Joy Ryan had lived more than eight decades without seeing a mountain. When her grandson Brad learned how much of the outdoors remained unfamiliar to her, he recognized something they could change together.
In 2015, when Joy was 85, they traveled to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She camped and experienced a landscape unlike anything in her earlier life. One trip created a possibility neither had previously pursued.
Their early travel was far from a polished luxury itinerary. An Ohio State account describes their first campsite being set up at night in heavy rain. The beginning included inconvenience as well as wonder, with grandmother and grandson learning the journey together. Ohio State Alumni Magazine
That first experience grew into an ambitious goal: visit every U.S. national park. A weekend away had become a project that would require years, considerable travel, and persistence through changing circumstances.
The list took them far beyond familiar roads. Their travels eventually included parks in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Brad’s account of the project described journeys by several forms of transportation and support from people who wanted to help them finish. Brad Ryan’s account
As the number of parks visited increased, their relationship accumulated its own collection of shared experiences. They were no longer simply discussing places Brad had seen and Joy had missed. They had memories of landscapes they had encountered together.
By 2023, one destination remained: the National Park of American Samoa. Reaching it involved a long journey from Ohio, including multiple flights. The final park was thousands of miles from the home where their plan had begun.
They arrived in May, when Joy was 93. Their first exploration included fruit bats in the trees and a coastal view toward Pola Island. After years of travel, they had completed all 63 parks on their list. Good Morning America’s report
The finish was also touched by grief: Brad’s father, Joy’s son, had recently died. Brad described the achievement as bittersweet. Their final destination held both celebration and loss, reflecting the family life that had continued throughout the journey.
Completing the parks did not end their curiosity. More travel followed. Yet the most powerful contrast remains the first one: a woman who reached 85 without seeing a mountain spent the following years exploring an extraordinary range of landscapes, with her grandson beside her.