BY: ALEX BROWN
Something devastating happens when you reach your late twenties, hit the quarter-life milestone and responsibility comes knocking at your door. Soon, you’ll no longer be able to consider yourself in the careless twenty-something bracket—but that doesn’t mean you have to abandon your sense of adventure. Thirty-year-old Darius Nabors has spent the last six months travelling around the United States on a mission to hit 59 national parks in 59 weeks. For Nabors, carelessness is the failure to pursue your passions while you still have the chance.
Photo: Darius Nabors
Nabors spent his twenties playing it safe, teaching elementary school in South Dakota, and working at the University of Virginia for six years. But realizing he was approaching his 30s, he realized it would be a mistake to get too comfortable while he’s still young. “When I am 45 years old I don’t want to have regrets. I don’t want to wonder what that National Parks trip would have been like, because I traded in the opportunity for a stable job, nice apartment and good health benefits, oh and access to amazing gym facilities. When I am 45, I want to tell my kids about that time in my late 20s and early 30s when I invested in my dreams,” writes Nabors on his personal blog, drawing inspiration from his father, who worked as a park ranger in one of the West Coast’s most brilliant national parks, the Olympic National Park in Washington.
Photo: Trevor Kemp
Nabors reached out to his long-time friend Trevor Kemp to see if he would be willing to join him in the mission of visiting all 59 national parks. So far, they’ve managed to hit 34. Luckily, Nabors and Kemp weren’t the only ones investing in their dreams—the pair managed to secure $10,000 of crowdfunding money, through rockethub.com. They also won some money through a social media contest run by Bear Naked Granola, where they offered to sponsor people’s bucket list items in exchange for an epic photo in nature that featured their product. He was perhaps the most eligible candidate given his thoroughly inspiring and hilarious TED X speech on how to organize a bucket list.
Photo: Trevor Kemp
Nabors mentions on his blog that a question he’s frequently asked is how he affords the trip. He makes it clear that this should not be one’s primary concern, as there are always ways to make it work. “Doing something you love is not about the money. I haven’t been saving for years, I just know that this trip is something that I have to do,” writes Nabors. To make their trip work financially, Nabors claims the secret with the diet. Learning to live happily on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and macaroni is the key to maintaining a balanced budget (though not your meals).
Photo: Darius Nabors
The journey ends for Kemp and Nabors this August in Acadia National Park, Maine. Whether Nabors intends to return to the classroom or continue exploring is unclear. Either way, he and Kemp have already gained a wealth of experience that is only attributable to their willingness to take risks, listen to their passions, and, ultimately, make the leap of faith.
Photo: Trevor Kemp
Follow their adventure here: facebook.com, twitter.com
