After nine episodes of stories, insight, and earned perspective — one question remains.

In the Season 1 finale of the Ranger PamPaw Podcast, host Mark Tezel gives the honest, specific answer to the question that has been building all season: given everything it cost, everything it asked — would you do it all again?

You'll hear the story of the third day that redirected an entire career, what government shutdowns taught him about working within a system that doesn't always make sense, the school class that sent thank-you notes he still has, a son who proposed in Glacier Bay, and the parks — Emory Peak, Katmai, the Grand Canyon at dawn — that left marks that never faded.

The National Park Service is not perfect. But the parks are worth it. And they belong to all of us.

Ranger PamPaw Podcast is hosted by Mark Tezel — known to his grandkids as Ranger PamPaw — after nearly four decades with the National Park Service. Part of the Tezels on the Road family.

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Visit www.tezelsontheroad.com/rangerpampaw or email me at rangerpampaw@tezelsontheroad.com.

Thanks for walking the trail with me.

I’ll see you in the park.