Finding Yourself in America’s Parks
- UNPLUG. Magazine
- 8 hours ago
- 6 min read
From unexpected sunsets to hard-earned summits, the parks have a way of changing you when you least expect it.
BY Kay Esposito, July 18, 2026
NATIONAL PARK LESSONS
You don’t really understand a national park until you’re standing in one. Photos can flatten it. Videos miss the total scale. Then you’re there, and it feels bigger than anything you’ve stepped into in a long time. Everything stretches out farther than you expected, and for a second you’re just there with it, no overthinking, no trying to keep up. It doesn’t try to impress you, which is probably why it does.
That’s kind of the whole thing with America’s national parks. Places like Yosemite National Park, Big Bend National Park and Grand Canyon National Park aren’t just “pretty views.” They’re reality checks. More like a reset you didn’t realize you needed. For Ruby Tawess, that reset didn’t come all at once. It built slowly, step by step, mile by mile, usually when things weren’t going how she planned.
I think being outside, at its core, doesn’t often go to plan, whether that’s trail closures, wildlife encounters or weather. The learning happens when you adapt to the conditions you’re given. — Ruby Tawess
She remembers one night at the Grand Canyon. The goal was simple: hike down the South Kaibab Trail, catch sunset, get the shot. Easy. Except it wasn’t. Storm clouds rolled in, snow started falling and the light flattened everything into this dull gray blur. Not exactly the dreamy canyon moment you see all over your feed.
“It seemed like our plan to photograph the canyon at sunset was going to be a total bust,” Ruby says.
A lot of people turned around. Fair enough. It was cold, visibility was gone and nothing about it screamed “worth it.” But Ruby kept going. Then the switch happened. About an hour in, Ruby says the clouds started to lift. They hovered over the canyon rim like they were placed there on purpose, catching the last light. Gold, orange, pink, yellow. Colors that didn’t feel real.
“To this day, I don’t think I’ve seen a more unique and stunning sunset. Mother Nature taught me it’s always worth going, because some of the most amazing things in the world only happen when you’re not planning or expecting them.”
That sunset was never part of Ruby’s plan, and that’s exactly why it mattered. National parks rarely stick to your itinerary, and that’s part of the magic. The most memorable moments tend to show up right when you’re open to whatever comes next.
Ruby learned that in Grand Teton National Park on a hike to Delta Lake. At the time, she was brand new to all of this, fresh from a tiny town in New Jersey, no real hiking experience and taking on a nearly nine-mile hike with over 2,000 feet of elevation gain in brand new boots.
Blisters hit early. Every step started to feel like a bad decision stacking on top of the last one. But she kept going. Slowly, painfully, stubbornly. When she finally reached the lake, it wasn’t just about the view. It felt earned in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve been there. Not earned like a reward. More like proof. Proof that Ruby can still figure it out.
That’s a big reason this hike will always be so special to me. It’s where I started out, so it’s wild to hike it now and look back on how much time I’ve spent in these parks, and how much they’ve shaped me — Ruby Tawess
That feeling shows up in quieter ways too. Not every moment is a big climb or a dramatic sunset. Sometimes it’s just standing still. At Tunnel View in Yosemite, Ruby spent nearly two hours just taking it in. Not hiking, not shooting, not moving, just sitting with it.
“When I first visited the park, we spent time staring out across the majesty of the valley, picking out tiny details, hikes we wanted to explore, and waterfalls we wanted to sit under,” she says. “The longer you look at a place of that scale while being still, the more you realize how much you can miss if you move too quickly or don’t pay close attention. It’s now become the first place I go anytime I return to Yosemite.”
And then there are moments that make you feel small in the best way. Glacier Point did that for Ruby.
“I have spent a total of 40 days and nights in Yosemite National Park, and I am confident that I will never be able to fully wrap my head around the scale of the valley view from Glacier Point,” she says. “Being able to see the awe-inspiring panorama of the valley, the many, many hikes I’ve done in the mountains, and the sheer number of mountain layers that lie beyond the iconic peaks of Half Dome and El Capitan is an experience that I cannot recommend enough.”
Not every lesson out there is peaceful, though. Some of them are uncomfortable. Early on, Ruby dealt with self-doubt. Wondering if she belonged there, if she could handle long hikes, if she was capable.
“During my earliest experiences hiking in Grand Teton National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, the biggest hurdle was not physical, it was self-doubt,” Ruby says. “Long hikes in the wilderness felt so foreign at the time. It is easy to compare yourself to more experienced people when you are starting out, so that is something I hope to help others move past.”
And sometimes, the smartest move is turning around. There was a hike in the Tetons, deep into Cascade Canyon, one Ruby had wanted to complete for years. Everything was lining up until it was not. Halfway in, a moose stepped onto the trail and stayed there, with no interest in moving.
“I think it is so important to remember that these rugged landscapes can be out of your control,” Ruby says. “I spent years dreaming of hiking all the way up Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton National Park. We took the shuttle across Jenny Lake, reached the trailhead, and started into the heart of the Tetons. The views are incredible and offer a perspective you do not get from road overlooks. About halfway in, a young moose took over the trail. It just shows that nature does not always follow your plan. I will always remember that beautiful moose.”
Some of the national park moments that stay with Ruby the longest are not the dramatic ones. Like the first time she brought her mom to Yosemite. No big hike, no extreme conditions, just watching her experience it for the first time and sharing that moment.
That kind of moment does not need a caption.
"I didn’t grow up in a scenic area,” she says. “As a little girl who fell in love with outdoor spaces through books, movies, and computer screens, I genuinely never thought I would be able to explore our national parks myself. So being able to realize that dream, then share it with my mom, watch her eyes light up and cry happy tears, is something that will stay with me long after my days of summiting mountains.”
Over time, the parks became more than places to visit for Ruby. They became a place to reset when life gets messy.
“Being alone in the wilderness gives me the perfect opportunity to reflect,” she says. “Reflection is such a powerful tool. It has not only helped me fall further in love with our natural spaces, but also accept and love parts of myself I did not before. I cannot recommend getting outside enough if you want to truly get to know yourself better.”
For her, that is what resetting looks like. Not the longest hike. Not the perfect photo. Not the most extreme version of the experience. Some days it is waking up at 2 a.m. to catch the first light at a viewpoint you have been chasing. Other days it is sitting by a river doing nothing and being fine with that. The parks don’t try to define it for you.
You show up, however you are, and that counts. Everything else is extra.
Instagram: @rubytawess | follow Ruby’s adventures across America’s national parks and beyond.
All photography by Ruby T. (@rubytawess).
