UNIONTOWN, Ohio — Tom Wright decided to go big by getting out of his home for an amazing journey that took him to all 425 U.S. national parks in less than one year.
Wright, a 60-year-old retired Goodyear engineer from Uniontown, crisscrossed the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa and Guam.
Here are some key numbers from the trek that lasted from January through October: 123,000 miles by plane, car, boat and hiking over 323 days at a cost of $64,000.
"If you think about it, $64,000 seems like a big number, but to get to all 425 parks, four territories and all 50 states, I'm thinking that's pretty reasonable," Wright said.
Wright, a self-proclaimed nature and history lover, is also an avid collector. He has more than 800 Coca-Cola cans and bottles from all over the world, dozens of Star Wars character cars and sports memorabilia.
But it's hard for him to top the memories he collected while on his vast tour of the national parks.
"I am an advocate. I love them," he said.
Before setting out on the journey, Wright planned and plotted a map for the park visits, looking at typical weather patterns to help create a guide.
His wife supported him by helping him change out gear whenever he came home over 19-loop segments. She only traveled to the final park— the Abraham Lincoln National Park in Kentucky.
"I love her to death, Wright said. "We had a National Park Traveler's Club celebratory meeting there for me," Wright said.
Wright, who wore "One Year, One Quest" T-shirts during the trip, said he enjoyed the parks' beauty, history and heritage while also getting the chance to meet many people who were curious about what he was doing.
"Hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the quest came up to me to inquire what I was doing," he said.
Wright believes his trip should put him in the Guinness Book of World Records for visiting all of the national parks in the fastest time, but he said some questions are being raised about using charter— rather than public— flights to get to several parks in Alaska.
He doesn't think that should matter and has been keeping in touch with Guinness officials.
"The company I used is one of only a couple which the National Park Service authorizes to fly visitors into and out of those parks, so that is the public means of transportation," Wright said.
Speaking of Alaska, Wright said Glacier Bay National Park was his most memorable stop because of all the creatures he saw in a beautiful setting.
"That day, we saw 10 killer whales, six humpback whales, five brown bears, hundreds of Steller sea lions, five bald eagles, a couple of mountain goats, and sea otters.
From a historical perspective, Wright said it's hard to beat Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
"That's the room where they debated and signed the Constitution," Wright said as he pointed to one of the thousands of pictures he took during the trip.
When asked if he could only pick one national park to recommend, Wright went with Zion National Park in Utah.
"If you're physically fit, I would pick Zion National Park because they have three of the top hikes within the National Park Service," he said.
Wright was recently honored at NovaCare Rehabilitation in Uniontown, which declared Nov. 22 as "Thomas Wright Day." Wright spent a lot of time at the facility getting fit for his journey.
Wright is now ready for a much-deserved rest. He hopes the attention towards his accomplishment inspires others to visit and learn about our national parks.
"I say, folks, if you think it's nuts, go visit a few parks. Experience. If you want to do something, set your sights for it, plan, plan, plan and then execute," he said.
