Outward bound – a trip to yellowstone

Traveling this summer my family journeyed to Yellowstone for one week. As you might expect, there were numerous activities at our fingertips. Hiking, visiting landmarks, swimming, fishing, rafting, or just relaxing and enjoying the phenomenal view.  Montana is not short on beautiful scenery – in fact you can’t escape it. But the one aspect that really had me thinking about national parks was how unique it is to visit in 2022 a place that is preserved and protected. You’re visiting an area that in large part is untouched by humanity compared to the rest of the country. There is no large scale development or buildings allowed and the ecosystems are left to operate naturally. There are still herds of buffalo thriving as well as bear, wolves, moose, antelope, and bald eagles. 

And with preservation and conservation being the priority, we, as visitors, took a small step back with a return to basics. I found great joy in that. Watching my family hike, play, laugh and do it all together with such appreciative attitudes made us all happy. 

We found ourselves rising and setting with the sun. We were immersed in nature every day.  We had to prepare for the elements, pack our food and protect ourselves against potential animal encounters. We ate all our meals together and shared picnics every day at lunch wherever we found ourselves – by a stream or lake usually so we could rest and cool off after hiking. The simplicity of a vacation in the great outdoors brought me such satisfaction in that it was simple to have a good time. 

Being surrounded by nature on a large scale where a human can often be the underdog took some adjustment. In those settings, we could easily have found ourselves at a disadvantage if we had a chance encounter with a wild animal or came up unexpectedly against the elements. For me the positive side of being in the wilderness  was the fact that we entertained each other, there was no cell service and everyone from my parents to my kids were engaged with everything we did. 

I happened to look up how many visitors Yellowstone receives every year and would you believe it’s almost 5 million people? So it seems, we aren’t alone in feeling the draw of Yellowstone. The parks have seen an uptick in visitors since COVID which urged Americans to focus on destinations within the contiguous 48 states. 

For many people this is a trip that involves a back to basics camping or road trip experience. Many people traveled in campers. Some even threw a mattress in the back of their SUV and had kitted out their vans or trucks to live like a camper. People had driven from all over the country to visit Montana. 

Everyone was enjoying the hikes, the landscapes, the waterfalls and animal sightings with true passion and what seemed like a common appreciation for nature.

Whether you would consider visiting National Parks in your own state or even in your region or you set your sights on a location out West like Yellowstone, they are truly a wonder to behold. It gave me a glimpse of what it would have been like to be a pioneer and settle in a wild and extreme place. So much depended on luck and timing and how fierce you could battle everything life threw at you. One of the greatest perks of doing a trip exploring nature is that it appeals to all ages. It also allowed for both quiet time to reflect on life and fun adventures that create some epic memories.