Month: November 2025

I noted the following statement on a recent fundraising mailing I got from the American Camp Association (ACA): “If parents believe that camp is just about fun rather than growth and youth development, they may simply decide that it isn’t worth investing in.” I do not think the outcomes of camp are an either/or issue. I believe, further, that downplaying fun does a disservice to both kids, their parents, and all adults.

Fun is a feeling of enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure that comes from engaging in activities we find interesting and/or playful. It often involves curiosity, spontaneity, laughter, and a sense of freedom.

Camp or any kind of recreational activity should be fun. In this fast-paced age when people of all ages are stressed and worried about the future, fun is necessary. It is not just a luxury. It is not something to squeeze in only after other important outcomes or responsibilities occur. Fun is a vital part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle for children and adults.

Fun for anyone plays a crucial role in reducing stress. When I experience enjoyment, whether taking a walk along Lake Estes, dancing with my boy Gitch, laughing at movies with friends, or playing my trumpet in band, my body releases feel-good chemicals. Fun resets my mental state and offers relief from anxiety.

I have long argued that learning occurs best in fun environments. My philosophy of teaching emphasized that doing activities in the classroom that were fun made learning easier and reinforced important concepts.

Enjoyment also serves as a social glue to strengthen relationships. Any activity that deepens connections with family, friends, cabin mates, and coworkers is good. Shared laughter creates bonds, builds trust, and encourages communication. Fun is critical in cementing positive memories.

Fun, therefore, is not a distraction from a meaningful life. It’s a key part. Fun isn’t optional. It is essential. When people reminisce toward the end of their lives, they do not talk about achievement or survival. They talk about experiences that were fun.

Fun is not easily measured. It is difficult to document. Yet, we know when we are having fun and recognize that it keeps our minds fresh, our hearts light, and relationships strong whether at camp or any aspect of life. Now go out and have some fun!

The 2025 Government Shutdown lasted 44 days. Some people hardly knew it was going on unless they listened to the news. Many people were worried about the holding of SNAP benefits. Furloughed federal employees were often concerned about paying their bills. I found the shutdown personally disconcerting because I could not volunteer at the park.

I proudly say that my second career is volunteering, most specifically at Rocky Mountain National Park. I love the opportunities I have had over the past 10 years to interact with visitors and staff at this beautiful park. During the shutdowns in past years, volunteers were limited in what they could do. People often do not realize the situation, and different parks have handled volunteers in diverse ways.

Volunteers could perform some services offered in the park, but volunteers are not a long-term solution. If volunteers can easily do the work, then perhaps there is no need for paid staff. I vehemently disagree with that assumption.

As someone who has studied the impact of volunteers on recreation organizations over the years, volunteer opportunities clearly do not just happen. Volunteers require supervision and oversight just as most staff require this direction. Volunteers in any organization are meant to supplement the work of paid staff and not supplant them.

Therefore, the shutdown has been trying for me. I felt relief the first few days since I did not have regular 4-5 hour shifts several times a week. I had guests visiting in early October and the park was open. Having the park allowed us to recreate responsibly. I also went to Yosemite National Park in mid-October. Other than visitor centers closed and interpretive programs limited, nothing seemed unusual.

After those first two weeks, however, I felt lost without being able to volunteer. I was forced to clean my house and take a carload of unneeded items to the Thrift Store. I hiked a lot. I did far more doom scrolling on the internet than I should. Gitch and I argued who got to sit in the office chair since I was at home more than normal.

I missed volunteering at the park. I missed social interaction with other volunteers and staff. I missed not knowing what was going on in the park. I missed the chance to feel I was doing something important with my time. The shutdown did not create any dire circumstances for me, but I am delighted that I am back at work!

A family approached the Alpine Visitor Center desk. The man held a card in his hand. “We came into the park on my 4^th grader’s pass” he bragged. “Our family is having a great time.” He then asked me, as the volunteer staffing the desk, questions about where to go next. I was delighted they were enjoying the visit because of the pass.

Every Kid in a Park program began in 2015 as part of the National Park Service centennial. Congress renewed the (renamed) Every Kid Outdoors program through the EXPLORE Act in 2024, authorizing the program for another seven years.

Every Kid Outdoors mobilizes the next generation of stewards by introducing 4th graders to public lands in their backyards and beyond. Statistics indicate that almost every US citizen is within a 2-hour drive of public lands. Research also shows that adults are significantly more likely to return to a national park if they visited with their families as a child. Family outings to parks provide lifelong memories.

I never thought much about parks as a child, but I loved being out in nature. The outdoors was inevitable when growing up on a farm. I have childhood memories of going to the “crick” most days in the summer and playing in the water. My dad got really disgusted when we tried to dam the creek and the cows downstream didn’t have water! Fortunately for the cows, our efforts were usually futile.

Although going to a national park was something done on only one vacation as a child, we made use of our local and state parks frequently for family gatherings. Two of my state park memories are of swimming and hiking at Backbone and my folks coming to Iowa State to visit me and us all going to Ledges State Park for a family picnic.

One website I visit regularly is the Children and Nature Network. It was established shortly after Richard Louv authored his book, Last Child in the Woods. The site states “we believe that the well-being of children and the wild places we love are inextricably linked… today’s kids are less connected to nature than ever before.”

Just like the National Park Service and other public agencies have advocated, the Children and Nature Network supports and mobilizes people to turn the trend of an indoor childhood back outdoors to the benefits of nature.

As the family reminded me at the visitor center this summer, efforts must continue to increase safe and equitable access to the natural world for everyone.

A non-emergency medical van quietly pulled up to an empty space near the Bear Lake Ranger Station. A red Subaru pulled up next to it and a middle-aged couple got out. The late September day was sunny with an unusually calm wind for that area of Rocky Mountain National Park. The back of the medical vehicle opened. The driver and an assistant pulled a gurney out. A person was lying in the gurney bed, but I could not see him until they swung the wheeled stretcher toward the trailhead.

The man had white hair and pinkish skin and was wrapped in a white sheet. The accompanying woman with graying hair placed a bright colored orange and blue blanket over him and tucked it in. The attendant pushed the gurney toward the trailhead while the couple followed.

I was volunteering that day at the trailhead. We are there to give advice about hiking and to make sure people know the conditions. I was not sure what to say but I nodded to the procession as they moved into the paved plaza and headed across the wooden bridge to the pea-gravel trail to Bear Lake. Other visitors waited momentarily as they crossed the bridge and headed toward the right on the busy trail. The group did not hesitate and I assumed they had a plan. Circumnavigating the ½ mile around the lake was not possible with their equipment. The man in the portable bed closed his eyes as he bumped along the trail.

I waited several minutes and then walked the 50 yards to the lake. As presumed, they stopped at a place that volunteers called “Picture Point. Benches sit beside the lake and people often take photos with Hallet Peak and Flattop Mountain reflected in Bear Lake.

The attendant raised the stretcher slightly so the man could see the lake and the mountains. The couple stood on each side of him. The woman patted his arm. They talked softly. Visitors continued to take photos at the photo spot and meandered quietly nearby.

After 15 minutes, the attendant backed the portable bed and turned it back toward the parking lot. The old man’s face showed a relaxed smile and his eyes were brighter as they walked by me. I smiled and thanked them for visiting the park—my response to many people returning from the trails.

This incident happened years ago. I think about it as I reflect on what I might want as my last wishes. I wonder how the man felt as he viewed this landscape likely for the last time.

A visit to a beautiful landscape would be high on my list when I say my goodbyes. It am reminded of the power of nature every day and the importance of special places such as parks.