How Summer Camp & National Parks Give Me Hope
This old US history teacher loves the 4th of July.
I love the possibility of our republic. I love the opportunity that was seized at just the right moment. I love that the Founding Fathers were big dreamers. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and all the rest dreamed of a different future for themselves and others. I love reflecting on how so many have sacrificed over the last 250 years so that we might continue to pursue the ideals of liberty and opportunity.
There are some things that are quintessential to the American experience:
The flag. Apple pie. Thanksgiving dinner. A county fair. Hot dogs. Route 66. Elvis. Rodeos. Jazz. Baseball. Root beer. Grain elevators. Self-reliance. Summer camp. National parks. And so many other people, experiences, and feelings that have come to define the American experience.
I recognize that freedom has come at a cost and our history is complicated. I also recognize that some may be less optimistic about the current state of our republic than others.
Still, as we celebrate 250 years of America, I find myself especially grateful for two distinctly American ideas that continue to give me hope: Summer camp and our national parks.
Amazingly, when I left my US history classroom, I ventured into a world centered around the intersection of those two ideas, focusing on giving young people the opportunity to grow through the experience of summer camp while exploring and learning to appreciate our national parks and public lands as places where we can explore, breathe, and relish the great outdoors.
Each summer, all around me, those two ideas come together in the best possible way.
Across the country, young people are hiking trails, paddling rivers, climbing mountains, laughing around campfires, and discovering what they are capable of. At the same time, many of those same kids are experiencing the very places that generations have worked to protect, not as museum pieces, but as living classrooms.
As I write this, Wilderness Adventures students are exploring Yellowstone, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes, Olympic, Denali, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Yosemite, and other incredible national parks and public lands. They are seeing bison, glaciers, geysers, alpine lakes, ancient forests, and volcanic landscapes. More importantly, they are discovering resilience, confidence, curiosity, friendship, and a sense of wonder that will stay with them long after the trip ends.
Perhaps that is why these two institutions have endured for so long.
Summer camp reminds us that young people grow when we trust them with responsibility, challenge, and community. Our national parks remind us that some of America’s greatest achievements are not what we have built, but what we have chosen to preserve for future generations.
Both are investments in tomorrow. One preserves remarkable places, the other helps shape remarkable people.
This Fourth of July, while we celebrate our nation’s past, I hope we also celebrate its future. Every child gathered around a campfire, every backpack slung over a shoulder, every mile walked through one of our national parks is a reminder that the American story is still being written.
And when I have the privilege of visiting those kids in these iconic places, watching them take in a mountain vista, marvel at a geyser, sit around a campfire with new friends, and dream big for themselves and our nation, I can’t help but feel optimistic about their future and, in turn, the future of our country.
