ULTIMATE OUTSIDERS // 2020.

 Fun fact: I am a big fan of goals. I always have been, and I probably always will be. I love how it feels to write down something I want to accomplish and then trying my darndest to make it a reality. It has especially been fun to set goals since becoming a mama, because I love doing fun things with my kiddos in tow.

In November of 2019, I took my littles to Paris Mountain for a quick hike around the pond. They begged to go into the ranger's office / park store, so we dipped inside mid-hike to check it out (again). The ranger was actually in there at the time, and we started talking about how often we hike, etc., and he asked me if we had collected any of the park stamps yet. I replied that I didn't even know stamps were a thing at the parks, even though we regularly frequent them. In all my visits to the parks over the years, I had never heard of an Ultimate Outsider. When he handed me the book and I started to flip through, I had a thought: "This would be a fun thing to tackle as a family in 2020!"

So, I set a lofty goal: to visit / collect a stamp at all 47 SC State Parks in 2020 and become Ultimate Outsiders!

It sounded simple enough, because I thought that 2020 would be a year like any other. Big LOL! I'm not much of a hiker when it comes to cold weather (honestly, more of a hibernator in winter), so we only visited one park in January, one in February, and one in March. My intention was for April's Hike it Baby 30 Challenge to officially launch us into this challenge of our own, but thennnnn the world shut down.

By the end of June, we had only visited 14 out of 47 parks, putting us just over 25% of the way to the goal with only half a year left. We were visiting an average of 4 parks per month by that point, but it wasn't until the end of October when I finally became confident that we were going to meet our goal. After lots of intentional calendar-maneuvering and lots of gas money and countless hours spent in the car and packed lunches / dinners galore and maaaaaybe a day of playing hooky from school, we started December with only TWO parks left! We purposefully saved a trip to the coast for last because 1) y'all already know how much we love the beach and 2) it's not every year that we get to put our toes in the ocean in December! We planned a quick overnight trip and soaked in the time that we had together as we prepared to get that final coveted stamp (at the most mystical park of all, in my opinion).

We are SO proud and excited to share that as of yesterday, December 22, 2020, we are an ultimate outsider family! And although I don't know this for certain, I would think that Braxton and Bethany are among the youngest to earn that title. Proud mama!

We bought this State Park sign from Local Stature, a local GVL small business, back in April, and I've been plotting using it as a prop for the day we would celebrate being Ultimate Outsiders. The park ranger loved it, and lots of people from Instagram have asked about it since I posted it last night on Instagram, too. A sign that represents something of great value to our family AND the opportunity to support a small business during a hard season? Yes please!

The vision occurred November 2019, and the completion was December 2020.
Let's go on a quick trip down Memory Lane to increase our gratitude, shall we?

1) Paris Mountain State Park
November 21, 2019


2) Musgrove Mill State Historic Site
January 20, 2020


3) Croft State Park
February 17, 2020


4) Rose Hill Plantation
March 22, 2020


5) Oconee Station State Historic Site
May 1, 2020


6) Oconee State Park
May 1, 2020


7) Sesquicentennial State Park
May 4, 2020


8) Chester State Park
May 4, 2020


9) Huntington Beach State Park
May 16, 2020


10) Sadlers Creek State Park
June 5, 2020


11) Lake Hartwell State Park
June 16, 2020


12) Table Rock State Park
June 18, 2020


13) Myrtle Beach State Park
June 26, 2020


14) Lee State Park
June 27, 2020


15) Keowee-Toxaway State Park
July 2, 2020


16) Devil's Fork State Park
July 9, 2020


17) Hamilton Branch State Park
July 16, 2020


18) Baker Creek State Park
July 16, 2020


19) Hickory Knob State Park
July 16, 2020


20) Calhoun Falls State Park
July 16, 2020


21) Dreher Island State Park
August 11, 2020


22) Charlestown Landing Historic Site
August 18, 2020


23) Kings Mountain State Park
September 7, 2020


24) Andrew Jackson State Park
September 7, 2020


25) Lansford Canal State Park
September 7, 2020


26) Lake Wateree State Park
September 7, 2020


27) Lake Greenwood State Park
September 18, 2020

28) Caesar's Head State Park

October 4, 2020

29) Lake Warren State Park

October 6, 2020

30) Battle of Rivers Bridge State Historic Site

October 6, 2020

31) Barnwell State Park

October 6, 2020

32) Redcliffe Plantation State Historic Site

October 6, 2020

33) Aiken State Park

October 6, 2020

34) Edisto Beach State Park

October 13, 2020

35) Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site

October 13, 2020

36) Givhans Ferry State Park

October 13, 2020

37) Colleton State Park

October 13, 2020

38) Santee State Park

October 13, 2020

39) Cheraw State Park

October 23, 2020

40) H. Cooper Black Memorial Park

October 23, 2020

41) Goodale State Park

October 23, 2020

42) Little Pee Dee State Park

November 3, 2020

43) Woods Bay State Park

November 3, 2020

44) Poinsett State Park

November 3, 2020

45) Jones Gap State Park

November 27, 2020

46) Hampton Plantation State Historic Site

December 21, 2020

47) Hunting Island State Park

December 22, 2020

We're the newest South Carolina ULTIMATE OUTSIDERS, people. And we are PUUUUUUUUUMPED!

So many people have asked what my favorite parks are since we started sharing about our adventures, and that is honestly such a hard question to answer. Every park we visited was charming in its own unique way, and that's probably one of my favorite things about our statewide explorations -- I realize that I'm partial, but South Carolina really is so, so beautiful! We frequent the upstate parks a loooooot, and it was so great to see that the other parts of the state have great opportunities to spend time outside, too. The historical sites we visited were truly remarkable, as well, and we learned something new with every visit. If I absolutely, positively *HAD* to choose favorites, however, my top ten list would be this (based primarily on our experiences there from this year):

10) Devil's Fork State Park

9) Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site

8) Chester State Park

7) Caesar's Head State Park

6) Sadlers Creek State Park

5) Santee State Park

4) Edisto Beach State Park

3) Jones Gap State Park

2) Hunting Island State Park

1) Table Rock State Park

*Side note: Table Rock will always hold the #1 spot for me, because it holds such sacred memories since I was little. That high dive used to be my biggest challenge in life!

Whew, that was hard. LOL! I, also, want to give an honorable mention to Paris Mountain State Park, because that is definitely our most visited park. It is the closest park to us, and it is always a fun time. A little slice of heaven on earth, truly. When I asked Braxton what his favorite park was his answer was this: "The one with the REALLY COOL playground. Remember that one, Mommy?!" I immediately knew which one he was talking about, because it took me foreeeeever to get them off of that thing. HA! Sooooo, if you're looking for a neat playground, be sure to check out Cheraw State Park per Braxton's recommendation. Find your next adventure by doing your own research of the parks here!

I have been going to SC State Parks since I was a little girl, and I'm grateful that my own little ones are  growing up with dirt under their shoes and their fingernails, too. Of all the things I want to teach my kiddos, the top three are: 1) God, their Maker, loves them without end, 2) their daddy and I love them almost just as much as He does, and 3) life should be enjoyed to the fullest. I believe that a big part of that last one is learning to be kind to people and to creation, in general. Hiking helps us get better at both of those things, and it really is the best watching them grow up on the trails. We've never met a mean ranger, either, folks. SC Rangers are so hard-working and genuinely good-hearted!

Another lesson I want them to learn is that how you finish matters more than how you start. This challenge is proof of that. TJ and I are both big fans of finishing what you start (aka not just starting for the sake of starting, but starting with the end in mind), and this big stretch goal of ours was worth all the hustling at the end. Crossing that finish line is one of my favorite moments!

So, what's next? Well, I hear there are some really great National Parks that we should check out, but that will take us waaaaaay more than a year. ;) Here's to resting in the now so we can prepare for our next fun adventure!