A hearty salute to the National Park Service on their centennial yesterday; hopefully some of you made it to the granddaddy of all NPS celebrations at the Roosevelt Arch in Gardiner yesterday evening.
Some of the most memorable adventures ever enjoyed by our family have taken place within the borders of the majestic Parks of the West; nothing against the fine NPs in the East, the West just happens to be our stomping ground, in particular Grand Teton and Yellowstone.
In an age of ever increasing cultural urbanization (over 80% in 2010), remaining relevant in the eyes of a spendthrift political class may be the Parks’ greatest challenge yet to come.
Thankfully, there will always be those who truly understand that the Parks were not created nor intended to be savored from a car seat, or simply a background shot in your Yellowstone selfie on Instagram.
I like to think the Parks were intended to be a portal to another time, when the world was big, wild and still a little unexplored; when you pulled nature over your shoulders like a blanket on a cold night around the campfire and immersed yourself in another world, even if just for a few hours on the Firehole or on an early fall float down the Snake.
Here’s to the next 100 years, and see you on the Firehole for the fall blue wings.
