Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park | 
pickA very wholesome experience. 😊 There's an unobjectionable peppy-ness to Knighton's narration, complete with the occasional silly joke. I appreciate that he does acknowledge those issues which you cannot honestly avoid mentioning when discussing national parks: the fraught history of removing indigenous people from their ancestral lands, the lack of diversity in park visitors and staff (the systemic and historical racism that means people 1/?
I get the 'unspoiled wilderness with no ringtones to wreck it' vibes - but being able to call in help to remote areas via a cell phone tower disguised as a tree sounds like a good idea. 💁🏼♂️
Never really thought of Bigfoot as a character with greater chutzpah in the dating world. 🥴
Our best weapon for protecting the parks from people has always been people... Perhaps the record-breaking popularity of the parks will help us love them back to life. 💚
pickDid some audio crafting while finishing up this book today. I already had a long list of parks to visit, but it grew listening to this book. Hopefully I‘ll get the chance to enjoy all of them. 🤞🏻 #audiocrafting
pickIn the wake of all the upsetting news this week I need a book to take me away and not keep me up at night. This was perfect. It captured the beauty of the all the national parks and the stories behind them as well as a good road trip telling.
Looking for travel inspiration and a little faith that my vote will do some good.
#12BooksOf2021 #April
After reading this book, I wanted to jump in my car and visit the US National Parks. Part memoir, part celebration of the National Parks System, and part ecological study, this was such an amazing book. The enthusiasm for the parks came through - I think it pairs well with Cheryl Strayed‘s Wild and Susan Orlean‘s The Library Book, for Knighton‘s personal exploration as well as the encompassing of beauty and nature.
My Barnes & Noble purchases 😍
When it‘s cold and snowy in May, the best plan is a warm drink and spend time reading about some of my favorite places.
#bibliotherapy Do I need more books? No but does anyone else think they can absorb a book through osmosis? I promised my self that if I stayed calm through a difficult situation I would reward myself with a trip to the bookstore- and it worked!!!
Thanks for the tag, @MoonWitch94 and @Eggs !
1. I‘ve reread quite a few books more than twice! Pride and Prejudice is at the top of the list. I start every year by reading Helene Hanff‘s 84, Charing Cross Road.
2. Sometimes!
3. A very recent read, and such a good book! I want to visit every national park!
#ThoughtfulThursday
pickThis book...❤️❤️❤️! Knighton plans to visit each US National Park in a year, partly due to the recent breakup with his fiancée. What transpires is a love letter to national parks that goes beyond their descriptive beauty - Knighton discusses conservation on so many levels
Great mix of memoir & travelogue, with science bits scattered throughout the narrative. If this does not make you wish to visit a national park, I‘m not sure what will!
Thanks for the tag @MoonWitch94 !
1. I‘ll go generic and say just about every youngish character who had to die in 19th century literature to serve the author‘s message. For a brief period in time, it seemed to be a prerequisite in American literature, at least!
2. This is a hard one! Pride and Prejudice, but there are many others that could also work.
3. Loving this book! Perfect blend of memoir with nature/history.
#ThoughtfulThursday
pickFor all the national park fans like me, or those who‘ve been to just one national park and loved it, or those who simply dream of going to national parks...this book is a must-read! Yes, he describes going to every park but it‘s not a travelogue. With chapter titles like Ice, Mystery, Trees, Forgiveness, Light and Food it‘s clear to see that he found a unique way to talk about parks. Truly a lovely book. 💚
Thanks for the tag, @CarolineLovesToRead !
I have yet to read the tagged book, but it is high on my tbr. Traveling the US National Parks, viewing nature, & how best to protect national parks. It sounds so good!
1. They ❤️ it!
2. I had the week off from work - I was near burnout, & I finally spoke up about it. It has been nice to take some quiet time away, with just a little bit of work to do (a supervisor‘s work is ever done).
#ThankfulThursday
pickStarted this as bedtime stories, a pleasant way to “get away from it all” at the end of the day. It‘s that & more. Newly jilted Knighton visits all 59 National Parks in one year and offers not an in-depth parks guide, nor an emotional journey a la “Wild” but an interesting and entertaining collection of park facts and anecdotes, with surprisingly thoughtful meditations on borders, diversity, native cultures, and climate change among others.
Each issue raised comes with speaking to authorities on the subjects, often connected to the journalism the author was also contracted to do while touring the parks, so there is a certain news spot polish to the discussions.
I appreciate the personal touch of the author's journey framed as a year recuperating from a cancelled wedding, the unexpected end of a long-term relationship, leading to an exploration 3w
Knighton states at the beginning that thanks to his haphazard logistics, he won't be going into the details of traveling from park to park, and likewise, he doesn't go into much detail of hikes in particular parks; while the stunning sights are described, it's more about choosing a topic, often with historical context in the creation of the parks, and matching it to two or 3w
I enjoyed it as a different framework from other park narratives I've read.
If you're not sure whether you'll be entertained enough by a park-based narrative, I think this jumps around enough to engage more readers than a straightforward trail narrative might.
⚠️discussion of racist legacy in park policy, creation 3w