In this episode we’ll be talking about my first Park of the Podcast, Denali National Park in Alaska, where I went at the end of July 2018 — and we'll talk to a man who’s been coming to the park since the 60s.

The thing that stood out to most people I interviewed is the vastness and isolation of the park.

You can drive 15 miles into Denali National Park, the rest of the park is only accessible by bus or hiking.

While I took an 8 hour round trip bus ride, I interviewed almost everyone that rode along with me, including Ike Waits (WAITs) the man who quite literally wrote the book on Denali.

I honestly couldn’t believe my luck!

He’s been coming to the park since 1967 and has seen a lot of changes since then.

One of the big things that he’s noticed is an increase in the superficial enjoyment of the park.

In 2000, he wrote hiking and photography guide that he hopes will encourage people to get off the bus and explore the park.

I was so excited to chat with him about his experiences in the park, how it feels to hike the vast wilderness of Denali, why he thinks people should get out and explore, and so much more.

As he says at the end, we cover a lot of ground in this interview so buckle up and enjoy, but don’t forget to get off the bus at some point!