My Favorite Day in a National Park

When I look back on the best days and moments I’ve ever had in National Parks there are several outstanding days that come to mind.

Me and my father’s first backpacking trip together in Yellowstone National Park.

The day Ned, Paul, and I crested the continental divide in Glacier National Park, taking in the wonder of Two Medicine Lake and the surrounding mountains.

An outstanding canyon descent I had in Capitol Reef National Park with great friends.

Seeing Old Faithful go off at 2 A.M. with no one else around on a bright moonlit night.

All these experiences were amazing. Some for the unique opportunity they were and others because of the simple joy of being in a great place with great people.

But a few weeks ago I had what may have been my best day ever in a national park.

But it was also one of my simplest.

North Cascades National Park Complex

Labor day of 2019, Jessica, my wife, and I spent the night in the North Cascades National Park Complex. Neither of us had been and we wanted to be sure we were able to spend some time there while living in Washington.

We had an outstanding experience and it immediately became one of our favorite parks.

Jessica is a fan of the water and suggested we come back the next summer to go out on the lakes. I needed no convincing.

So we booked two nights at a campground on the banks of Diablo Lake and returned the following June.

Lake Diablo Studies

A Perfect Park Day

On Thursday, June 18th we woke up in the North Cascades with only one thing on the itinerary: canoe on Ross Lake for as long as we wanted.

After a quick breakfast, we drove to the trailhead a few miles away, hiked down to the lake, took the water taxi to Ross Lake Resort, got our canoe, and we were on our way.

The only aspiration I had for this trip (besides trying out my Polaroid camera) was to make it around the first bend in the lake so I could see further than we could from the road.

The gentleman renting us our canoe suggested we may take a look at Cougar Island, so that’s where we headed.

It was a beautiful sunny day, the first of the season we were told.

Almost no one else was on the lake. For most of the day, it felt like we had the whole lake and all the mountains to ourselves. Our own private national park.

I learned from this trip that I love to canoe on lakes. It’s calm, it’s slow, and I can look up at the mountains the whole time without worrying I’ll trip on a rock.

We did, in fact, make it to Cougar Island where we took a lunch break and enjoyed the view of the snow-capped mountains.

After lunch, we easily passed my only goal of seeing around the first bend and learned how addictive it is to round each lake bend to find new sites. Towering peaks like Sourdough and Hozomeen Mountain kept us in awe for hours.

We even got to paddle right next to three small waterfalls. Had we been in a motorboat we probably would have missed these simple treasures since they are tucked away and too quiet to hear over a motor.

 

Eventually, we reluctantly turned around and fought the afternoon wind back to Lake Ross Resort. 

Back on land, we took another detour to stand on the outstanding, 540-foot-tall Ross Dam.

From there it was a hike back to the car and back to our campsite for a great dinner.

What Made This Day So Special?

So why was this day so great? Why is it possibly the most perfect day I have ever spent in a National Park?

I think it’s because of how simple the day was. There was one thing on the itinerary—canoe. Everything else we did that day was secondary or an added bonus.

We didn’t even have to drive to or from the park since we were camping there for two nights. I spent all of 15 minutes in the car that day.

And that’s not to say nothing went wrong with our day. The phone to call the water taxi was out, most of my polaroid photos were way overexposed, and we spent hours paddling against the wind moving only inches with every stroke.

One Thing at a Time

There is a thought in Zen Buddhism about doing one thing at a time and doing that one thing well. 

Shunryu Suzuki said, “limit your activity to what you can do just now, in this moment…”

This principle applies so well to visiting national parks. We don’t need to be in a rush, we don’t need to see it all.

Instead, we can focus on one (or just a few) activities and experience them to their fullest. Find joy in the simple pleasure of being where you are, learning what you’re learning.

While working at Capitol Reef National Park, I met many people who only passed through the park to just check it off their list. Or would just try to hit the highlights. Or (and this was not a rare event) ask “I have 30 minutes in the park, what should I do?”

I feel sad for those people. 

Yes, they probably got to see the amazing Hickman bridge, but did they stop along that trail and look at the ancient pit house where a family lived? Did they stop to wonder at the park’s unique geology? Maybe. But probably not.

limit your activity to what you can do just now, in this moment…

And by no means do I want to say that any short trip to a national park is a travesty. I beleive any visit to a national park can be a wonderful and beneficial experience. We can still come closer to nature and learn from day trips.

I’ve taken many day trips to national parks—those are my only experience with Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon.) 

But I’m trying to take fewer day trips. I’m trying to make more time for fewer things.

I’m trying to have more days where the only thing I have planned is to be with my best friend on a quiet mountain lake.

And maybe if I do that more, I’ll find I have even more perfect days in my favorite places.