O r i g i n s
I started collecting U.S. National Park patches during a winter visit to Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. I was struck by the juxtaposition of the park’s spectacularly quirky, jagged rock formations and the powdery uniformity of the snow blanketing them.
A patch embroidered with a spindly hoodoo caught my eye in a visitor center one afternoon. I usually stick with postcards when traveling, but on an impulse, I bought the patch.
That evening, I drove to Zion and was humbled by its beauty and scale as my headlights wound through its sweeping stacks of sandstone. I arrived at the park’s visitor center before it opened the next morning to buy my second patch.
The experiences felt strangely serendipitous. I’d been reflecting on the sheer power of nature and time and the stunning diversity of our planet. I soon promised myself to visit all 63 US National Parks in my lifetime and collect a patch from each one along the way.
To keep the patches secure, I found a secondhand Levi’s denim trucker jacket with a single button superbly missing. I’d been lucky enough to have visited a handful of National Parks before Bryce and Zion and found patches for those on Etsy.
I tried hand-sewing my budding library onto the jacket, which was a prickly, painful failure. A friend taught me how to use a sewing machine; when the stubborn patches kept peeling off, I switched to hand-embroidering them with a thicker needle and floss courtesy of the nearest Michaels.
Where I’m able, I’m committed to purchasing the remaining patches directly from park stores to best benefit the National Park Service and its affiliates, as well as capture specific moments in time. When a jacket panel is full, I’ll finish its interior and add personal stories to the lining behind each patch.
My goals are to visit and learn as much as possible about the National Parks; inspire care, respect, and support for our planet; and create a garment full of patches and stories.
I hope everyone has the chance to create their own memories in our National Parks.
