How a national parks pass granted me access to new adventures
Not only can I enter, but I'm able to explore, too
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July is my favorite time of year to be active, travel, and chase adventures. Like many people with SMA, cold weather is hard on my body — my muscles get tense, my fingers and toes get icy, and the heavy layers of warm clothing make it hard for me to move and drain my energy. But the sunshine and warm air of summer make me feel free, light, and alive!
This month, I am staying close to home and haven’t made any major travel plans. But I have been reminiscing about some of the beautiful places I’ve visited over the years: big cities and quaint towns, East and West Coasts, mountains and deserts, shady forests and wide-open skies. It is amazing how diverse our country is. And I am so thankful for the National Park Service and the access it has given me to so much of that beauty.
A golden ticket to adventure
About 13 years ago, a couple of my friendship caregivers and I plotted out a road trip from Indiana to Vancouver Island in Canada, crossing 11 states along the way. When we got to South Dakota, we really wanted to spend a little time in Badlands National Park. All we really knew about the Badlands was what we’d seen in photos and what we’d heard Rich Mullins sing about, but it was enough to make it feel romantic and otherworldly to us.
We drove up to the admission booth at the park entrance, prepared to pay the entrance fee even though we were unsure how much of the park we would actually be able to explore. The attendant noticed my handicap placard hanging from my rearview mirror. She leaned over to look into the van, observed me in my wheelchair in the passenger spot, and asked me, “Ma’am, is your disability permanent?”
Of all the awkward conversation starters my wheelchair has prompted in my lifetime, this one was new and felt a little rude. The answer was simple, and I gave her the one-word short answer: “Yes.” Yes, SMA is a disability that I have lived with since I was a baby, and I’ve never known life without it. With quality care, I can be healthy and stable and manage my symptoms and limitations, but it is not going away. It is permanent. But what, I wondered, did that have to do with the Badlands?
The attendant smiled and handed my driving friend a small plastic card. “Enjoy your visit!” she said. We gaped at the gift she bestowed on me, on all of us: a free lifetime pass to all the U.S. national parks. It felt like we’d just received a Willy Wonka golden ticket! Imagine all the places we could go, the landscapes we could see … but still, how much would I be able to participate? Would it simply let me enter beautiful places, only to watch from a safe and sterile distance?
We drove in, parked the van, and unloaded, instantly feeling the silence and wonder of the vast, hot, dry desert space. And then we saw the boardwalks — sturdy wooden paths that stretched out across the park. They were not an afterthought or a token gesture; they were an invitation for me to go farther up and in. I spent the day exploring, rolling along the smooth, even planks to take in the colors, shapes, heights, and depths of those hills from every angle, and it was incredible.
With our shiny new access pass, we visited three other national parks on that trip: Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier. Each held its own unique adventures and gave me stories I still love to tell. And that was only the beginning! So far, I’ve visited 12 national parks and have been amazed by the thoughtful efforts toward creative accessibility that make this possible for me and so many disabled travelers.
My access pass reminds me to keep showing up for beauty and wonder, even when I experience them differently from others. I may not be able to climb every mountain, but adventure is not measured by how far my body can go. Sometimes it is found in following a boardwalk through the Badlands, watching a sunset over a canyon rim, or discovering that this wide, wild world still has space in it for me.
Note: SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of SMA News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to spinal muscular atrophy.
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