wheel with a tight hold. “Would you rather die by jumping in a lake full of crocodiles or by being chased by lions in the desert?” Then we would all start laughing as my Dad tried to think of an answer and focus on the road at the same time.
By isolating ourselves and spending beautiful days together- our family dynamic changed. Public schools and regular nine to five jobs- were no longer the right fit for our family. After the trip, my Dad started looking for a fully remote job. We also felt that our one year of homeschooling prior to the trip, prepared us for taking such an adventure and affirmed that we should continue home educating because of the freedom it gave us. Finally, we knew it was time to leave the suburbs and look for a home somewhere in the country. We wanted more nature, more land to grow our own food, less traffic and less consumerism.
The sweet and warming smell of the ponderosa pines in Rocky Mountain National Park- or the cold, pure waters of Crater Lake are things I will never forget. They continue to inspire me today as an artist. I could paint a thousand different paintings of each park and never get tired. That is just one of the impacts of sleeping under their skies and watching their sunrises and sunsets. I try to reflect through my watercolor paintings the tranquility and stillness of the parks. The way the wildflowers blow in a long rippled wave at Mount Rainier, or the mountains that fade evermore into the heavens at Yosemite- there is something to be felt by all who lay eyes upon it.
The summer of 2021 truly changed our lives. I dream I could visit each park again and again and then hope for opportunities to see all the parks we didn’t see. Whenever you leave the parks, you are left with the wonder of their beauty. They seem to whisper that there are more places, infinitely more awe inspiring places to explore. We gained a rare understanding of education through experiencing and adventuring in the parks. Our whole family has a new love for America and the idyllic Parks within it. And each one of us is left with a soft echoing voice that calls us deeply to ‘explore the rest of the unknown’.
The 20 plus National Parks we’ve visited:
- Grand Canyon
- Zion
- Bryce Canyon
- Capitol Reef
- Arches
- Canyonlands
- Mesa Verde
- Black Canyon of the Gunison
- Great Sand Dunes
- Rocky Mountain
- Grand Tetons
- Yellowstone
- Glacier
- Mount Rainier
- Olympic
- Crater Lake
- Redwoods
- Yosemite
- Kings Canyon
- Sequoia
- Death Valley
- Joshua Tree
- Hawaii Volcanoes
- Harpers Ferry (historic park)
- Great Falls (historic park)
