The Rules

Note: If you want to pursue the same (massive) goal as I am, then have fun and good luck – but please give me credit for the idea. You know this is a life-long quest, right? It’s about appreciating all of it, every square inch of the USA, every bit of Mother Nature’s beauty. Please don’t try to do it all in some bizarre kind of speed record. That goes against the nature (and the rules!) of this quest. It’s meant to be huge, it’s meant to take a couple of decades at least. You’re meant to savor it and to wonder if you can possibly finish before you die. That’s the point – a person can never run out of things to see, nature to appreciate, wild wonders to behold. If you’re not able to travel far, then concentrate on all those many sites and trails and spaces around you! Each state has so much to offer, if only we open our eyes to the possibilities.

  • Visit all the National Park Sites and hike a variety of trails within each Site
  • Visit all the accessible-to-the-public (without requiring a private boat) National Wildlife Refuges and hike a variety of trails
  • Hike all the National Scenic Trails
  • Hike all the National Recreation Trails that are open to/meant for hikers and closed to motorized vehicles
  • Visit all the National Natural Landmarks that are open to the public (without requiring a private boat) and, where possible, hike within them
  • See all the National Wild & Scenic Rivers with my own eyes, in person
  • No rushing! That’s against the rules! No chest-beating or speed record attempts! The focus should not be on promoting yourself – it should instead be on appreciating Mother Nature. This is not about telling the world how great you are, and this is not about look-at-me-ism. This is about honestly and humbly appreciating Earth. Read the info signs, look around, appreciate, absorb, and respect the beauty of the world!

As you can see, there’s quite a lot I want to do. I am not in a rush. This quest will likely take the rest of my life; my goal is to finish before I die of very old age. The National Scenic Trails alone will take me years. I am 48 right now (July 2019), and I won’t be able to start full-time until at least 2024. Between then and now, I’ll do what I can part-time and keep track of it all on this blog. This blog is for myself and whoever feels like reading along; it’s not meant as a guide, it’s meant as an open diary of sorts and as a way for me to keep track of the places I have been fortunate to experience.