With self-discipline, all things are possible.
April 3, 2016 7:39 AM Subscribe
Autumn Ray is running a marathon in every one of America's 59 National Parks. Photographer Jonathan Irish is seeing them all in one year.
These guys saw them all in 15 months, and this guy's trying to see them all in 59 weeks. Here's a family that saw them all before their kids turned 18.
These guys saw them all in 15 months, and this guy's trying to see them all in 59 weeks. Here's a family that saw them all before their kids turned 18.
Vemont's got one national park and while it's beautiful, planning a marathon in there is going to be challenging. It's teeny -- only 20 miles of trails.
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2016
posted by The corpse in the library at 9:04 AM on April 3, 2016
warning! more headlines from the negative news hour
ambitious person burns incredible amounts of petroleum and spends hours in cars and planes and hotels for minutes in very nice parks taking photos.
it would be a little more inspirational for someone to see them all traveling slowly by horseback experiencing smells and not carrying around any capture devices?
posted by danjo at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
ambitious person burns incredible amounts of petroleum and spends hours in cars and planes and hotels for minutes in very nice parks taking photos.
it would be a little more inspirational for someone to see them all traveling slowly by horseback experiencing smells and not carrying around any capture devices?
posted by danjo at 9:18 AM on April 3, 2016 [4 favorites]
I've been working through the Canadian National parks (and whooooweeee, lemme tell you that visiting the northern parks is a Very Expensive Proposition).
I'm hoping (*hoping*) to see them all in my lifetime - ideally 2 or 3 weeks spent in each.
Not all compressed into a timeframe as if it's a pie eating competition.
posted by parki at 9:34 AM on April 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm hoping (*hoping*) to see them all in my lifetime - ideally 2 or 3 weeks spent in each.
Not all compressed into a timeframe as if it's a pie eating competition.
posted by parki at 9:34 AM on April 3, 2016 [2 favorites]
So she... quit her job? I'm assuming?
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:44 AM on April 3, 2016
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:44 AM on April 3, 2016
Nope! She heads back home from time to time to take shifts in the ER.
She probably makes some scratch from her blog (linked in the Smithsonian piece), too. Plenty of travel bloggers do pretty okay with that kind of setup, and certainly her story is as compelling as any random backpacker's.
Here's hoping she makes it!
posted by notyou at 9:54 AM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
She probably makes some scratch from her blog (linked in the Smithsonian piece), too. Plenty of travel bloggers do pretty okay with that kind of setup, and certainly her story is as compelling as any random backpacker's.
Here's hoping she makes it!
posted by notyou at 9:54 AM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
While I applaud her effort the first thing I though of was all the creatures in the western parks that would consider her food. Given that she grew up in Libby I'm gonna assume she knows about bear spray and keeps her eyes open for cougars. Rattlesnakes and bison won't eat you but y'know, they're not friendly.
posted by Ber at 11:00 AM on April 3, 2016
posted by Ber at 11:00 AM on April 3, 2016
Vemont's got one national park and while it's beautiful, planning a marathon in there is going to be challenging. It's teeny -- only 20 miles of trails.
accept reality of four mile trail cube
posted by thelonius at 12:26 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
accept reality of four mile trail cube
posted by thelonius at 12:26 PM on April 3, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'm kind of in awe of these sorts grand plan projects. But then I start thinking about all the things I see on repeated to visits to places (even if it's just the local park where I caught sight of an American Widgeon last week and I can't imagine spending all that effort to run through a place. Though if any of those trails are more than a couple hundred meters from a paved road she is seeing more of the park than most people who visit.
And then I think of all the places I've only seen on the internet and have no chance of ever seeing in person and I go and cry in the corner a bit.
posted by Mitheral at 3:47 PM on April 3, 2016
And then I think of all the places I've only seen on the internet and have no chance of ever seeing in person and I go and cry in the corner a bit.
posted by Mitheral at 3:47 PM on April 3, 2016
« Older unicorn tears | "Spurned Elle Writer Goes On Truly Bananas Rant" Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by Confess, Fletch at 8:51 AM on April 3, 2016