“I Never Think About How Old I Am, I Just Do It”: 92-Year-Old Grandmother Embarks on Journey to Visit 63 National Parks with Her Grandson After Telling Him She Had Never Seen a Mountain

When Brad Ryan learned his nature-loving grandmother, Joy Ryan, had never witnessed a mountain in person, he knew he wanted to give her the opportunity. “I was trying to do something to help her, and she ended up saving me in the process.”

Now the grandmother-grandson duo are making lifetime memories as they travel together to national parks across the country.

The two have already made it to 62 of the 63 parks on their list and driven almost 50,000 miles by each other’s side since beginning with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2015. They’ve reached nearly every corner of America, from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to Alaska’s Katmai National Park, all the way to West Virginia’s New River Gorge Park.

The experience has had a profound impact on the two. Joy now describes her grandson as her “best friend.” And Brad says his “Grandma Joy is a bit of a superhero.”

As they prepare to explore the final park on their list, National Park of American Samoa, we encourage you to visit The Washington Post to view more photos of their adventures so far.