Blister Podcast

This week marks the Centennial of the National Parks Service. So we headed to Bar Harbor, Maine — right next to Acadia National Park — to talk about the parks with James Kaiser, who has been writing about the parks and spending a whole bunch of his time in them for years. James is the author of best-selling guides to national parks, including exceptional guidebooks to Acadia, Yosemite, Joshua Tree, and Grand Canyon.TOPICS & TIMES:The history of the parks & Abraham Lincoln’s role and their unprecedented nature (3:55)Grand Canyon National Park, and its wild, contested past (5:50)What’s the difference between National Forests, National Parks, and National Monuments? (9:08)What are the biggest problems facing the parks? (16:43)Why do the national parks matter? At their best, what do they do? (24:50)Why do people do such stupid things when they go to national parks? (28:15)How optimistic or pessimistic are you about the future of the parks? (31:30)James’ background, and how he got into creating guide books