The past two weeks our family has been camping in two amazing National Parks. We first headed east to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The rim greeted us with wild beauty and beautiful vistas. The canyon seemed to turn every color of the rainbow depending on the time of day that we perched on the rim or entered into its rugged wilderness. The stars came alive at night. We could easily see the Milky Way. After five days at the Canyon, we headed north to majestic Yosemite with its stunning valley, world renowned waterfalls, stately gray granite mountains, snow capped peaks, and cascading rapids.

When I'm in a national park I am always struck by the stories of their conception and the jarring realization that these parks were at one time not protected and not guaranteed. It was the work of a handful of (rather adamant) conservationists who advocated to set aside the beautiful landscapes that have come to embody the national parks as we know them today. When pioneers moved west and discovered such canyons and valleys, the push was to commercialize every bit of land. To cut down the Giant Sequoias for their lumber. To hunt all of the buffalo that roamed in Wyoming. To build dams which would flood beautiful valleys. To build hotels and restaurants over the edge of the Grand Canyon. I love stories of those who worked to preserve bits of wilderness for those who had not yet been born. My favorite example is the story of John Muir convincing President Theodore Roosevelt of this grand idea around a simple campfire in the Yosemite Valley.

I love to see who else is delighting in the grandeur of the parks I visit. National parks are for everyone. They are for the family who wants to go camping and exploring in the park. They are for the backpacker who wants to carry all of his gear on his back, hike ten miles into the wilderness, and camp in the backcountry. They are for the older couple who stays at the lodge to take in the scenery. The parks are for the rich and the poor alike. They are for the hiker intent on hiking to the bottom of the canyon. Each park is for the international traveler who has heard of the wonders of the American West and travels around the world to see it with her own two eyes. The parks are for the children to have a chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. The parks are unique in that they were preserved for every single person to enjoy.

What we are all able to enjoy today is a product of the foresight of those who loved little corners of America so much that they fought to pass legislation that would preserve and protect the parks so that future generations could enjoy their beauty.

The American novelist Wallace Stegner said it well: “National parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst.”

I tend to agree.

A Camping Essential

We recently added a hammock to our camping gear. Our kids absolutely love it! They will often cram multiple people into it, giggling and swinging and having a grand old time. But there were several times on this trip that all of that fun play turned rough and someone tumbled out of the hammock.

KidScents Owie is my go-to for skinned knees and bruises. Owie does what it's name implies: it's perfect for putting on an "owie." Owie is a premixed blend full of oils (Idaho Grand Fir, Tea Tree, and Elemi) that are perfect for soothing skin or helping to heal hurts and boo-boos fast. I also really love the way Owie smells. It's aroma is calming and I've found that helpful when my kids are in distress over a skinned knee or a big hurt.

Pro tip: You can remove the orifice top on your bottle of oil and add a spray top instead. Just spritz directly onto your skin. Works like a charm!

Snippets of My Week

Atop Grandview Point in Grand Canyon National Park.

All of us at Grandview Point at Grand Canyon National Park.

An evening campfire at Mather Campground in Grand Canyon National Park.

The kids halfway up the Upper Yosemite Falls trail.

Caleb and I on our way past Vernal Falls.

The kids after four miles and 2000 feet of climbing to Nevada Falls.

Thanks for reading! Are you a camper, too? I'd love to hear where you are planning to adventure this summer. Just hit reply if you'd like to respond. (When you hit reply, your message goes directly to my email. It’s a private conversation between just us.) I read all your messages and try to respond, but not always in a timely manner. Sorry! And if you enjoyed this email, you’d be doing me a favor by forwarding it to someone else who might like it.