Introduction

 Welcome to my Parks in Context Blog. This is where I will be sharing my thoughts and findings during the IS399 class. 

To begin, I will start with my relationship with nature. I have always been around the outdoors since I was a small child. My father has always loved camping and backpacking, so I was generally just "dragged along." I didn't mind though; no small child is going to discern between a local park with a playground and a state/national park that much. As I grew older, I slowly became more aware of the idea of what a state and/or national park was, and I didn't mind either way. The only thing That was the "big deal" for me was my 10 year old trip coming up!  

Me as a 10 yr-old in the Tetons

This was a tradition in my family started by my grandfather on my dad's side, who we call Poppa. Poppa started this tradition of when each kid of his turned 10 years old, he would take a canoe trip with them down the Snake River in the Grand Teton National Park. After all of his children grew up, My dad continued and expanded upon the tradition by not only letting the grandkids do the canoe trip with Poppa, but also adding a 5 day backpacking trip through the mountains. When My time finally came, it truly lived up to all of the excitement put before it. It was an amazing adventure with amazing people. It will forever be one of my fondest memories.

As I have grown older, my time in parks has become less and less frequent. Middle school, then high school, then even college are all factors hindering the exploration of the outdoors. However, I still get to go sometimes (for example, my Congaree trip in college) and I still holds a fond place in my heart because of the people I went with.