By Guest Bloggers Audra (and Eric) Adelberger
National parks are important to Eric and me; we couldn’t imagine our life or our America without them. It makes me feel both sad and foolish to realize how recently I’ve become aware of the invaluable work being done by Washington’s National Park Fund (as well as the National Parks Conservation Association) to support and strengthen the National Park Service. Besides loving the parks, I guess I just sort of took them for granted and actively supported other environmental and conservation organizations. Thank you for your work!
I have been an enthusiastic visitor to national parks since my childhood in western Montana. My first trip to Glacier NP would have been around 1940, Yellowstone later that decade. Since then, we’ve visited quite a few of our National Parks — from Shenandoah and the Smokies in the East, Arches and Canyonlands in Utah for many spring vacations, to Yosemite and Kings Canyon/Sierras in the West (where Eric and I met each other and joined the Sierra Club.) And now for the past 50 years we’ve made many, many trips to parks in Washington. Here’s a favorite memory: 30 years of family Thanksgiving stays in LaPush, as a base for exploring beaches and hikes in Olympic National Park.
We have been long-time supporters of the Wilderness Society and Nature Conservancy among others; at present, now that we spend so much time in the San Juan Islands, we are paying most attention to the San Juan Preservation Trust and the National Historical Park here.
We walk several miles a week here on the island, and enjoy memories of kayaking, and backpacking in the North Cascades or around Mount Rainier. Our most recent guided tour was with Off the Beaten Path to southern Arizona monuments and parks. We hope to go to Big Bend National Park next year.
San Juan Island is working well as a place to be OK during all this COVID-19 stuff. There are so many walks here and relatively so few people that we can easily get out a lot to enjoy the weather and, at the same time, feel good about social distancing. We also Zoom with our family and Eric with his physics colleagues. I’m also part of a recreational writing group, a book group and the League of Women Voters. We also rely on sunshine, natural beauty and gardening for very low stress. But we sure miss hugging family and friends!
We are very glad for WNPF’s work and wish to support Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic National Parks as much as we can with our donations. We know the parks need a lot of help and support. Thanks!