National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 298 | 4 Women, 4 Kidneys, 444 Miles, 4 Days

By Jess Repanshek - October 27th, 2024

The Natchez Trace Parkway is a scenic byway that rolls 440 miles through Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. A unit of the National Park Service,  the trace winds its way through lush landscapes, diverse ecosystems and interesting historical sites.

Originally the trace was a foot path for Native Americans and later used by early pioneers and traders. Today it’s popular for motorists, cyclists and others seeking adventure, tranquility and a peek into America’s past.

Most recently, it was the chosen location for a remarkable initiative by four women interested in promoting living kidney donations. All living kidney donors themselves, these women tackled the parkway’s entire 444 miles, beginning in Nashville, Tennessee, and finishing in Natchez, Mississippi….and did it in only four days.

This week the Traveler’s Lynn Riddick visits with these donor athletes to learn about their journey that they call ”4Women 4Kidneys 444Miles 4Days” and also to get a sense of what the Natchez Trace Parkway can offer to everyone.

0:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
0:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
0:49 Sieur de Monts - Nature’s Symphony - The Sounds of Acadia
1:36 Smokies Life
2:00 Friends of Acadia
2:27 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
2:49 NPT Promo
3:07 Episode 298 - 4 Women, 4 Kidneys, 444 Miles, 4 Days
47:10 Blue Mist - Randy Petersen - The Sounds of Shenandoah
47:55 Episode Closing
48:17 Orange Tree Productions
48:50 Splitbeard Productions
49:01 National Parks Traveler footer

Natchez Trace Parkway

National Parks Traveler Podcast

Add comment

form.antibot { display: none !important; } You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form.

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 305 | The Elephant Seals of Point Reyes

Elephant seals are not your small, cuddly marine mammals. They are behemoths. Males, known as bulls, can reach 5,000 pounds, while females, known as cows, routinely clock in at around 1,000 pounds or so.

December 15th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 304 | Into the Thaw

Most, if not all of us, have bucket lists. Places we want to visit…but don’t always get the opportunity.

This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. One of the destinations on my bucket list is Gates of Arctic National Park and Preserve and the Noatak River that runs through it. A week or two floating the river sounds pretty ideal to me.

December 8th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 303 | Change Happens

Change happens…and sometimes it doesn’t.

Change certainly is underway in Washington, where the incoming Trump administration is putting its players in position with promises of changing, or maybe upsetting, the status quo.

Against that, the National Park Service continues to face long-standing problems with not enough staff or funding, compounded by National Park System damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, sea level rise, wildfires, just about everything under the sun.

December 1st, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 302 | Omnibus Lands Bill

As the calendar runs down on the current session of Congress, there are a number of pieces of legislation that would involve or possibly impact the National Park System if they find their way into an omnibus lands bill that gains passage before the session adjourns.

November 24th, 2024 Read More

National Parks Traveler Podcast Episode 301 | Red-Cockaded Woodpecker--A Decision Too Soon?

The vulnerable red-cockaded woodpecker is known to be found in national park units throughout the southeast. Big Cypress National Preserve and Everglades National Park in Florida, Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee are just a few of the parks that either are, or once were, home to the woodpecker.

November 17th, 2024 Read More

INN Member

The easiest way to explore RV-friendly National Park campgrounds.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

Here’s the definitive guide to National Park System campgrounds where RVers can park their rigs.

Our app is packed with RVing- specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 national parks.

You’ll also find stories about RVing in the parks, tips helpful if you’ve just recently become an RVer, and useful planning suggestions.

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks