Kat Sack here! Sometimes Katastrophic Sackrilege to the running community, but most definitely The Mountain Lioness to those who follow and join my adventures. I currently call Tallahassee, FL home. The mountains are my favorite place to be and explore but given my location, I dive into other types of rad places too!

I created this blog as a personal project to document my adventures. Photos are great, but I love text describing more of the story and to recall what I have learned. I am no expert at outdoorsy activities, but I learn as I go! If you end up here, I hope you can get something out of it.

My original focus was on backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. I have thus shifted the scope as I discovered my love for National and State Parks. I have the National Parks Passport and the Florida State Parks passport which have allowed me to discover places I originally would never have seen. Now I write about national monuments, history, run-cations, etc.

At some point I hope to dive into personal growth as well with topics including self-sufficiency and improvement, turning boredom into adventure, steps to heal my body and mind, and overcoming social adversities.

Life is an adventure. Go outside. Pay attention to all that is around you. Get lost in the moment. Everything has a story. Listen for it, even if you do not speak the same language.

Day 1 - The National Park Service & Environment VS The Federal Government Shutdown

The National Park Service & Environment 

         VS 

               The Federal Government Shutdown

Day 1 - December 22, 2018

The Politics

  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell adjourns the Senate until December 27, 2018.
  • The nine agencies without funding include
    • Agriculture
    • Commerce
    • Justice
    • Homeland Security
    • Interior
    • State
    • Transportation
    • Treasury 
    • Housing and Urban Development.
  • 420,000 "essential" federal employees will be working without pay
  • 380,000 will be furloughed
WTOP - Partial government shutdown likely to extend past Christmas
"Regrettably, America has now entered a Trump Shutdown. Republicans control the House, the Senate, and the White House. But instead of honoring his responsibility to the American people, President Trump threw a temper tantrum and convinced House Republicans to push our nation into a destructive Trump Shutdown in the middle of the holiday season. President Trump has said more than 25 times that he wanted a shutdown and now he has gotten what he wanted.

"Democrats have offered Republicans multiple proposals to keep the government open, including one that already passed the Senate unanimously, and all of which include funding for strong, sensible, and effective border security – not the president's ineffective and expensive wall. If President Trump and Republicans choose to continue this Trump Shutdown, the new House Democratic majority will swiftly pass legislation to re-open government in January."

National Park Service + Environment

The National Park Service tweets that its social media will not be monitored or updated.

Washington DC Parks

  • The National Mall will remain open with limited staff, services, restrooms, trash collection, etc.
  • D.C.s Department of Public Works says they will take over National Parks litter collection until the shutdown is over.
  • All Kennedy Center performances will continue to occur as scheduled. The box office and gift shops will remain open, but the building will be closed to the public most of the time.
  • Smithsonian museums, research centers, and the National Zoo have prior-year funds to remain open until January 1, 2019
  • Law Enforcement Museum, the Bible Museum, and the Newseum will remain open.
  • Ford's Theater will still have their scheduled performances of A Christmas Carol through December 30, 2018
  • The Center for Education and Leadership will remain open with the its hours 09:30-17:00

Congaree National Park - South Carolina

  • The roads, hiking trails, and paddling trails will remain open during the shutdown but with limited emergency and rescue services.
  • Unavailable services include public information, restrooms, trash collection, and maintenance of the facilities and roads.
  • Programs at Congaree NP will be canceled such as the Nature Discovery Walks, Big Tree Hikes, and Owl Prowls.
  • The campground will remain open unless safety issues arrive, but you can forget about your reservation. The park won't be able to ensure your reserved site will be ready or available when you arrive. Additionally there will be no maintenance, janitor services, bathrooms, or showers to use. No new reservations can be made.

Joshua Tree National Park - California

  • The gates are open but there was no staff at the West Entrance to welcome visitors, collect the vehicle entrance fee of $30, or distribute maps. Many vehicles entered without paying.
  • A LA family at first-come, first-served Jumbo Rocks Campground was unaware of the shutdown. They worried the park would lose money without anyone collecting the entrance fees.
  • Will Barrett, a Riverside resident also at Jumbo Rocks Campground, was disappointed he couldn't purchase a park sticker. He, like me, collects stickers from the National Parks.
  • The restrooms remain open, but trash collection and maintenance services are on hold.

Gulf Islands National Seashore - Florida and Mississippi

  • Locations closed during the full duration of the shutdown: Perdido Key, Fort Pickens, Fort Barrancas, Naval Live Oaks, Okaloosa, Opal Beach, and the Fort Pickens campgrounds
  • All campers at the Fort Pickens campground must leave by 16:00. All reservations are cancelled with refunds.
  • All park programs are cancelled.
  • All of the park waters will remain open and accessible to visitors but with limited emergency and rescue resources.
  • Mississippi barrier islands and the William M. Colmer visitor complex gate remain accessible, but the visitor complex itself will remain closed along with the Davis Bayou campgrounds.
  • Visitor services including include public information, restrooms, trash collection, and maintenance of the facilities and roads will be unavailable.

Saguaro National Park - Arizona



Trump Tweets of the Day











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