62 Parks Traveler started with a simple goal: to visit every U.S. national park. Avid backpacker and public-lands nerd Emily Pennington saved up, built out a tiny van to travel and live in, and hit the road, practicing COVID-19 best safety protocols along the way. The parks as we know them are rapidly changing, and she wanted to see them before it’s too late. The small plane bounced, then violently lurched sideways. “It’s going to be a little bumpy coming through these clouds, but I’ll bring us in for a smooth landing,” our bush pilot assured us. To my left, through the scratched glass window, I could make out a vast valley below, speckled with birch and aspen trees exploding into vibrant yellows as autumn neared. To my right, my partner, Brian, gazed longingly at the view. I held my breath, and in what felt like mere seconds, I was standing on a gravel riverbank with only Brian, a guide, and my backpack, watching the plane fly away. It wouldn’t return for five days.