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A bridge was six inches too narrow. Not because it was hard to fix — because no one had thought about it.

Greg Durso has been paralyzed from the chest down since a sledding accident in 2009. He's an athlete, an adventurer, and the Senior Program Ambassador of the Kelly Brush Foundation. Berne Broudy is a journalist and the co-director and producer of Best Day Ever — a new documentary film about what happens when a community decides the outdoors should genuinely belong to everyone.

They met on a group bike ride in Vermont when the group kept having to stop — not because of difficult terrain, but because the bridges were too narrow for Greg's adaptive bike. Two years later, they had built the first fully adaptive mountain bike trail network in the world.

In this episode: — Greg's injury, his return to the outdoors, and why the barrier to adaptive recreation goes far beyond equipment — The six-inch bridge that started everything — How a six-person volunteer board built the world's first fully adaptive mountain bike trail network — from scratch, with pink spray paint — What "adaptive friendly" actually means — and why checking a box isn't enough — The difference between ADA access and equal experience — The Kelly Brush Foundation's Adaptive Rec Hub — a free online resource for anyone with a physical disability — Over 180 miles of mapped adaptive-friendly trails in Vermont — and how to get there nationally — How to watch Best Day Ever and how to host a screening in your community — What the biggest barrier to inclusive recreation actually is (Berne's answer will surprise you)

Watch the film: bestdayever.mov Adaptive Rec Hub: kellybrushfoundation.org/adaptive-rec-hub How to Build Adaptive Trails (free YouTube series): search "How to Build Adaptive Trails"

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over a thousand years of ancestral Pueblo history. Sacred tribal land protected through years of advocacy and 150 days of public comment. And the Department of Interior wants to revoke its last line of protection in 14 days.

Maude Dinan, New Mexico Program Manager with the National Parks Conservation Association, joins The Parks Podcast for an urgent conversation about the proposed revocation of the 10-mile buffer zone around Chaco Culture National Historical Park — and what it would mean for 300,000 acres of public land, 12,000 estimated cultural sites, and some of the most celebrated dark skies in the world.

In this episode: — What Chaco Culture National Historical Park is and why it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site — What the 10-mile protection zone is and why it exists — How revoking the buffer would impact the park — air quality, erosion, dark skies, and sacred views — Why 90% of federal land in the region is already leased — and why they want more — The Wilderness Society report: half of all leased federal land isn't even actively producing — How a protection that took 150 days of public comment could be undone in 14 — What you can do right now — before July 29th

⚠️ Take action before July 29th: Quick comment: npca.org/chaco Write your own: find the "Participate Now" button at the official BLM project page (link in show notes) Follow @NPCA for the latest updates

Related: Episode 75 — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase: What Just Happened

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July 22nd is National Hammock Day — and if you've been following My Hammock Summer, you already know exactly how to celebrate.

This episode was originally released as Episode 33. I'm bringing it back because it's better now than it was then — not because anything changed about the conversation, but because everything changed about how I understand it. Anna Rawlins, Chief Marketing Officer at ENO, described from the outside what I now know from the inside: that a hammock isn't just a product. It's an invitation to slow down.

In this episode: — ENO's origin story: two brothers, a van, music festivals, 1999 — and the first knotless hammock suspension system — Hammock stats: Apollo 12, the Swiss sleep study, a $1.45 billion industry, and a 500-foot hammock in Moab — How to hang a hammock safely — the 18-inch rule, tree diameter, Leave No Trace, and why Joshua Tree doesn't allow them — Four ways to hammock: camping sleep system, at home, in a park, and as everyday backyard furniture — The under quilt — why you need it for sleeping below 60°F — ENO and Asheville: an update on Hurricane Helene recovery and how to support the community — National Hammock Day celebrations, contests, and how ENO marks July 22nd every year

Originally released as Episode 33. Relaunched for National Hammock Day 2026 with a new introduction.

Links mentioned: — ENO: eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com — My Hammock Summer: catchyourselfsmiling.com — Visit Asheville: exploreasheville.com — Leave No Trace: lnt.org

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On July 13th, President Trump signed two proclamations rolling back nearly 90% of the protected boundaries of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments — three million acres of public land opened to potential drilling, mining, and extraction. The Bears Ears Commission, an intertribal coalition, has been disbanded.

Katie Johnson, Campaigns and Engagement Manager at the Conservation Alliance, joins The Parks Podcast for an urgent conversation on what just happened, what the proclamations actually say, and what you can do right now.

In this episode: — What the proclamations actually do: boundaries, acreage, and what 90% rollback means on the ground — The Bears Ears Commission: what it was and why its disbanding matters for tribal nations — What the White House says vs. what Utah voters actually want (91% of Western voters want monuments preserved) — The false narrative: recreational use, hunting, and fishing were already allowed under monument designation — The wilderness study area catch-22: the proposed safeguard that is also under attack — What you can do right now: Monuments for All letter, contacting your representatives, and the Conservation Alliance business sign-on — Why the $1.3 trillion outdoor recreation economy gives businesses an outsized voice with this administration — What this signals for other public lands designations across the country

Take action now: — Fill out the Monuments for All letter: monumentsforall.com — Contact your representative: congress.gov/members/find-your-member — Businesses: join the Conservation Alliance sign-on at conservationalliance.com

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Summer vacation too expensive? Too complicated? Too late to plan? Missy and Shannon Jones of KeeKee's Big Adventures are here to debunk all of it.

Parks — national, state, and local — are the most affordable, flexible, and genuinely fun summer vacation option out there. You don't need a six-month plan. You don't need a tent. You just need to take the first step.

In this episode: —

• Why 89% of parents say they're traveling this summer no matter what — and how to do it without breaking the bank
• The real barrier to park vacations (hint: it's not money, it's not knowing how easy it actually is)
• Why kids don't get bored in nature — they build forts, discover roly-polies, and catch fireflies
• How to work the reservation system: weekdays, off-season, Airbnbs just outside the gate, last-minute site releases
• KeeKee's Park Activity Suggester — the fortune teller / cootie catcher that picks your next outdoor adventure
• What My Hammock Summer is — and why Shannon's husband Paul is already in his

Links mentioned:

• KeeKee's Big Adventures: keekeesbigadventures.com
• My Hammock Summer: catchyourselfsmiling.com
• Find a park: nps.gov/findapark or stateparks.org

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Everything you learn outside follows you home. The resilience to own a mistake in front of your team. The ability to sit with discomfort without shutting down. The capacity to notice something beautiful you've walked past a hundred times.

Jesse Tubb, founder of GRIT Adventures and former active duty Army officer, joins The Parks Podcast to talk about what nature actually teaches us — and how the lessons from playing outside translate directly into the rest of life. He works with youth, veterans, grieving military families, sports teams, and corporations — using adventure racing and mindfulness-based resilience skills to help people build confidence, regulate emotions, and reconnect with themselves through the outdoors.

In this episode:
— What GRIT Adventures is and how it started during the pandemic
— Why our devices are the biggest barrier keeping people from going outside
— The somatic experience of getting lost in the woods — and why it's actually valuable
— The eating meditation Jesse does with kids in detention centers that reframes what it means to be connected to the earth
— Why we over-parent in the real world and under-parent in the digital world — and what it costs kids
— The healing power of communal outdoor experiences for veterans and military families
— The 5% problem — why outdoor marketing targets extreme athletes when 95% of users just want to take a walk
— Micro adventures — how to start with 10% outside your comfort zone
— Creeking — and why it might be the perfect entry point for anyone

Resources mentioned:
— GRIT Adventures: gritadventures.com
— TAPS: taps.org
— Wounded Warrior Project Odyssey: woundedwarriorproject.org
— The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt: anxiousgeneration.com
— Jesse's eating meditation: https://youtu.be/-uVj0Zqhb_k?si=iKu5g76F8ogldpDb

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The public comment window on the proposed 250-foot Triumphal Arch in Washington DC closes June 15. I sat down with Priya Jain, Chair of the Heritage Conservation Committee for the Society of Architectural Historians, to talk about what this proposal actually involves, why it threatens one of the most historically significant viewsheds in the country, and why your comment matters even when it feels like the decision is already made.

Submit your comment before June 15 at parkplanning.nps.gov

Follow the journey. 🌲

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In 2002, a flood pushed six feet of stormwater and sewage into the living rooms of families in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood. Sixty families were displaced. The infrastructure had failed them for decades.

Twenty years later, that same land is home to one of the most remarkable urban parks in America.

Cook Park is a 16-acre green space in the heart of Atlanta that holds 10 million gallons of floodwater, restored tree canopy to a historically underinvested neighborhood, and gave a community at the center of the civil rights movement the park it always deserved — complete with statues of John Lewis, Andrew Young, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., murals honoring the neighborhood's rich cultural history, and climbing boulders designed by the hands of local kids.

Jay Wozniak, Director of Georgia and Alabama Parks at Trust for Public Land, spent six years orchestrating the community engagement, design, and construction of Cook Park. He joins The Parks Podcast to talk about what it takes to build a park that's equal parts engineering marvel and community love letter — and why your local neighborhood park might be more powerful than you think.

In this episode:

• How a catastrophic 2002 flood became the catalyst for Cook Park
• The cooperative model that made it possible — city, donors, nonprofits, and community working together
• What the Vine City community asked for and how Trust for Public Land delivered it
• The 10-minute walk mission and why access to parks is a public health issue
• How to visit Cook Park and what to bring
• Why Hurricane Helene put the park to the test — and it passed

Links in this episode:

• Trust for Public Land — Cook Park
  • Trust for Public Land — Cook Park
• Cook Park — Atlanta Area Parks
• The Alliance for Cook Park

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