When their two children had graduated from college and settled in Seattle, Roger Williams and Liesel Dreisbach-Williams saw no reason to discontinue their tradition of designating a weekend each month for family time — or as empty-nesters, couple time.
Mostly, the Williams Township couple took day trips, going for short hikes in several Pennsylvania state parks each time they hit the road. They also logged some multi-day adventures to parks in western Pennsylvania.
After a few years, they realized their jaunts were turning into more of a mission as they crisscrossed the state and trekked mile after mile. Nine years later, the couple are among the few to have visited all 120 Pennsylvania state parks.
“We didn’t even know how many parks there were until last year. That’s when we decided it would be fun to visit all of them,” Dreisbach-Williams said, showing off a shoe box filled with brochures from every stop.
Their hunt for Pennsylvania’s natural wonders began with a 2003 excursion to Tobyhanna State Park in the Poconos. Williams and Dreisbach-Williams weren’t looking for renown or even bragging rights when they set out on their adventure. They just wanted to share the joy of exploring new places, away from familiar sights and sounds, beyond the stresses of the daily grind.
I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. My regular hiking companions have designated me the lead hiker, so I suppose that makes me the slowest Meanderthal. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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