Have you ever wondered what Usain Bolt felt when he set the world record for the fastest time in the 200 meter dash at 19.19 seconds? Or Alfred Dean, who holds the world record of catching the largest fish, a 2,664 pound Great White Shark, in 1959. Did you ever buy the small paperback copy of The Guinness Book of World Records to read of these exploits? I did. As a youngster, I was intrigued by world records, how they were accomplished, and those who claim title. In the last year an idea, seemingly humorous at first, came to mind to combine my joy of visiting America’s National Parks with the title of World Record Holder. After receiving various inputs and checking internet websites, I discovered a few folks were already pushing the envelope on this concept.

The first gentleman of which I learned was Mikah Meyer. Meyer’s claim in May-2019 was the the only person to have visited all 419 parks (the count at that time) in a “single journey”. His trek took 1095 days.

David Kroese, a member of the National Park Travelers Club (NPTC) organization, as am I, visited all 417 parks between December-2015 and December-2017, with the relatively new Reconstruction Era NHP being his last in mid-December.

Andy Magee, also a NPTC member, had January 3, 2019 as the starting date for his quest, ending on December 31 of that year. Using a 2019 calendar for counting purposes, that comes out to 363 days, to cover the then 419 park units.

What this means is I need to prepare a solid, efficient schedule for my Quest, since 363 days is an extraordinary accomplishment. Mitigation will be identified for potential trek obstacles. Hopefully, I can adjust to emergency rescheduling, if plans take unexpected twists and turns. What a challenge. But, one last factor. How does one go about getting all this work and traveling documented and officially authenticated? I reached out to the longest-operating (since 1955) organization in the world for this type of certification, the above mentioned Guinness World Records. They accepted my application for the title of “Fastest time to visit America’s 423 National Parks”. But, a road block. During the exchange of preparatory information, GWR said it would not accept my planned use of certain commercial operators in eleven Alaska parks. These businesses would constitute “charter transport”, which is not allowed per GWR’s rules. These parks have no access other than by “bush planes”, small aircraft like Cessnas and Otters outfitted with pontoons (water landings) or bias-ply tires… there are no roads, no highways, no busses, no runways, etc. GWR says one must take public transportation as close as possible to a park, then use human-power to go the remaining distance. For those of you familiar with Alaska travel logistics, that is unfathomable, stated politely. These operators must adhere to Federal Law (since the land is federal property) and are granted Commercial Use Authorization by the National Park Service, to provide transport service to and within these parks. But these factors were insufficient for GWR to accept their use. This has resulted in a short pause to the process. I will still have the data which GWR requires, but it may be mute at the end.

I found other organizations who certify world records and sent them inquiries. World Record Academy, which states they have certified the most world records, replied that due to the time frame (one year) and number of sites to be certified (423) their price would be $50,000. I politely declined.

This started me thinking. Do I need a certificate from some third-party to lay claim? GWR says the current record in their database is a bit over 3 years. Really? As mentioned, there other people who have done this adventure in less time than Myers, they have just not publicized their accomplishments. Another thought. The effort to meet GWR’s rules would make this journey more work than enjoyment. My objective is to excite people to visit and learn about our national parks, and to have fun in the process. I can make my own certificate at the end of my quest… then keep an eye on the internet to see if anyone breaks my mark down the road. So. let’s worry about all of that in December-2023. I will plan to use a GPS tracking system to record my entry into each park (along with all those requisite photographs for visual evidence. That will be my “424-park proof”. So, “Forward Ho”.