Disconnected
In Kentucky s Silicon Holler and Wisconsin s Northwoods, high-speed internet is creating jobs, and changing lives
Rick Barrett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Published
3:28 pm UTC Jun. 9, 2021
McKee, Ky. - Matt and Jennifer Muncy were dangerously close to becoming homeless.
They had lost their livelihood when a local factory sent work to Mexico. They barely subsisted on a string of low-paying jobs that followed.
Raising their four children in a part of Appalachia with a median annual household income barely above $32,000 about half the national average had become as lonely as McKee s single traffic light.
“We were literally at a point where we were done,” Matt said, tears welling up in his eyes. “We had each other, and as God is my witness, that’s the one thing which kept me going.”
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Located in southwestern Utah, Zion’s water-carved canyons, mesas, and rock formations are so astounding they were among the earliest additions to the U.S. National Park System, with President William Howard Taft setting aside some 15,000 acres in 1909. Originally called Mukuntuweap National Monument, it was later renamed and expanded. A few hours’ drive from Las Vegas, the popular park now draws millions of visitors each year.
Adventurers seeking otherworldly realms should aim their sights on a slot canyon called the Subway. Getting to this permit-required wonder is half the fun (and challenge). There are two ways: by hiking nine miles round-trip or by canyoneering, a mix of hiking, rappelling, and other activities. For this image, photographer Josh Hydeman did the latter. “By the time we got there, it was late in the day,” he says. “The canyon looked like a cave. There was a meeting of light and color and moment and beauty.”
Photo by SoisudaS
North Cascades National Park in Washington offers some of the best examples of Pacific Northwest nature, despite being one of the lesser-visited U.S. national parks.
These parks may not have the same international reputation as Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon, but that doesn’t make them any less spectacular. share this article
With 63 U.S. national parks spanning a variety of ecosystems, the U.S. National Park System offers seemingly endless opportunities for outdoor adventure. Yet most visitors tend to gravitate toward our most iconic and well-known ones. In 2020, 57 percent of all recreational visits to a national park were to the 10 most visited: Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Cuyahoga Valley, Acadia, Olympic, and Joshua Tree National Parks.