Of course, there has to be an introduction. You want to know who is going to be navigating you through this experience, right? I (Kayla) will primarily be doing all the writing, so I suppose we can start with me first. Dakota is awesome at technology, and video/photo editing so that will be his expertise during this endeavor. 

 

I’m originally from New York (Finger Lakes area), and have always loved nature, animals (specifically while they're in the wild and I can marvel at their behavior), and I have always loved traveling and experiencing new things. In 2017 I began my education at Kent State University in Ohio, where I received my bachelor’s in criminology and justice studies, and psychology, with a minor in forensic anthropology (May of 2021). I am now obtaining my Master of Public Health. My day-to-day job is creating content about mental health and presenting it to my university. I love a good book, hanging out in the hammock, camping, taking photos, visiting parks of course, creating art in my spare time, and you guessed it, Dakota. 

 

Dakota is from Southern Ohio and shares similar interests as me.  In high school, Dakota attended a career and technical school where he specialized in criminal justice and graduated in 2016. He always aspired to get into law enforcement at some capacity, but something always felt off. In 2019, Dakota enrolled at Kent State for a major in journalism, with a focus in photojournalism. A choice that took many people by surprise as he never held a camera before in his life. He had to follow his heart as he felt he could help more people with a camera than a badge. He now aspires to share people’s stories through photography. His main career goal is to work for Time Magazine or National Geographic. Dakota loves cooking, hiking, fishing, photography, and of course… Me (Kayla)

 

Go back to roughly 2015, Dakota and I met, and we became partners in 2016. As I mentioned, I lived in New York, and Dakota lived in Ohio. When COVID-19 happened, we both had to leave Kent State and go to our respective homes. We were longing to see each other and travel, and we found that the best way (and safest way) to do this was by visiting (mostly driving) to national parks. We started with the Smoky Mountains, Cuyahoga Valley, Shenandoah, and we are now at 14 parks. With his experience in photojournalism, my up-and-coming hobby of nature and wildlife photography, and our love for wildlife and the outdoors, we’ve decided to make this website in hopes to encourage others to get to our parks. 

 

Dakota and I currently live in Eastern Ohio with our rescued cat Luna. While we love getting outdoors, we also like to spend time watching movies, cooking together, and being with friends and family.