Hi, I'm Willow Belden and you're listening to Out There, the podcast that explores big questions through intimate stories outdoors.

This past spring, I went to Joshua Tree National Park for the first time.

If you've never been there, it is a truly magical place.

The landscape looks kind of like it was invented by Dr. Seuss,

and the rock climbing there is phenomenal. I will probably always remember that trip. We drove out to

California in a friend's minivan. There was no hookup for smartphones, so we listened to CDs the whole way,

and we navigated with an atlas. We spent a night in Utah on the way out, and we woke up to

wild donkeys outside our tents. When we finally got to Joshua Tree, I was overwhelmed by the heat

of the desert. It was in the 90s each day, and there's no shade.

But I also fell in love with the place. Each day, we got up before dawn. We drank coffee as the

stars were starting to fade, and we went climbing at sunrise. Once it got too hot, we'd go back to our campsite

and pour ice water over each other's heads. The day before we went home, I bought a guidebook at

the local climbing shop. I knew I wanted to go back to Joshua Tree someday. There was something

about the place that drew me in, made me feel like

I belonged. I think a lot of us have memories like that, memories of national parks that work

their way into our hearts and stay there. And when that happens, we often have a desire to give back to those special places.

If that's true for you, I want to let you know about an organization called Parks Project.

They're one of our sponsors for this episode, and they're on a mission to leave our public lands better than we found them.

Parks Project sells all sorts of apparel and accessories that a mission to leave our public lands better than we found them.

Parks Project sells all sorts of apparel and accessories that benefit public lands in the U.S. and Canada.

Each product you buy from them helps provide vital funding for a national park or other piece

of public land.

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