National Park Hopping

Sometimes it's hard to appreciate a landscape you've never seen or don't know anything about. For one thing, pictures can only do so much, and for another, there's something more meaningful about watching grizzly cubs climb on their mom from a couple hundred yards away than watching them on the Discovery Channel. (Believe me. I know.)

I'm a firm believer in the idea of appreciation leading to stewardship. The desire to save nature's masterpieces comes from a personal love for them. For example, it's easier to want to recycle to save trees when you've gazed over acres and acres of Ponderosa pines spreading across Yellowstone's winding hills and mountains.

I know my appreciation for nature stems, in large part, from trips taken to the United States' national parks. One of my favorites is Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Just the mere juxtaposition of bright blue sky, dark gray mountain peaks, and light sage green grasses captured my eyes and has never let go since.

The Tetons are very rugged mountains, and so they tend to be steep and rocky as opposed to rounded and worn. Having seen them and met them up close while hiking, these mountains are to me a tribute to the powerful forces that created (and are still creating) them. And they're a reminder of what the terrain looks like without cities and highways. Although I appreciate a good highway to get there, I'm really glad to have a park to hide within once I arrive.