Working at the front desk in Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park during the summer of 2002 by necessity taught me a lot about the confusing boundaries surrounding the park. To the south is Sequoia National Park, but just north of Wuksachi you’re in Sequoia National Forest. Then at Grant you enter Kings Canyon National Park. Not far past Grant and you’re back in Sequoia National Forest until you reach Cedar Grove at the very bottom of the canyon, not far from Road’s End. I had to know these boundaries because I booked room reservations at lodges in both the national park and the national forest. The ones in the national park didn’t have tax added while the ones in the national forest did.
We tend to be purists when it comes to our national park adventures, deciding in advance what “counts” as a visit. Generally speaking, touching the ground within the park boundary is a must (though North Cascades and Glacier Bay would give us a run for our money and lead to some bending of the “rules”). In Kings Canyon, there was no question that we were in the national park, but having spent quite a bit of time in the area, I knew of some great places that weren’t technically in the park that the kids would (and did) love. So of course we stopped at them as well as some favorites within the park boundaries.
Expectations
I knew the kids would like scrambling around 10-Mile Creek and Grizzly Falls (Sequoia National Forest), but the day’s heavy hitters were supposed to be Grant Grove and Zumwalt Meadow (Kings Canyon National Park). To be sure, they did enjoy crawling in the giant sequoias, fallen and standing, at Grant Grove. And reveling in the fall colors at Zumwalt Meadow after a game of Poohsticks from a suspension bridge was a hit. But when we asked them what their favorite part of the day was, every one of them said 10-Mile Creek and/or Grizzly Falls.
So that got me thinking about my trip reports and the photos books. I make for each park. Should our Kings Canyon book include things that were technically outside the park? But they were an important part of our day. And leaving them out would be akin to erasing what the kids found to be the best part of their visit. They didn’t care where the boundary line was drawn; they just cared that they got to climb on rocks and jump over creeks. Of course, I would have to include them. (Good thing, too, because otherwise our North Cascades book would only have a couple of photos from a hike only Jeremy and I did in Stehekin.)
False Boundaries
There’s a lot of talk about boundaries these days, and I am a big fan of having clear ones and sticking to them. But stories like this make me wonder if sometimes I draw boundaries that don’t need to be there. (I’m sure there are very compelling reasons why the national park and national forest intertwine as they do – I’m talking more here about my own purist tendencies to declare what counts and what doesn’t count as a park visit.) Things like “I’m not allowed to have dessert before dinner,” or “If the bedspread isn’t aligned properly it might as well not be made at all.”
On the other hand, I have had some success with new endeavors like, “No social media until I’ve walked at least 7000 steps,” and “Every day starts with three pages of stream-of-consciousness journaling.” I’m definitely feeling more physically healthy, my desire for social media has actually decreased, and my mind is so much more focused when I start my day clearing it out in freehand. These things work well for me, and I appreciate the boundary I have in place to accomplish them. But if I try to impose them on others, I can’t imagine how poorly that would go! I can talk about how much they’ve helped me, but it would be utterly absurd to tell someone else that they had to do the same. Even if it would help them, the fact that I was making them do it would harbor resentment and likely sabotage the whole effort.
Taking Stock
What would be helpful is some self-reflection on my part. When I run up against one of my own self-imposed boundaries, I need to ask myself if it is still serving me. Maybe boundaries that served me well in the past don’t in the present. Or maybe they really are helping me be the best version of myself. The point is to recognize them, pick them up, turn them over, dust them off, and take a good look to see if or how they fit into my life now.
At the end of the day, it didn’t matter if we were in Sequoia National Forest or Kings Canyon National Park. We spent the day together as an extended family and made lots of happy memories along the way. With the boundary removed from our experience, we got to share in each other’s joys – the kids scrambling on rocks, my parents soaking up the fall foliage, and Jeremy and me feeling nostalgic among our favorite trees. And that’s what really matters.
Leave a Reply