Hike 734 Give Back 2019

**Final update!!** Click here to jump to learn more about the various partners and you can always donate

You guys are great! Thanks for your amazing generosity for the 2019 Give Back to the Parks. We raised almost $7,000 for the parks!

Totals are below (you can always donate throughout the year of course!):

• Glacier – Your donations of $1,955 + $2,000 Hike 734 match = $3,955 total
• Zion – Your donations of $325 + $350 Hike 734 match = $675 total
• Yellowstone – Your donations of $237.75 + $250 Hike 734 match = $487.75 total
• Grand Teton – Your donations of $125 + $200 Hike 734 match = $325 total
• Yosemite – Your donations of $100 + $200 Hike 734 match = $300 total
• Olympic – Your donations of $420 + $450 Hike 734 match = $870 total
• Rocky Mountain – Your donations of $135 + $150 Hike 734 match = $285 total

Total raised $6,897.75

I hope you were able to get out and visit a National Park or two (or three or four or…). I spent the summer hiking down in Rocky Mountain National Park as well as a few visits into Glacier National Park, my backyard park.

National Parks allow us to visit incredible places that have been set aside because, honestly, they’re amazing (but I obviously don’t need to tell you that). They allow us to step into the natural world and reconnect. They allow us to touch rocks, see wildlife, push ourselves, and feel the grandeur.

They’ve also become very popular and I’m always conflicted with this. I love that so many people are getting to experience these wild places, but that experience takes a hit when too many of us are in one spot. We’re all trying to get a parking spot, a campsite, or jostling to get a look at that animal.

As many of you that have been around with me for some time, you know the story that the parks aren’t receiving any additional funding despite this increase in visitation. They have to figure out where the money goes to and comes from. Often it means moving rangers away from some areas, cutting programs, and stopping research.

This is where the non-profit partners come in. The parks go through their budgeting process and prioritize. They end up with a long list of items that won’t get funded. They then turn to the non-profit partners with a list of unfunded projects and they work with these partners to get them funded. But these partners are really funded by folks like you and me. This has led to busing kids to parks, historic building restoration, visitation studies, and wildlife research.

Two years ago, I decided to do something about this. I created a campaign to a) tell you about these organizations and then b) match what you guys give, up to various amounts per park.

The last two years, you guys have been incredible in showing love and support for the parks, so we’re doing it again this year! From October 13th-20th, I’ll be matching your donation to these amazing organizations where I’ve hiked and created a map or am working on one (I’m looking at you Rocky Mountain).

In order for your donation to be counted, make sure you follow the directions for each park partner below. Any amount is amazing from $5 on up! So check each organization below that is tied to the seven parks I’ve visited and we’ll see what kind of an impact we can make together.

Glacier Conservancy

Glacier National Park

Match amount: $2,000

Instructions for donating:

Click on the following link below which takes you to a custom page!

https://glacier.org/

Zion National Park Forever Project

Zion National Park

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Click on the following link below which takes you to their donation page. Fill out the form and then, make sure that you put “Hike 734 match” in “Comment” in the “Personal Info” section.

https://zionpark.org/pitch-in/

Yellowstone Forever

Yellowstone National Park

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Click on the following link, then click, fill out the form and then, in make sure that you put “Hike 734 match” in the “Optional Comments” in the “Your Information” section.

https://yellowstone.org

Grand Teton National Park Foundation

Grand Teton National Park

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Click on the following link. Fill out the form and then, in make sure that you put “Hike 734 match” in the “Leave a comment (optional)” in the “Designation” section.

https://www.gtnpf.org/donate/

Yosemite Conservancy

Yosemite National Park

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Simply click on the following special link!

https://www.yosemiteconservancy.org/hike734

Washington National Park Fund

Olympic National Park (they also support Mt. Rainier and North Cascades!)

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Simply click on the following special link!

https://wnpf.org/

Rocky Mountain Conservancy

Rocky Mountain National Park

Match amount: $500

Instructions for donating:

Click on the following link and put “Hike 734 match” in the “Besides you, who can we acknowledge?…” field.

https://rmconservancy.org/product/donation/