June is Great Outdoors Month, a terrific time to get out and get active. Here at Aramark, we’re excited to connect with park visitors and outdoor fans through Why I Heart the Parks, our initiative to encourage and engage visitors to share and spread their love for our National, state and local parks as well as other public lands such as National Forests and recreation areas. To get the inside scoop on how visiting our nation’s parks – and being outside in general – can help us be healthy and reach our potential, we caught up with Ashley McComb, Manager of Interpretive Services at Yosemite National Park. Here’s what she had to say:
What are the benefits of getting outdoors?
Your body needs to be active to be healthy. When you’re outside and breathing in clean air and hiking or walking, your body also feels good. But the benefits of being outdoors are more than just physical. On an emotional and spiritual level, it’s just breathtaking to see all the beautiful wilderness. It impacts your body and your soul.
How did you first discover that what you eat makes a difference in your life, and what do you recommend people eat when they’re active in the wilderness?
I was lucky to grow up in a health-conscious household. My mom was into eating lots of fruits and veggies, and I grew up knowing that what I put in my body was going to influence how I felt and how I functioned, especially as an athlete.
When hiking around Yosemite, my number one recommendation is water, water, water! You can never have enough water. When hiking in higher elevations, you can lose salt very quickly, so you’ll also want to eat a salty snack. I also think fats are really important. It’s incredible how energized you feel after eating an avocado with salt on the trail. And it’s sustained energy.
What does finding a park mean to you?
I think there is a park for everyone, and a wild space for everyone. People can connect with all types of wild spaces – whether it’s an ocean or a forest or a mountain top with no trees or snow – each wild place calls to somebody. Lots of people connect with Yosemite because it has so many wild parts. It has open high country. It has dense forest. It has rivers. It has lakes. If you can make it a goal in your life to find a wild space that calls to you, then you can find your park, and find your place.
What if we can’t get out to Yosemite?
There’s so much wild space around everyone, everywhere – even if you’re living in a big city hub. You don’t have to buy a plane ticket or drive cross country because you can enjoy wild places everywhere, whether it’s a monument, a local or state park or a national forest. There’s even wild space in your own backyard. Finding what’s closest to you is a great way to experience the outdoors, and then, if you get hooked, come on out to Yosemite!
What’s your favorite moment in the park?
I think about a trip that I did with one of my best friends almost every day! We hiked up to Sunrise High Sierra Camp. High Sierra Camps are in the high country, at higher elevations, in wild wilderness. When we were up there, instead of taking a 25-mile trail around the camp loop to the opposite camp, we did a cross-country, off-trail trek. It was life-altering. When I was standing up across all those rigid peaks and passes, it felt like I was in a place that no one had ever seen or stood before.
That was my moment, but I also love getting to watch other people experience their moment. I love seeing a person’s face as they connect with our national parks for the first time. We do a lot of environmental education programs, and a lot of people on our tours haven’t been to the parks before and don’t know much about our natural or cultural resources. And when I take them to a new place, their eyes glaze over and they can’t speak. Something shifts in their head. I’ve witnessed that “aha!” moment, and it is so spectacular. People come to Yosemite looking up, but in the end, they find themselves looking within. I think that’s maybe the coolest take home about this park, discovering yourself in wild spaces. And how intimately connected that we all are to it.
Do you have any tips for how to make the great outdoors enjoyable for the whole family?
Let your kids be kids! Kids come to Yosemite and it’s just wild for them. They want to run around and climb on rocks and up trees and look at bugs. How kids see these places are how adults strive to see these places – so let your kids embrace that wonder, and allow yourself to open up to it, too.
Is there anything else visitors should be excited about if they get the chance to visit one of the parks this summer?
Yes! There’s been this big movement to get food from just outside the park’s borders. And, you can taste the difference too. For instance, some of our pizzas are made with local tomatoes from Fresno and I’m not one for pizza, but… I do really like the pizza we have at Half Dome Village. It’s just so good and I think maybe it’s the local tomatoes.
I’m really excited about the fact that our director of food and beverages is really passionate about sustainability. I love that. I think it’s so cool when you have people in leadership who are passionate about health and sustainability.
Make a point this month to get outside and enjoy the wild, whether in your own backyard or with Ashley in Yosemite. With over 400 national park sites spanning across 84 million acres, and opportunities ranging from hiking the Rocky Mountains to discovering the birthplace of our 16th president, there is something for everyone.
And, if you can’t make it out to see Ashley, check out her photos on Instagram. Interested in seeing what all the parks have to offer? The National Park Service can help you Find a Park. But before and after your adventure, be sure to join the Why I Heart the Parks community (also on Facebook or Instagram) and share why YOU heart the parks and enter to win a visit to one of our National Park destinations!
Note: Since everyone’s health history and nutritional needs are so different, please make sure that you talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian to get advice about the diet and exercise plan that‘s right for you.
Note: Since everyone’s health history and nutritional needs are so different, please make sure that you talk with your doctor and a registered dietitian to get advice about the diet and exercise plan that‘s right for you.