New Podcast — National Parks: Go Outside and Touch Grass
Take a hike!
Hello, friends!
Our new episode National Parks: Go Outside and Touch Grass is in your podcast player right now!
The National Park System (NPS) is a national treasure. US National Parks represent just about every type of feature and wildlife you can imagine. And it’s not just parks: The NPS includes national monuments, memorials, scenic trails, lakeshores, battlefields, recreation areas, and more.
The concept of a national park is credited to George Catlin, a 19th-century lawyer, painter, and adventurer. He specialized in portraits of Native Americans and the American frontier:
Although his work might seem mundane now, imagine the world of the mid-1800s: Photograph was still about 50 years from becoming commonplace. These paintings would have been most people’s first glimpse of the American frontier and its people. More on that here.
This brief video is a nice overview of his life, work, and mission with his paintings.:
Catlin’s travels took him all over the burgeoning United States, where he met fifty native tribes. He also worried about the loss of wildlife, wilderness, and indigenous people as America expanded westward into the frontier. His solution? A ‘nation’s park’ — land protected by the government for future generations.
That vision became reality in 1872, when Yellowstone, in what’s now Wyoming, became the first national park established by Congress. Now there are 63 National Parks across the US and its territories, from Acadia in Maine to Yosemite in California, Denali in Alaska to Dry Tortugas in Florida, and so many more in between.
In this episode, we explore the almost overwhelming awesomeness of the NPS and take a virtual tour of some of the coolest experiences you can have in nature. We learn about the history of hippos and the Everglades, meet the most dangerous animal in the Grand Canyon, and learn the best place to eat popovers in Maine.
Then we recommend five books that took us on big adventures in national parks, including:
a historical novel in Oklahoma
an adventure story in the Pacific Northwest
a murder mystery in Michigan
a memoir in Arizona
and a Bigfoot tale in Washington
Listen on your favorite podcast app or on our show notes page — for book recommendations, details about how you could be involved with a national park, a video of the synchronous fireflies, a peek inside the SS Kamloops shipwreck, and much more.
This has been one of our most-requested destinations, and we’re delighted to take you on a virtual tour of so much natural beauty. We hope you enjoy it!
A Podcast Programming Note
We’ve had a death in the family, and while we're doing some version of okay, it's understandably knocked us off our usual rhythm. We're heading back to the U.S. for a few weeks, and we're not entirely sure when we'll be back behind the mic.
That said, we absolutely plan to finish out the season. It might just take us a little longer than expected.
We'll share news and an updated schedule here on Substack when we have it.
Thank you for your patience, your kindness, and for being part of our community. We’ll be back with more stories — and more good books — as soon as we can.
I'm so sorry for your loss and hope that fond memories will soften your grief. Wishing you safe travels and all the time and space you need. Peace to you both and to your families.
Your episodes are all the sparkly fun that helps counterbalance the noxious news cycle. Wonder and joy and gentle goodness. Thank you both. SSoP is a gift; do not feel obligated to rush back from this family time. Come back when it feels good to stretch your imaginations this way again. Until then, know that you are both held in our hearts.