We see the future of public lands as something slower. Our goal is to tell a different story about America’s Best Idea.
Slow the Parks is about taking the recent haste and waste out of the public spaces that are loved so much and filling those experiences instead with patience, intention, and a healthy dose of walking.
While the world continues to spin faster, getting outside (and outside your car) can be a source of play, learning, challenge, and adventure, and one we believe is inversely related to the number of miles you drive while you’re out there.
We want parks that put the environment and direct relationships to nature first, and profits and attendance numbers second.
And most of all, we want everyday people, from all backgrounds, to learn something about themselves and the world around them by loving our National Parks… slowly.
So what do we have in mind? We aim to tell stories and connect people.
Stories: Our blog is a collection of musings and investigations into our own personal experiences outside, as well as the politics, economics, and philosophy of recreation.
Our Instagram is more focused on sharing people’s slow park experiences, as well as one of our common joys—photography. All three of us love to capture our adventures, and you can see them there.
Connection: We want to meet and talk to people who care deeply about public lands. You can email us at slowtheparks@gmail.com with your personal stories, beliefs, and wild dreams of parks yet unfounded. And stay tuned, because live events, park meetups, and more may be around the bend.
Slow the Parks was born out of the desire of three friends to see deeper and more connected interaction with the American National Parks and those that visit them. And while we thought of the actual idea for Slow the Parks 5 miles into the backcountry along the Hoh River in Olympic National Park, the idea took root years ago.
The three of us (Paul Busch, Ned Wilcock, and Bret Stein) all developed a love and passion for the outdoors through scouting. We each spent many summers working at outdoor camps developing and sharing that love with others.
Later, as we spent more time exploring the Nation’s Parks and public lands (and in Paul and Bret’s cases working at National Parks) we saw many visitors who just rushed from sight to sight trying to cram as much as they could into their park experience.
To us, this seems odd. Isn’t the point of National Parks to relax and learn? And we started to wonder how we could help. How to deepen our own and others’ park experiences.
Over the past few years, we’ve started trying to help ourselves slow down in the parks. Starting in the high Uinta Wilderness, we discovered how unique even one stream can be if you explore it thoughtfully for a few hours.
In Glacier National Park, we limited the number of pictures we took so we could really focus on what we were seeing; and gathered Huckleberries for 30 minutes to make an impromptu dessert.
On the Olympic National Park Coast, we planned a whole rest day in the backcountry to simply explore and build sandcastles.
We’ve gone off-trail, backtracked, explored anthills, sat in on ranger programs, and haven’t even scratched the surface of our Public Lands.
And that’s the point. All of these experiences (and more) have given incredible value to our time in the National Parks and brought us closer to it’s natural and cultural value, even if they’ve kept us from driving through other parks.
And so one night along the Hoh River, after spending part of our hike in total silence to preserve the spell of the forest, we decided we wanted to help cultivate a group of like-minded individuals and help spread the message of Slowing the Parks.
Braden “Ned” “Neddy Roosevelt” Wilcock is a man of all seasons. At once knife connoisseur, web designer, actor, and photographer, Ned embodies the curiosity, depth, and mindfulness that we try to convey at #SlowtheParks.
He lives in eastern Idaho, where he tries to find time outside of Dungeon Mastering to adventure IRL.
A sunbleached felt hat, a stack of Criterion Collection DVDs from the local video co-op, a well-marked copy of The Sibley Guide to Birds, and a Cascadian flag on the wall—just a few of the pieces of the messy life of Paul Busch.
Paul is an Idaho-born birder and videographer, residing in the lively community of Moscow, Idaho.
Bret is an avid hiker and semi-professional pizzaiolo who harbors a deep love of all things wild. Unquestionably an Air nomad, Bret uses the outdoors, his own talents (he’s a whizz at portrait photography), and the diverse citizenry of the Mojave Desert to explore, play, and connect.
Raised in proximity to the Teton mountains, Bret met the other members of the SLOW team through Scouting (well, sort of with Ned.) He and his wife live in the Mojave.