Mother Nature's Landlord

Wide Angle Shot from Lake Accotink

Below is a breakdown of the costs for "lodging" over the course of The Walkabout, willing of course I did my calculations correctly. I've separated the lodging options into two categories: "Backcountry" and "Campground" camping. Since the journey's inception, the goal has always been to sleep all 365 nights under the stars in the Parks' backcountry, however, I included the options for campgrounds in the unlikely event (too cocky?) an audible is called at any point (i.e. emergency, availability, permit issues, etc). Of course these costs are able to change at the whims of the National Park Service. So if this weary wanderer succeeds in his negotiations with Mother Nature and survives the extent of the trip in the backcountry, his total cost of lodging for the year will be roughly the equivalent of 1/2 of one month's rent in Alexandria! Thats for the whole year people! Booyah! Stay tuned for a breakdown of other, less uplifting, estimates for gas, food, and miscellaneous travel/adventure expenses.

PARK	Backcountry Camping Fee	Campground Camping
Shenandoah	Backcountry Permit:  Free	Campgrounds: $15-17 / Night
Mammoth Cave	Backcountry Permit:  Free	Campgrounds: $12-20/Night
Great Smoky Mountains	Backcountry Permit: $4/Night> $20	Campgrounds: $14-23/Night
Congaree	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Biscayne	N/A	Campgrounds: $Free-15/Night
		Can Kayak to Bis. / Leave Car in Lot
Everglades	Backcountry Camping: Free Before Nov. 16	Campgrounds: $16-30/Night
Dry Tortugas	N/A	Campgrounds: $3/Night
Hot Springs	N/A	Campgrounds: $10-24/Night
Big Bend	Backcountry Permit: $10/Night	Campgrounds: $14/Night
Guadalupe Mountains	Backcountry Permit: Free (< 3 Nights/site)	Campgrounds: $8/Night
Carlsbad Caverns	Backcountry Permit: Free	N/A
Saguaro	Backcountry Permit: $6/Night	N/A
Petrified Forest	Backcountry Camping: Free	N/A
Mesa Verde	N/A	Campgrounds: $20-24/Night
Great Sand Dunes	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $20/Night
Black Canyon of the Gunnison	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $12-18/Night
Rocky Mountain	Backcountry Camping: $20 One Time Admin Fee	Campgrounds: $20/Night ($14 Off S)
Arches	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $20/Night
Canyonlands	Backcountry Camping: $30/7 Nights	Campgrounds: $10-15/Night
Capitol Reef	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $10/Night
Great Basin	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $6-12/Night
Zion
CHRISTMAS BREAK	CHRISTMAS BREAK	CHRISTMAS BREAK
Bryce Canyon	Backcountry Camping: $5/7 Nights	Campgrounds: $15/Night
Grand Canyon	Backcountry Camping: $10 + $5/Night	Campgrounds: $15-18/Nigh
	(or $25 total for annual pass)
Joshua Tree	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $10-15/Night
Channel Islands	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $15/Night
Death Valley	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $Free-15/Night
Sequoia	Backcountry Camping: $Free-15/Trip (Depends on season)	Campgrounds: $Free-10-18/Night
Kings Canyon	Backcountry Camping: $Free-15/Trip (Depends on season)	Campgrounds: $Free-10-18/Night
Yosemite	Backcountry Camping: Free (but plan ahead)	Campgrounds: $5-20/Night
Lassen Volcanic	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $14/Night
Redwood	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $5-35/Night
Crater Lake	?	?
Mount Ranier	Backcountry Camping: Free	Won't be in Park During Open
		Season Campground Camping
Olympic	Backcountry Camping: $5 + $2/Night	Campgrounds: $10-18/Night
Glacier Bay (Ferry in)	Backcountry Camping: Free	N/A
Wrangell-St. Elias	Backcountry Camping: Free	Consider RSVP Remote Cabins
Denali	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Gates of the Arctic	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Kobuk Valley	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Lake Clark	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Katmai	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free-$12/Night
Kenai Fjords (Ferry Home)	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
North Cascades	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free-$12/Night
Glacier	Backcountry Camping: $30/7 Nights (for application)	Campgrounds: $23/Night (Free Winter)
Yellowstone	Backcountry RSVP: $25 (Free if Walk on)	Campgrounds: $12-25/Night
Grand Teton	Backcountry RSVP: $25 (Free if Walk on)	Campgrounds: Free-$20.5/Night
Wind Cave	Backcountry Camping: Free	N/A
Badlands	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $15-28/Night
Theodore Roosevelt	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free-$10/Night
Voyageurs	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: Free
Isle Royale	Backcountry Camping: Free	N/A
Cuyahoga Valley	N/A	Campgrounds: $18/Night
Acadia	Backcountry Camping: Free	Campgrounds: $14-24/Night
Totals:	~$555-730	~$2670 -4900

Winter Is....Leaving?

The other weekend I was supposed to go down and visit my best good friend Jack Bauer in the great Southern state of Georgia. Things didn't quite pan out that way so I decided to take advantage of what was probably going to be the last of the winter season. Without much hesitation I loaded up the Kodiak with my still virgin Alpine Touring Skiis, boots, etc and headed due North. Destination: Ski Liberty!

As you can see I was sporting all the lastest in men's skiing fashion. Well that is if you ask Elmer Fudd, who, lets face it, is a total stud muffin. Before I continue, here's a special thanks to the folks at the DC Ski Center...they know their stuff backwards and forwards. After mentioning the Walkabout to them, they totally hooked me up with all the gear I would need to get around the Park's backcountry on skis...whether on an alpine or crosscountry course.

Anywhoo....back to Ski Liberty. So I arrived at the slopes and was anxious to take the gear out on its inaugural flight down the mountain. It was the first time in 8-10 years that I buckled my boots into two 5 feet planks of wood/metal, and the excitement on my face showed (reference the s**t eating grin on my face above). It was GAME TIME! After a few warm up runs I was ready to step it up. Not more than 20 minutes and 3 lift rides later, I was cutting through the intermediate/advanced slopes like a hot knife through butter. Maybe it was like riding a bicycle or maybe it was the James Bond theme song playing on repeat through my head that kept my (self-proclaimed) badass-self from eating it. Regardless, the once forgotten rush was ever presently addicting and for the first time this Winter, I wished Spring would hold off just a little longer. But alas, all good things must end and this adrenaline-pumping experience was no exception. To compliment the events of the sunrise that morning, as the sun set on Liberty Mountain I loaded up the Kodiak and followed my breadcrumbs back to Alexandria. 

While no one was there to join me on the slopes, the only existing evidence that proved it all happened was the tender leg muscles that would serve as a constant reminder for days to follow.

And now for your moment of shameless Calvin Klein-ad style Zen......

Fear and Loathing...and Classic Rock

 

BIG NEWS! Extry Extry Read All About It!

I've had a strained relationship with my job and at times I've paid for riding on that rocky road. Despite all the potholes, curves, hills, and dead ends, I am very grateful for my job because it is financially responsible for making the Walkabout possible. Ironically, my job was also the most likely contender for putting the kibosh on the journey.

Since times are tough and I would have been hard pressed to walk away from my career all together, I made the decision that I would request a year's leave without pay. Since the inception (BRRRRR) of the Walkabout, fear of rejection for my request has plagued my thoughts. Perhaps foolishly, I went on with planning, training, researching, and gearing-up despite not having my office's blessing. The point had come where regardless of my boss' ruling, the Walkabout had gained so much momentum that the threat of losing the job, which I worked pretty hard to get, had become weightless.

ALAS! On the morning of 13 March, 2013 Ano Domini, the Year of Our Lord...I met with the Director of my office seeking her blessing and official approval for a year's sabbatical from the workforce (something about a new Pope being selected happened too...). The fear of rejection that had been mounting for the last year or so had come to this 15 minute window.

Boss: Please close the door behind you...Ulysses.

Me: Ok

....*flash forward 15 minutes

Me: Alright, will do. You have a great weekend.

 *walks down hall and proceeds to do about 20 mental fist pumps!

Approval Status: ACCEPTED! That right, people! We are FULL STEAM AHEAD!

While the song may not necessarily be appropriate for this situation...a special thanks to Freddie Mercury and Steve Perry for the songs "Don't Stop Me Now" and " Don't Stop Believin," respectively, as they were coursing through the folds in my brain for the subsequent 48 hours.

Many a mental faculty will be tried, measured, and possibly altered while navigating through the American Wilds...my mind's eye will be wide open to new possibilities...new adventures...new life altering experiences! I do not expect this will be my last time addressing my career with the immortalized, rebellious question posed by The Clash: "Should I stay or should I go?"

As I wave off the rocky road behind me,  the only road that lay ahead now is....

A Packraft Runs Through It...

Here on the lonely banks of the Potomac River at the cresting dawn of the blossoming spring weather, I find myself the navigator upon, the perhaps hastily-named, U.S.S. Iceberg's maiden voyage. Weighing roughly 52+ tonnes less than its fallen sister-ship, the Titanic, this 4lbs pack kayak will have its durability and steadfastness measured against the toughest of natural waterworks...

 

...the Congaree swamps, the Rio Grande, Alaskan fjords, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Clark and Crater Lake, and the countless water ways of Voyageurs among others. But first, it had to brave the sea trials provided by the District's mighty Potomac River.

Casting off on this inaugural fare, the U.S.S. Iceberg, aptly named due to its color, shape, and predestined trip through the Alaskan fjords, departed from the Potomac's banks in the early afternoon hours headed in a Northerly direction. 

Its destination?...3.5 nautical miles N-NW.

Having only taken 5 minutes to inflate, the Iceberg was in the water withing 10 minutes of parking the Kodiak. Aside from the paddles, the only cargo on board was a 183 lbs manly man, a 1/8 lbs beard, and an empty backpack that would later stow the oar and water craft itself.

Battling opposing currents, endless gusts of wind, and gnarly wake generated by emergency response boats traveling at impossible speeds, the Iceberg withheld such hardships handsomly and brought its passenger and cargo safely to its destination. Upon arrival, the LZ was sandy and open, providing an ideal spot to deflate and pack up the kayak. Having quickly stowed away the transport that had gotten me this far, ahead of me was a complex network of trail systems that would afford me the opportunity to giddyishly explore wooded portions of Northern Virginia that I otherwise simply drive by on a daily basis. At the conclusion of a several mile exploratory hike through the "wilds" of Arlington and its sister cities, sunlight was getting scarce and my return to the Kodiak became a heightened priority.

Front Seat View from the Pack Raft's Maiden Voyage

The day was adventurous and a continuous surprise. My confidence in the Iceberg's exploratory fortitude, and the user's ever-honing ability to guide it, was firmly established. Being someone who has learned to respectfully fear the water, this test run planted new confidence in the watery obstacles that lay ahead!

Oh The Places You'll Go...

Now that I see it all in front of me...THIS IS INSANE. There is something to be said about the scale of this quest and also of the importance of being constantly aware that the destinations are a distant second to the journey and adventure experienced through them. The Walkabout will be a previously untapped experience that will carve through the vast and ever-changing landscape of this country, allowing me the luxury and hardship of living and traversing throughout every climate and terrain imaginable. 

Through the old sage forests of the Shenandoah, the tropical waters of Biscayne, the meandering river canyons of Big bend,  the swampy marshes of the Everglades, the dastardliness (just wanted to say that) of the Badlands, the history within Mesa Verde, the crafted monumental leftovers of Arches, the unearthly depths of the Grand Canyon, the barrenness of Death Valley, the living giants of the Redwoods, the majesty and pioneering significance of Yosemite, the towering peaks of Denali and Ranier, the iceways of Kenai Fjords, the scattered islands of Voyageurs, and the loneliness of the Gates of the Arctic. 

The Kodiak's all-terrain, "Trail Rated" gusto will be put to the test during every one of the bazillion miles ahead of it's grill.

HARK! Feast your eyes on the path that lay ahead! Although being more precisely calculated for my own planning purposes, below is only a rudimentary outline of the expected seasons I anticipate being in as I arrive in each National Park. Keep in mind, that this is a flexible plan and that huge degrees of travel improvisation are available, which affords me the opportunity to increase or decrease the amount of time spent at each park. The tentative dates were loosely based on certain criteria:

     1) To be in Alaska during prime Aurora season (Check)

     2) To be near Ontario, Canada during early July for a family reunion (Check)

     3) To depart on The Walkabout on a date of prior significance (Check)

When I pushed the ETD back towards my birthday and reversed the course's original  bearings, everything fell perfectly into place. I want to assure everyone that spontaneity is in no way being spared during this journey. However, in a undertaking of this magnitude, neglecting to plan ahead certain things will ultimately lead to missed opportunities and potentially irreversible mistakes...trivial and severe. 

One last thing, with tentative dates conceived, please look forward to a future post regarding a breakdown of the estimated expenses ("lodging," gas, food, unexpected/replacement gear, additional transportation costs, etc) for this trip...again here is where planning ahead is crucially important. Better to find out now and save for what a ferry ride to Alaska will cost than be surprised with the bill  a whole country away from home and no job. 

Man I really tend to ramble. Especially since all I really wanted to do was show the seasonal breakdown of where I will be...when. Anywhoo....

LET THE GREAT EXPERIMENT BEGIN!

-Tobias Funke, '03

SUMMER

Shenandoah

Mammoth Cave

Great Smoky Mountains

Congaree

Biscayne

Everglade

Dry Tortugas

Hot Spring

Isle Royale

Cuyahoga Valley

Acadia

FALL

Big Bend

Guadalupe Mountain

Carlsbad Caverns

Saguaro 

Petrified Forest  

Mesa Verde  

Great Sand Dunes 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Rocky Mountain 

Arches

Canyonlands

Capitol Reef

Great Basin

WINTER

Zion

Bryce Canyon

Grand Canyon

Joshua Tree

Channel Islands

Death Valley

Sequoia

Kings Canyon

Yosemite

Lassen Volcanic

Redwood

Crater Lake

Mount Ranier

Olympic

Glacier Bay

SPRING

Wrangell-St. Elias

Denali

Gates of the Arctic 

Kobuk Valley

Lake Clark

Katmai

Kenai Fjords

North Cascades

Glacier

Yellowstone

Grand Teton

Wind Cave

Badlands

Theodore Roosevelt

Voyageurs