Why a Road Trip to the U.S. National Parks?

“Let’s go on a road trip before I start medical school”, I off-handedly mentioned to Carson one day in late 2021. Without hesitation he agreed. With only the vague notion of a road trip, we started planning. 

This idea stemmed from our shared interest in hiking, outdoor spaces, and travel. Once we graduated college and moved into an apartment together, we realized that working in the greater Boston area was very helpful for our careers, but not as exciting for our mental health. From the notorious Boston traffic to the industrial landscape and sprawling suburbs, life near the city was draining us of our passion. However, as early career professionals, it was not reasonable to quit our jobs and move to the forest, so we came up with another solution. Almost every free weekend we had, we would load up the car with hiking boots, backpacks, and calorie dense snacks for a long drive up to White Mountains National Forest in New Hampshire. However, 3 hours on the highway each way to and from the trailhead in a single day was a bummer. Many times, Carson and I discussed ways we could overcome this hurdle.

Hiking North and South Kinsman with Cannon Mountain, White Mountains National Forest, New Hampshire. Summer 2021

Weirdly enough, the solution came to us when we were too cheap to get a hotel room the evening before a road race. In summer 2021, Carson’s brother planned his engagement party the day before I had committed to a charity run for Stroke research. Normally, two events on different days would not have impacted each other. However, the engagement party was in the evening on Long Island, NY and the run was at 7 AM in Falmouth, MA. So, not only did we have to attend both events, but we had to make a 4+ hour drive between locations. With all this considered, there was no way we were going to spend hundreds of dollars on a hotel room that we would only use for a few hours. Luckily, Carson drives a Subaru Outback. He decided we would simply lay in the back with the rear seats down and sleep with a few blankets. Though it was not the best sleep I have ever had, it was sufficient for me to set a Personal Record(PR) in the 7 mile race. And, since we had gotten there in the middle of the night, we had the best parking spot!

The morning of the Falmouth 7 Miler. Clearly I was feeling great and well-rested after sleeping in the slightly slanted, super firm rear of the Outback. This was the first iteration of car camping we ever did. August 2021.

Sleeping in the Outback had cracked the code! Now, we could drive to a trailhead the evening before, get a solid night’s rest, and start our hike bright and early. Since that time, our car camping setup has been significantly improved, which is a story in its own right. Naturally, the next step for any outdoorsy person after car camping is to day dream about Van Life. We spent time in the evenings unwinding by watching people pack their lives into a vehicle and set off on these grand adventures across the wild landscapes of their home countries. In particular, the beauty of America that was held in the seemingly far off US National Parks captured our interest. From painted deserts to towering peaks, we watched people explore parts of the country we had no idea even existed. The further we dove into learning about the National Parks, the more the flames of our wanderlust were sparked. However, as an engineer and a future physician, creating our own adventure seemed to be a pipe dream.

Enjoying Lunch at the base of Cranmore Mountain, New Hampshire. We had hiked the day before and slept at the trailhead overnight so we could be close to the Ski Mountain the next day. This shows the improved car camping setup with sleeping platform and underbed storage. Early Winter 2022.

How could we ever manage to transition to a life on the road? This question was pushed to the forefront of my mind by the stress of applying to medical school. I have wanted to become a physician for a long time, nothing could change that dream, but between the copious essays, imposter syndrome, and general pressure of the application process it was easy for my mind to wander to things I would rather be doing - like traveling. Moreover, with the understanding that a career in medicine was a commitment to a narrowly focused lifestyle for the next 6-10 years - a fair trade-off to learn the art of saving lives - I started to feel a twinge of sadness for the loss of future opportunity. The disparate conundrums of wanting to travel seemingly without the opportunity to do so provided a crossroads; accept defeat or materialize favorable circumstances.

Studying for the MCAT with my trusty helper, St. Charles Bartholemeow III (Charlie for short). The short lived CAT-stle shown on the left side. Fall 2021.

As someone that essentially came out of the womb blazing my own path to success, accepting defeat is not something I typically do, at least not without considering all other options first. And with that, the gears started turning, leading to the fateful question that set Carson and I on a path toward our greatest adventure yet.