American Man Visits 419 US Parks In 1,095 Days! #GOALS

Mikah Meyer had decided to pursue this journey when he was in his 20s. He fulfilled his dream by pursuing a cross-country trip, travelling solo across the United States in a cargo van. By Ishani Singh

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Meyer, a 33-year-old resident of Washington DC, became the only man to have visited all 419 national parks in the United States of America in a single journey. The man in his childhood had gone on several road trips with his father, who succumbed to cancer 14 years ago. As a tribute to his late father, an ambitious Meyer left his job in 2016 and embarked upon a 1,095 day long cross-country trip in which he covered a distance of 75,000 miles!

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Meyer described this three-year long, aspiring road trip as being ‘far from luxurious’. By completely ditching motels and restaurants in the course of his journey, his retro-styled, cargo van fitted with a solar-powered refrigerator became his only means of commutation and lodging. Since his initial savings were not sufficing to meet the unplanned expenses, he made use of amenities like free Wi-Fi from public libraries and chain restaurants to devise his route and fulfill organisational requirements. Mikah seldom spent some night’s sleeping at his friends’ place or even churches, and funded a part of his journey using the donations he received from former colleagues and his father’s friends. He occasionally resorted to singing on demand for people who contributed funds in order to help him afford the trip.

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Meyer posted a series of photos from his journey on Instagram.

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Talking about the trip, Meyer said that he held on to the motto ‘Life is too short to delay your dreams’ to keep himself motivated throughout the journey. He also signed up for various adventure activities like camping, hiking and snorkelling at the various parks he visited, and documented the experiences from each site, calling the tour ‘a ministry in many ways’.

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After concluding his trip in April, 2019, Meyer says he wants to go on “many more” adventures, which will serve as an inspiration for people to fulfill their dreams.

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