ICONIC Portfolio
Shop
About
*inspired by the belief that "the earth never goes out of style," we blend modern, organic design and intentional living where form and function coexist seamlessly.
ICONIC Portfolio
Shop
About
*inspired by the belief that "the earth never goes out of style," we blend modern, organic design and intentional living where form and function coexist seamlessly.
Marble or Dirt
The National Park Journey
02
Official date - 9.22.24. We started this journey technically in 2019 but didn’t make it a real mission until 2020.
I am writing this in our last National Park, Grand Tetons National Park, and I can’t believe we’re here. This was a personal accomplishment I never expected to do in my lifetime. It’s been an incredible journey that I will never forget. The experiences we had, the challenges we endured, the planning, the new people we met, the friends we got closer with, the food we ate, the views we saw — will always have an imprint in my mind.
Most people think we’re crazy for doing this while running our businesses, but I’ve never set an email responder for this entire journey. I’ve never not responded to my team or clients or let it affect our timelines — for every phone call on a mountain, zoom call in an Airbnb, payroll I ran at a campsite, emails, and working on designs in the car, it was all worth it. It is the epitome of burning the candle at both ends but allowing yourself enough self-care and time in nature not to burn out. Many would say that would take away from the experience and I should get off my phone; it’s just my reality, and doing that allowed me to achieve this goal while still running and growing my business. I don’t regret a thing.
Those who know me know that I am a workhorse. If it weren’t for my husband setting this goal for us, I would never take the time away from the office to do this. Let alone know how to create the time to plan for something like this. I’m so grateful because it also allowed us to have so much quality time together, although I feel we don’t get much in our daily lives. We even got engaged and then married during this journey.
What surprised me the most in this journey was how diverse our country is. Visiting the national parks allowed us to see the natural beauty of our landscape and the surrounding cities and small towns, which were a must-visit. I feel that I’ve gained so much life experience during this journey, inspiring my career. My design philosophy revolves around bringing natural beauty into the interior spaces we design, and I can’t think of a better way to get inspiration.
As I reflect on this, many people say turning your passion into your career can be challenging. They say that you can start to lose the passion. I turned my passion for interior design into my career. But at the same time, without knowing it, I discovered another passion (hiking and travel) that wasn’t my career but, in the end, fueled it. Therefore, I am keeping my passion for interior design alive and feeling inspired in my career.
I’m excited to share so much of our experiences at specific National Parks, which ones have been our favorites, what we recommend based on the adventure you’re seeking, and which ones we want to return to for more.
Below are my top 10 favorite parks:
1. Wrangell St. Elias
2. Kenai Fjord
3. Bryce Canyon
4. Yosemite
5. Yellowstone
6. Rocky Mountain
7. Mount Rainier
8. Grand Teton
9. Glacier
10. Denali
Below
- Kaitlyn
- Kaitl
Kaitlyn Wolfe