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Kenai Fjords Interview with Family Visiting Their 402nd National Park

NatParkStories's podcast

Release Date: 01/29/2019

Alaska Interview with The Skoolie Owner Dean Chytraus show art Alaska Interview with The Skoolie Owner Dean Chytraus

NatParkStories's podcast

While in on the Kenai Peninsula, I parked near a big built out bus on the side of the road.  It seemed like the perfect place to camp for the night, with a gorgeous view of the water and the surrounding mountains.   The brown bus nearby had black trees painted on it and “The Skoolie” written on the side and although signal was hard to come by, for about 5 minutes I had signal on my phone, so I googled the name of the bus. I found the instagram account and send a message to Dean Chytraus, the owner of the bus.   I asked him if he was interested in chatting over margaritas,...

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NatParkStories's podcast

“If I could tell anyone to do anything, it would just be to do an experience like this. You know, meet 13 strangers and see the world.”  -Lizzy McSpadden   When I met Lizzy, she was on a road trip with more than a dozen strangers, on day 9 of an Alaskan tour.   Lizzy decided that she wanted to see Alaska before she started what she calls her “big girl job”, working as a lawyer in Arkansas, so she booked a trip with Trek America.   She is on a quest to visit all the National Parks and on a mission to get her travel companions to start saying “y’all”.   I...

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NatParkStories's podcast

“It’s wild up here. You’ve got to be ready for everything.” -Ashley Gamble     I am so excited for you to hear this episode.   Ashley Gamble is a tour guide for a company that takes adventure seekers on ROAD TRIPS to National Parks and cities.   As you will hear in the interview, she drives a 15 passenger Ford Transit full of tourists to various places all across America.   Trips last anywhere from 7 to SEVENTY FIVE days.   Imagine it, you and 14 strangers road tripping, camping, hiking, fishing, eating, and adventuring together for weeks at a time all...

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NatParkStories's podcast

People often ask how long my interviews are and I ask them how long a conversation is. It can be one minute or three hours.    This is a really fun episode because it gives you a real peak into what actually happens on the road… a conversation that turns into an interview, and goes off in different directions, as new people are introduced, and new conversations start.   It’s only an 8 minute episode simply because at the end of it, another person I knew pulled up and soon the conversation became hard to follow as we all bonded and connected and told our stories.  ...

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NatParkStories's podcast

“This is my first time in interior Alaska and it’s just phenomenal. It won’t be my last time, that’s for sure.” - Andrew Aughenbaugh   I met Augie, in a very hilarious way… By being stuck in a ditch in the largest National Park in the country.    I cannot begin to capture the relief I felt when this big truck with a towing rig right on front and Maryland plates, pulled up to my rescue.    Augie had been on the road for three months, driving all the way from Maryland to Alaska, tent camping every night.   I was shocked when he told me that. ...

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NatParkStories's podcast

"Wrangell is often referred to as the Park without handrails."   Brendon Seaholser was such an interesting interview because of his honest and blunt demeanor, as well as his love of the park and adventures of all kind.    During this interview, we talk about what brought him to Wrangell St. Elias, one of the month desolate and isolated parks in the country, a story which starts in Vermont, and winds through many continents. We also talk about how unbelievably vast the Park is, and the possible consequences of going into this wilderness unprepared.    You’ll hear him...

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NatParkStories's podcast

"I'm fairly well traveled and this is the best place I could find." -Jim D.      As you can probably tell during the beginning of this episode, when I first met Jim, I thought uhhhh, okay this is going to be an interesting interview… And I was right. But I had no idea how much I would enjoy spending time with him.    You can tell with his first sentence that he is a goofy guy, but what you probably don’t get is how he goes out of his way to help anyone and everyone that comes down that long winding 66 mile drive and finds themselves at the end of the road, at the...

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NatParkStories's podcast

“It just makes you realize that you’re not the only person out here, you know? Think about everybody else. You’re the one person living your life but there’s so much more… there’s so many people and we’re all experiencing it.” -Heidi Goheen   Heidi Goheen a really fun interview because we got along right away and were able to have a conversation about not only the Kenai Fjord National Park, where she’s visited more than a dozen times, and about the bummmppyyyy boat ride we were on, but also about the other Parks she’s been to, what drew her to the Park, why she takes...

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NatParkStories's podcast

"I think everyone should explore their parks... I've gotten to go to quite a few and there isn't anything quite like Kenai Fjords National Park.”  -Josh Grove   During the ride to Kenai Fjord National Park, I talked with a deck hand on the ship, Josh Grove, who has been working out in Seward for a few years.   During the course of his interview, we talk about what brought him to this National Park, and he gives some really interesting information about what a fjord is and how the glaciers have receded just in the few short years he’s been at the Park.   You really feel...

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NatParkStories's podcast

“I’m from Tennessee where in the winter time, it can get to mid-80s... and I love the heat and I will sacrifice all that just to be here because it’s so impressively cool.” -Mikey Martin   Mikey Martin is a Safari Guide that I met on the boat ride to the Kenai Fjords National Park.   In his two summers in Alaska, he has done that boat ride about 80 times. And as hard as it is to believe, each time provides a new and unique experience.    And it would have to… What else would bring a Nashville boy who loves the warmth all the way up to the icy glaciers of Alaska...

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"We're the Parkbound Maitlands. This is our 402nd Park. We're going to all of them. It's taken about 8 years to get to this many... Our job is not to be like 'oh look at us, we've been to all these Parks', we want kids, we want more people to come visit these Parks to learn about the history of these Parks. We need to help the world because the glaciers are slowly going away. We need more people to help... to understand that these glaciers aren't going to be here that long if we don't do something about it." -Gerald Maitland
 
The Parkbound Maitlands are a traveling family of four that have been to HUNDREDS of National Park Units, and have collected incredible stories and fascinating knowledge, over the last 8 years.
 
I met the Junior Park Rangers Gerald and Jameson Maitland, and their parents Cheri and Jim at Exit Glacier in Alaska, because of their vests and jackets that were LITERALLY covered in Jr Park Ranger badges and patches. 
I asked if I could hear their story for the podcast and they excitedly agreed. 
 
Meeting the Parkbound Maitlands were one of the highlights of my entire trip. 
You can tell how much I enjoyed the conversation during this interview, and after I turned the mic off, we continued to chat for hours, and still keep in touch. 
 
We had so much in common, even beyond our shared love of Parks we had so many stories to exchange.
Plus, they’re just really nice people!
 
After I chatted with the kids about National Parks, I talked to their parents about stories of traveling and meeting people on the road, then we headed to their RV (with an attached trailer) to get out of the rain and talk even more.
 
In this interview we talk about their many years of National Park travel, the things they’ve learned while visiting the units, some of their many stories, tips for travel, and so, so much more. 
 
And I end this episode in a unique way, so you won’t want to miss that.
 
After listening to this interview, you will want to see the incredible amount of patches and badges they have. You can find a picture of the family (holding my pup) with all of the badges on the Nat Park Stories Instagram and Facebook.
 
You can also see a bunch of pictures of them and hear a ton of their fascinating stories online, just google Parkbound Maitlands.