National Park Service Founded: 100th Anniversary, 1916 – This might be a great way to get your Church Group, Youth Group, Boy Scout Troop or even Trail Life Troop to work together and you all can go hiking as a group.
National Park Service Founded: 100th Anniversary, 1916
The Centennial or known as the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service was founded on August 25, 1916. So on August 25, 2016, the National Park Service will celebrate 100 years.
Going hiking and camping is a great way to see the creation of God. You can see all He created like wildlife animals. Not to mention trees, shrubs, plants and more.
The Organic Act of 1916
The Organic Act of 1916 established the National Park Service within the Department of the Interior. The act stated: “The service thus established shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations.” It should conserve scenery of natural and historic objects and wild life and provide for the enjoyment while leaving them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
Events Planned
Events are planned all over the Nation’s National Park Services including the The Great Smoky Mountains, which is close to me. The National Park Service is also offering free admission to all 412 national parks from August 25 through August 28, 2016 in celebrating their Centennial.
Hike 100
In part of the celebration, if you can prove you hiked 100 miles in 2016 (January 1, 2016 until December 6, 2016), you can get a special certificate. It is part of the Hike 100 Challenge. On December 8, 2016, Hike 100 Celebration, in the Smoky Mountains, there will be a special certificate and pin given. This challenge is part of the Smokies Centennial Challenge – Hike 100. Do note these hikes must be done in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (borders the state of Tennessee and North Carolina).
I love to hike, I didn’t know about this until recently when one of the guys at church who also works with the youth mentioned he has been working on his Hike 100. It is still possible to get this feat down too! I walk a lot, but haven’t got to hike yet this year. I just might start and put in hikes on the weekend. That would mean I would need to do the full 100 miles in less than 4 months. That is about 15 Saturdays to go, that would be about 6 miles a week or 12 miles every other week for me. (At the time of posting this blog post). If you live near the Great Smoky Mountains area and wish to go hiking or know of hiking groups, please let me know. Thanks.
Sample 100 Mile Hike Plan
Cataloochee Divide Trail – 10 miles
Leave No Trace
Leave no trace, something that was thought in me in Boy Scouts. Jerry, our other youth leaders that loves to hiking says leave nothing but foot prints and taking nothing but pictures. We should leave no trace that we were ever there. Not to mention, we should take our trash with us and not toss in on the trail. We cannot take rocks, plants, etc. with us either. We can take pictures of what we see, but do not take items from the park. Taking things from the park, including rocks is poaching and is illegal.
Did you do your Hike 100 for the Great Smoky Mountains this year?
Learn more about the National Park Service visit nps.gov
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