Greetings from Buffalo National River

I grew up a pastor’s kid and I had four siblings. As you might expect, we did not have a lot of money to take vacations. However, we could afford to camp in the natural beauty of the National Parks. That is exactly what we did.

Some of my best memories from childhood include rock climbing at Joshua Tree National Monument (now a National Park), standing awestruck on the South rim of the Grand Canyon, watching a large bear pass within yards of us as we hiked through a meadow in Sequoia National Park, running down the sand dunes in Death Valley National Monument (now a National Park), surveying the view of the Yosemite valley from the top of Half Dome, and being entranced by the boiling mud and geysers at Yellowstone National Park. I am so thankful that my parents introduced me to the National Parks and passed on their love for the wild.

As I grew older, I continued to be drawn to those oases of wilderness that our forefathers wisely set aside for the American people. In college, a group of us took a road trip to visit Utah’s National Parks. We obtained back country passes at Arches National Park and hiked to a beautiful location where we camped in the snow, surrounded by enormous arched rock formations. At Zion National Park, we braved the snow melt to hike through The Narrows. Climbing to the top of Angels Landing, I had the chance to survey the valley and feel the exhilaration of peering down nearly 1,500 feet to the speck like vehicles moving along the road on the valley floor.

Now that I am the father of two rambunctious boys (ages 2 and 6), I have sought to pass along my love of the wilderness to my sons. We live in the foothills of the Ozark Mountain range in Northwest Arkansas and so one of our favorite places to hike and camp is at the Buffalo National River. They love every second of it! Next Summer my wife and I plan to take our boys on a National Parks road trip, just like the ones I enjoyed as a boy. Everything has come full circle.

Sincerely,
Josh