Humans of New York University’s Eric L Hu and Jimi Stine are about to embark on the journey of a lifetime, with a fun, artsy twist.
If you call yourself a Bobcat — though, honestly, out of all NYU demonyms why would you pick that one — you are probably familiar with Humans of New York University. The page regularly features students of NYU who, like our campus influencers, have plenty stories worth telling. Today, however, we’re shifting gears and focusing on HONYU’s behind-the-scenes man: Eric Hu. Turns out, he’s got something he wants to tell, too.
This summer, Eric will be switching sceneries for a while, and relocate from the sienna-tinged walls of Bobst to the proabably-not-sienna-tinged branches of trees in Banff, and many other national parks, in his latest project: ParkTrippers. That’s right guys, road trip time!
But not without a cause.
Eric, who is currently a Steinhardt sophomore, and his roommate and partner in crime, Gallatin student Jimi Stine, will breeze by amazing parks not only to go engage in angsty hikes, pondering the future of their relatively young lives, away from the hustle and bustle of the City That’s Starting to Sleep More and More, but for something better. Arguably, the most feel-good and compelling combination of elements which does not involve pets or a Skype laughing chain: art and nature. While tripping, in fact, Eric and Jimi will sell a variety of artsy goods, including prints of pictures Eric himself plans to take in the Parks. Jimi, who is an aspiring poet, will also be crafting compositions on the road, which will be written in the back of Eric’s work. Proceeds from these sales will go in helping our eager tributes with gas expenses and day-to-day living, as well as a percentage being donated to the upkeep of specific parks. The catch? Any park being visited can be donated to, and the honorary customer gets to select which to support. To help get the trip started, visit Eric and Jimi’s GoFundMe page, which provides more information, and this really cute video.
If you’re lazy, don’t worry. I’ll do my best job to simultaneously summarize the information on the page, and convince you to actually visit it anyway, and donate. Ready, set, and… why would anyone actually do this with a greater purpose, and not just trip out, be in nature, and call it a day?
When I got to chat with Eric, he was very keen on the fact that spring break, trips and partying are awesome things to be doing, “but, sometimes, it’s nice to give back some community service. Make it fun!” And isn’t this refreshing? To want to do something because you just appreciate the things around you, and would like to help their preservation? Our generation is usually depicted as careless, but initiatives like these help us become known for more noble causes. It isn’t the first time that Eric and Jimi have visited some green land on the road, and the first time was when they went to Arcadia National Park. As the folk tale goes, they were struck by the beauty of the Park and, after a very successful series of shoots that made mom and dad really proud, decided to expand on the idea and, as inspired by meeting Project: Think Outside The Water Bottle’s Jake. This is something with a meaningful impact that goes beyond ‘having a good time.’
Not only that, but Eric has really gotten a lot of support from the trip already. WayUp (that app that everyone brags about getting hired with, and that you should totally try, too) is sponsoring the trip. Meaning, you will be able to read blog entries on the three-week venture on their website, to keep up with ParkTrippers. The route of the trip will focus on the Northern U.S., hitting cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, and several destinations in Canada, to reach their final destination: San Francisco. Some of the parks Eric and Jimi will visit include Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Alberta, amongst many others.
It’s a dream come true for the duo. Eric has claimed he first desired to partake in this venture six or seven years ago. Next year, the pair will hit the south for ParkTrippers: Part Two (non-official name).
We will keep you posted on these young men’s artsy, nature-y shenanigans upon their return. In the mean time, make sure to keep checking the ParkTrippers photo gallery, to get regular pictorial updates of the venture. So, do yourself a favor, and use some of the singles you stash for New York slices for an epic, meaningful journey. It’s time to make millennials matter.
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