Facing Reality
Cole Donelson said, “It wasn't a real thing we were gonna do; it was a shot in the dark.” He was referring to a trip that included visiting all of the 59 National Parks in one year. So far, no one has accomplished the task, and Cole and Elizabeth Donelson, The Switchback Kids, wanted to be the first ones to do so. Cole explained, “We wanted to be the pioneers... ; we wanted to be the first to tackle this [experience].” When the time came to pursue the thrilling adventure, they stopped thinking about it and actually took “a shot in the dark.” Cole and Elizabeth Donelson’s wild experience consisted of meticulous planning, emotional support, financial risks, unexpected situations and obstacles, and an uncertain future.
First of all, the Switchback Kids had to map out the trip and use some planning schemes to even consider the risky move. The Donelsons started researching information about the National Parks and used that to sketch a route. Cole explained, “Routing was the first big thing we did.” The Donelsons depicted a spiral-shaped route to cover all the regions of the United States. After mapping, they started examine the expenses. They researched and calculated the time, money, and effort that was needed for the project. Cole went on to say, “Basically we did a ton of googling.” Although the Donelsons would have to leave their jobs and homes, careful planning made their trip financially and emotionally possible.
Second of all, Elizabeth and Cole Donaldson anticipated emotional support from their loving family. However, when the couple broke the news to their closest relatives, neither set of parents truly believed Cole and Elizabeth would pursue the adventure. When the parents actually realized Cole and Elizabeth’s seriousness about the situation, they gave the “Kids” advice and support. Cole explained, “We have a safety net back in St. Louis to fall back on. Elizabeth’s parents have offered to let us stay in their basement.” This shows the support of Elizabeth’s parents and how willing they were to help. Other relatives also encouraged Cole and Elizabeth to engage in the exploration. All in all, the Switchback Kids found the exact support system they were looking for.
In addition to the planning and emotional support, the adventure required financial risks. For example, Cole and Elizabeth Donelson quit their jobs and sold their house and furniture. The proper traveling equipment needed is all that remained. The Switchback Kids had a goal of making their journey completely self-funded. In order to do so, they saved up a sufficient amount of money: $20,000. A large sum of this money came from side jobs such as, driving Uber and painting. Elizabeth noted this point by saying, “We had side businesses other than our main jobs.” Although they had carefully planned their expenses, they feared the chance of losing all of their money. Cole delineated, “We have more realistic fears like running out of money in Alaska.” If the Switchback Kids' fears of losing their money were to come true, they would be faced with having no back-up plan. For this reason, their journey was a huge risk.
The adventure that Cole and Elizabeth Donelson are continuing required them to cope with unexpected situations and obstacles. These situations started with fears of critters to the unexpected 30 degree weather and sleet. Elizabeth was terrified of the bears and the unknown creatures she might encounter. Cole worries about the roads of Alaska. He depicted, “Five of the National Parks in Alaska do not have roads.” This meant they will struggle with the journey to and through the eight National Parks in Alaska. A man warned the Switchback Kids of the dangers of Alaska by stating, “You better bring two extra tires for traveling through Alaska; it eats tires for breakfast.” Of course, that was not comforting to the couple. The situations and obstacles piled on the further they got into the mission.
Lastly, accepting the uncertainty of the future was a huge factor for Cole and Elizabeth Donelson. The couple was unsure of what would become of their jobs, but they planned to move back to St. Louis. Through their concerns, the Switchback Kids hoped to have the opportunity to work with the National Park Service as a result of their experience. The couple has not heard back yet from the national service, but local services have reached them. Cole explained, “The rangers are excited for the most part.” However, the rangers' enthusiasm did not squelch the Kids' fear of the logistics. For instance, Cole and Elizabeth worry that this trip would not create future opportunities. Elizabeth delineated, “Still the fear of not having that security of a job was a huge risk.” Although there are fears, the skills gained outweigh the chance of failure.
The Switchback Kids’ adventure contained a routed map, ample support, budgeting risks, unanticipated challenges, and an unknown forthcoming. Cole said, “Good timing, good opportunity we have for the rest of our lives.” Of course, the bold move is not over yet. Cole and Elizabeth Donelson have endured hardships like being scarce with money, not showering as often, and fearing the creepy critters, but that is only the beginning. The “shot in the dark” was just becoming reality.
Works Cited
Donelson, Cole, and Elizabeth Donelson. "Switchback Kids." Online interview. 19 Oct. 2015.
First of all, the Switchback Kids had to map out the trip and use some planning schemes to even consider the risky move. The Donelsons started researching information about the National Parks and used that to sketch a route. Cole explained, “Routing was the first big thing we did.” The Donelsons depicted a spiral-shaped route to cover all the regions of the United States. After mapping, they started examine the expenses. They researched and calculated the time, money, and effort that was needed for the project. Cole went on to say, “Basically we did a ton of googling.” Although the Donelsons would have to leave their jobs and homes, careful planning made their trip financially and emotionally possible.
Second of all, Elizabeth and Cole Donaldson anticipated emotional support from their loving family. However, when the couple broke the news to their closest relatives, neither set of parents truly believed Cole and Elizabeth would pursue the adventure. When the parents actually realized Cole and Elizabeth’s seriousness about the situation, they gave the “Kids” advice and support. Cole explained, “We have a safety net back in St. Louis to fall back on. Elizabeth’s parents have offered to let us stay in their basement.” This shows the support of Elizabeth’s parents and how willing they were to help. Other relatives also encouraged Cole and Elizabeth to engage in the exploration. All in all, the Switchback Kids found the exact support system they were looking for.
In addition to the planning and emotional support, the adventure required financial risks. For example, Cole and Elizabeth Donelson quit their jobs and sold their house and furniture. The proper traveling equipment needed is all that remained. The Switchback Kids had a goal of making their journey completely self-funded. In order to do so, they saved up a sufficient amount of money: $20,000. A large sum of this money came from side jobs such as, driving Uber and painting. Elizabeth noted this point by saying, “We had side businesses other than our main jobs.” Although they had carefully planned their expenses, they feared the chance of losing all of their money. Cole delineated, “We have more realistic fears like running out of money in Alaska.” If the Switchback Kids' fears of losing their money were to come true, they would be faced with having no back-up plan. For this reason, their journey was a huge risk.
The adventure that Cole and Elizabeth Donelson are continuing required them to cope with unexpected situations and obstacles. These situations started with fears of critters to the unexpected 30 degree weather and sleet. Elizabeth was terrified of the bears and the unknown creatures she might encounter. Cole worries about the roads of Alaska. He depicted, “Five of the National Parks in Alaska do not have roads.” This meant they will struggle with the journey to and through the eight National Parks in Alaska. A man warned the Switchback Kids of the dangers of Alaska by stating, “You better bring two extra tires for traveling through Alaska; it eats tires for breakfast.” Of course, that was not comforting to the couple. The situations and obstacles piled on the further they got into the mission.
Lastly, accepting the uncertainty of the future was a huge factor for Cole and Elizabeth Donelson. The couple was unsure of what would become of their jobs, but they planned to move back to St. Louis. Through their concerns, the Switchback Kids hoped to have the opportunity to work with the National Park Service as a result of their experience. The couple has not heard back yet from the national service, but local services have reached them. Cole explained, “The rangers are excited for the most part.” However, the rangers' enthusiasm did not squelch the Kids' fear of the logistics. For instance, Cole and Elizabeth worry that this trip would not create future opportunities. Elizabeth delineated, “Still the fear of not having that security of a job was a huge risk.” Although there are fears, the skills gained outweigh the chance of failure.
The Switchback Kids’ adventure contained a routed map, ample support, budgeting risks, unanticipated challenges, and an unknown forthcoming. Cole said, “Good timing, good opportunity we have for the rest of our lives.” Of course, the bold move is not over yet. Cole and Elizabeth Donelson have endured hardships like being scarce with money, not showering as often, and fearing the creepy critters, but that is only the beginning. The “shot in the dark” was just becoming reality.
Works Cited
Donelson, Cole, and Elizabeth Donelson. "Switchback Kids." Online interview. 19 Oct. 2015.