Nature's Mic: National Parks Explored

Bev Friedman has been a stay at home mom since having her first child. She, along with her husband, live in Florida and have always been avid national park enthusiasts. They have ensured as they raised their daughter to visit as many parks as possible, always searching for an adventure to provide great travel memories for their family.  Bev is striving to reach a lifetime goal of visiting every national park. She enjoys hiking, finding new adventures and is already planning her next park trip. She truly has a heart for the outdoors and feels so much can be found at the national parks creating a multitude of memories. In this episode, Bev and I discuss Arches National Park and the best ways to properly experience it. We also talk about how the beauty of the park leaves a lasting impression on those who visit.

Sarah has been a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park for an entire season. She especially loves working with Yellowstone’s educational program so that she can inspire others to take an interest and have a passion for America’s national parks. She also works with the park in a variety of ways to ensure more people can properly experience the park as well as how they can inform guests in more impactful ways. In this episode, Sarah and I discuss the things that make Yellowstone so special compared to other national parks. We also discuss the numerous methods the National Park Service uses to deal with the colossal crowds within the park.

Bryson Lever is a GIS & mapping lead at Milliken Advisors where he assists in mapping forested areas. He has taken an interest in America’s national parks ever since he studied them in college. This encouraged him and his wife to begin exploring as many national parks as possible in their free time. Bryson also loves learning about the history of the individual parks and what makes each of them so special. In this episode, Bryson and I discuss the noticeable landscape of Zion and how that plays into what makes the park so special. A popular hike within the park, called Angels Landing is also discussed. This trail is an icon of the park and completing it leaves a lasting effect on those who are brave enough to take on the dangerous trek.

Stephen Truel is an avid explorer of the vast landscapes that make up America and its national parks. Although he is from South Carolina, Stephen has many family members who live all around the country and he uses this opportunity to travel frequently, especially making trips out west. Stephen and his two older brothers enjoy camping together when possible. This allows them to bond and have more permanent memories associated with the outdoors. In this episode, Stephen and I discuss Canyonlands national park. We talk about the unique vastness of the park as well as how its isolation sets it apart from other parks. Stephen speaks about his camping trip in Canyonlands with his brothers and how staying in the park for a few days changed how he used to view Canyonlands.

Dr. David Ronan is an emergency room doctor at Spartanburg Regional Medical Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Here he helps many people recover from whatever injuries or illnesses they might encounter. However, in his free time David is a national park and outdoor junkie. He loves spending time with his wife and four kids as they explore the national park system across America. David also has a slight interest in photography and videography and enjoys capturing meaningful photos and videos of his family, while they are on their trips. David loves taking his family in their RV camper and traveling across America for weeks at a time. It's in these moments that David remembers his passion for the outdoors and he enjoys sharing those interests when the time is right. In this episode, we talk about Grand Canyon National Park and some of the different experiences David has had at the canyon. Most notably, we discuss his rafting journey through the canyon and how this experience affected his perception of the park.

Will Harmon is a teacher of history at Lexington Leadership Academy in Lexington, South Carolina. He loves teaching students about world history as well as inspiring them to go outside and explore the world around them. He also has a love of photography that he combines with his passion for the great outdoors. These two interests collide and allow Will to share some of his best photography with his followers on social media. The national parks of the United States give Will an excellent opportunity to hone his photography skills as well as share with people why he loves the outdoors so much. In this episode, we discuss the natural beauty of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and how this wondrous landscape can bring one so many adventures and lasting memories.