OutGrown Blog

Have you ever turned down an opportunity to get outside with your kids because you felt as though you didn’t have the right gear for the weather? High quality outdoor clothing is expensive, and it can be frustrating to buy something awesome only to have the littles grow out of it after one season of use. Living in the mountains of Colorado, we don’t mess with the weather. A rain jacket has to be 100% waterproof, down puffs need to be super warm yet light enough to fit in the carseat, and snowpants need to hold up to multiple seasons of rough use...from the playground to the ski slopes. We also can’t afford to shell out tons of money to outfit the family. Which is why we recommend buying your gear second hand. [embed width="560" height="315"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enVL-VLwUTs&feature=youtu.be[/embed] Introducing Threadlyte In the outdoor clothing space, Threadlyte is filling the need for a reliable source for secondhand outdoor clothing for the entire family. Threadlyte is an online secondhand outdoor clothing company where you can find brand name outdoor clothing for men, women, and kids at great prices. The goal of Threadlyte is to make it more affordable for families to get outside in the name-brand, high-quality clothing that will stand up to the elements (and hardcore playing).   The advent of the ecommerce secondhand market has been a game changer. Now you can shop secondhand from the comfort of your home. No dragging the family to the consignment store only to be disappointed with their selection! It's Easier than Ever to be environmentally Friendly Aside from being easy on the wallet, buying secondhand is also great for the environment. We are teaching our two young girls that part of loving the outdoors is taking care of the outdoors. We all have a responsibility to be aware of how our actions impact the environment, and to do what we can to preserve it for future generations. The clothing industry is notoriously dirty. Textile production requires the use of significant amounts of water, dyes, and chemicals. Millions of pounds of discarded clothes end up in our landfills every year. In buying high-quality clothing, and continuing to wear it until the end of its useful life, we are reducing the demand for new clothing production and keeping textiles out of our landfills. It is easy to see that the benefits of buying secondhand clothing extend beyond the bank. Will you join us in our mission to get people thinking about shopping secondhand for their outdoor clothing? The Earth needs our help now, more than ever. We know it is hard to get out the door with kids, and that getting the high quality gear you need can be expensive! Make it that much easier by shopping Threadlyte for high quality, name brand outdoor clothing at prices that won’t break the bank. Check us out out at www.threadlyte.com and Happy Adventuring! This post is sponsored and written by Threadlyte, an online secondhand store for outdoor gear for kids and their families. 

Have you read any good books lately? We like to share reviews on books that our members have read that are hiking - or outdoors- related. From infant board books to adult page-turners, we love to hear about what you are reading! I'll include a review of my own in each blog post, but Hike it Baby would love to hear from you! Share a book review with us on this form and we may feature it in an upcoming blog post! Looking for a new Bedtime book? Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan Has your child ever asked what animals do at night? Little Owl's Night helps answer this question as readers follow Little Owl through his evening of visiting friends before the morning sun shines and he heads back home to go to sleep. Different from your typical bedtime story, Little Owl's Night does not feature rhyming or any human characters. Instead, the story takes the reader through a journey in the night forest as Little Owl observes plants and animals in the night. The story winds down as Little Owl returns to his mother and he falls asleep as she tells him a story as the sun is coming up for the day. Children will love the cute illustrations on each page, and older children can have conversations with you about how the night forest is different from the day forest they are accustomed to hiking. Readers can also compare their bedtime routine to how Little Owl prepares for bed. Little Owl's Night is available as a board book, e-book, or hardcover book. Author Divya Srinivasan also has a companion book, Little Owl's Day, if your reader wants to travel through the forest with Little Owl again!   Hike it Baby Community Book Reviews [gallery columns="2" ids="698240,698247"] KATHERYN SHECHET, OF THE COLORADO SPRINGS BRANCH, REVIEWED THIS BOOK FOR US!  Up: A Mother and Daughter's Peakbagging Adventure by Patricia Ellis Herr Inspiring read for mothers and good read aloud for little girls. Shows that being little doesn't mean you can't accomplish great things in the face of those who doubt you. HEIDI SCHERTZ, OF THE MILWAUKEE BRANCH, REVIEWED THIS BOOK FOR US! Night Animals by Gianna Marino This book is a humorous look at things that go bump in the night. While not a realistic portrayal of nocturnal animals, the antics are quite humorous. Plus, it helped start a discussion about what we hear when we are out camping. We talked about how animals are usually just as scared of us as we are of them. My three year old was laughing non-stop and immediately asked to read it again. Hike it Baby now has a Goodreads Group! Join today and add books to our bookshelf! Looking for more member reviews? Search our blog for other Book Review posts! Want to share a book that you love about the outdoors? Submit your review here to be included in an upcoming blog post!

Today we have a special treat! Have you ever wondered what Hike it Baby looks like around the globe? Nikki Townsend for Hike it Baby Cardiff, Wales shares her branches favorite trails. In January this year I moved back to my home in Cardiff, Wales (the country next to England!) having spent 2.5 years living in Virginia and 1.5 of those years hiking with Hike it Baby Hampton Roads. I loved the community, the opportunities to explore the area, my health improved, my fitness improved and I was raising a child who adored the outdoors. There was no way I was losing all that! So I made the decision to start the first Welsh branch of Hike it Baby and I hosted our first hike only 3 days after I landed back in the country... Wales is an absolutely gorgeous place to be outside. Having hiked in Hampton Roads where everything is totally flat, the hills were a bit of a shock for my body but we scaled the Garth Mountain (inspiration for and featured in the Hugh Grant movie - The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain) and thoroughly enjoyed the views. Over the last 4 months we've hiked in lots of beautiful places. Here's a few of our favourites to give you a feel for South Wales. Kid Friendly Trails in Wales Forest Fawr including Castell Coch - these forest trails are beautiful although fairly steep, we are just at the end of bluebell season and they have been stunning. It's also fun for the kids to find the fairytale castle Sculpture Trail - I grew up 10 minutes away from this place and never knew it existed until HiB. It's a really fun woodland trail with sculptures along the route which the kids love. We are particularly fond of the dragons as they are very Welsh. The red dragon features on the flag of Wales. Cosmeston Lakes - a variety of trails around two lakes, we've done shorter kid led hikes and longer adult paced hikes here including one memorable hike where a wrong turn led to carrying a few buggies (strollers) over some stiles!! Sirhowy Valley Country Park - beautiful waterfalls here and this is where I saw my first baby lamb of the season. Wales is also famous for sheep! Cefn Onn Country Park - this is a favourite with the children as they love to splash in the shallow streams. Taff Trail - a 55 mile path that follows the River Taff from the mountains of the Brecon Beacons (our nearest National park) down to the coast at Cardiff Bay. We are working our way along this in sections Cardiff Bay Barrage - Cardiff bay used to be a busy dock area and then, following the decline of industry, it became a really run down area. Over recent years, Cardiff Bay has been transformed and is now a really nice area with restaurants, shops, theatres, museums and sports facilities. A barrage was built to create a permanently filled bay. It's a fun hike across it to a really fab play park. This year an enormous crocodile has been erected to mark 100 years since the birth of Roald Dahl, the Cardiff Born children's author. Coed Y Wenallt - this is another spot that I didn't know existed until HiB and is the location of the most Bluebells I have ever seen in my life! It's steep but totally worth it. We are having some great adventures here in Cardiff and I hope this has given you a little flavour. If you find yourself near, do come and join us. If you'd like for your branch to be featured please email the editor Nicki Townsend is mum to 2.5 year old James, wife to Anna and Branch Ambassador for Hike it Baby Cardiff. Before parenthood she would avoid walking and would much rather be inside, thank you very much! A challenge to cover 2015 miles as a family in 2015 gave her the bug. It's now rare for there to be a day that does not involve hiking! 

  One of the first Hike it Baby hikes in October 2013 "But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks." - John Muir Four years ago when my son, Mason, was born, I never imagined that the simple act of going for a hike, something I had done hundreds of times before, would change my life so profoundly. It all started with me just being an ordinary mom, sitting in a new mama group inside a windowless room, wishing I could be outside with my son. As our babies rolled around on the floor on muslin cloths, I wondered if anyone else wanted to go outside as much as I did. “Does anyone feel like going for a walk in the woods next week?” I asked my newfound friends. That next Tuesday, five women showed up at Lower Macleay trailhead in Portland, OR. I had a stroller with a carrier tucked in the bottom. I was too scared to put Mason in it because I thought I would smother him. No one judged. We all just said hello and five minutes later, took off on a hike. About ten minutes into it, one of the women noticed my carrier underneath and asked if she could help me put it on. I was relieved and said, “Yes, please.” We parked the stroller and took off on the trail. That one hike lasted about 45 minutes and gave me so much confidence. That night, I felt alive and told my husband how excited I was to get out on the trails with Mason. It was then that I knew I could do it! I could hike with Mason, especially if I had other women to hike with. A few weeks later, I started a newsletter, built a website and started a Facebook group. That’s how Hike it Baby began. Hike it Baby has become different things for different families. For some, we are a safety net to help families with new little ones explore trails. For others, we are their weekend ritual in a similar way that some use church. We are community, we are advice, we are a new friend maker. People move and take Hike it Baby with them and start branches in their new cities. We travel and find each other around the country and share awesome spots. We are the outdoors advice source for everything, from what rain boots are best for hiking to how to find a flat open trail for a child who has a walker. When I started Hike it Baby, I never imagined it would spread all over the country or become such a powerful voice in the outdoors world. I thought that could be cool; but to go from thinking, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could have a community to help me find hikes all over the country?” to actually having that happen has been an amazing journey. On this 4th birthday of Hike it Baby, we have launched a campaign called #TogetherWeHike. The goal is to get as many families on a trail as we can. Hike with us or hike on your own ... the goal is to just get out there. To help inspire you, here are five good reasons to get out there and Hike it Baby for our anniversary and in the weeks following! Hiking elevates mood - Cranky toddler, tired parents? We have all felt it while raising our little ones. In a 2009 study published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, researchers wrote that healthy adults could find instant mental recovery from fatigue by simply stepping into nature for a short period of time. Healthier brain development in children - With over 2 million children suffering from ADHD, giving kids any extra advantages matters. More time in nature has been proven to reduce the levels of ADHD, ADD and behavioral issues in children. Trail stewardship - Children who grow up with an appreciation of nature from a young age are more likely to protect the environment as adults. Hiking builds bridges - Families come in all shapes and sizes. Hiking can pull everyone from the newborn baby to the elderly parent together, especially if safe, easy-to-use trails are easy to find. Hike it Baby helps bring mulit-generation and fitness levels together. Better overall mental health - In a recent survey answered by Hike it Baby branch ambassadors, 72 percent reported feeling anxiety following the birth of their child. Of that same group, 87 percent reported that getting outside helped them alleviate that feeling. Happy hiking and I am excited to share this special day with you all. Make sure to register your hike (or park hang out! We just want everyoneoutside) for a chance to win a BOB stroller, a Deuter pack or KEEN shoes!

I’ve heard it a few times now. “We do cloth at home, but use disposables on hikes… just in case.” Just in case what? Lets dig into our cloth diaper hiking fears and some simple suggestions to overcome them. Thinking back to when I first started hiking with my baby, I think it comes down to 2 main concerns: Carrying ALL the things! Leaks Fear #1: The bulk/weight of carrying all your gear can be daunting. Believe me I understand. I am a “be prepared for everything” sort of mom. The only person I know who wants to bring more gear than I do is my husband. We bought a diaper bag designed for twins for our longer outings. We only have 1 baby. Solution? You can bring ALL THE THINGS! Leave them in the car for those “just in case” situations. Take only absolute necessities on the trail. Quick note: This actually took my a while to realize. Disposables are easier when you're out because the dirty ones go in the trash instead of coming home with you. However, if you have to change a diaper when you're out on the trail, the dirty diaper (regardless of type) is coming with you. Don't let the fear of carrying dirties on the trail hinder you. Thats a hiking with a baby issue, not a cloth diapering issue! Fear #2: Leaks. By now you’ve probably been pooped and peed on. Everyone survived. Of course you don’t want poop anywhere the littles can touch it, but you are not a terrible parent if your kid has to wear pants with a bit of pee on them for an hour or so. Also, disposable diapers are not leak-proof. In fact, my experience has been that cloth is better at containing poo than 'sposies. Pee.... well, see #4. Many of my suggestions will feel a bit obvious, but hopefully reading all of them together will convince you that you CAN hike in cloth diapers. Cloth Diapering on the Trail 1. Choose the “right” hike Really nervous? Find a stroller hike for your first cloth diapered hike. That way you can bring lots of gear in the stroller. Find a hike that is a reasonable time to go without a change. If you want to hike longer than that, see if you can find a location to do a loop twice so that you can pass your car (and change a diaper) at the midway point. Can’t find a good option? Lead a hike somewhere that works for you! 2. Get there early and plan to leave later than the posted time Change the kid RIGHT before you head out on the trail. Everyone will wait for you. It’s OK. We really don’t mind at all. Ideally, get there early enough to feed the littles ahead of time too. Eating tends to encourage the digestive system to be active, making that diaper change right before the hike more likely to be ummm… productive. Assume you’ll need to change a diaper again after the hike and before you leave. Leave enough time between the hike and any other appointments afterwards. 3. Bring only essentials on the trail Carry a disposable on the trail. Yep, my suggestion for hiking in cloth diapers is to take a disposable on the trail. As a mom that wants to bring everything, this was my solution. The baby wears cloth on the hike. There are cloth diapers in the car for the post-hike change. The disposable is “just in case!” I have never used my just in case disposable. What’s the highest number of wipes you’ve used in a single diaper change? Add 2 or 3. Fold them up and put them in a zip top sandwich baggie. For cloth wipes, add some water (or whatever you use as a wipe solution) to the baggie. Disposable “wet bag.” This took me way too long to figure out. In my head, dirty diapers go into the reusable wet bag. Someone gifted us a roll of disposable bags and eventually I realized that I could use them with cloth diapers.  ID, insurance card, etc. Snacks, milk/formula/boobs, water. Throw everything in a lightweight backpack or hip pouch (check out the Onya Hipster pouch!) Done. 4. Preventing Leaks in Cloth Diapers Cloth diapering parents get used to minor pee leaks pretty quickly. Its really not the end of the world, but still not ideal if you’re out on the trail an hour’s walk from your car. After 20 months of cloth diapering, here are our go-tos for overnight and long hikes. The basic formula: cotton prefold + doubler + “the right” cover. We use Cloth-eez prefolds, and love them. They are a little pricier than some prefolds, but can hold a lot of liquid. We use Thirsties hemp doublers because they add absorbency without bulk and were the best value we could find. However, hemp absorbs slowly so it must be placed UNDER a faster absorbing layer. For all in ones, consider a cotton doubler (instead of hemp) inside your diaper.   Being a scientist, of course I tested things myself. Here are the results of my absorbency testing: Medium size Cloth-eez pre-fold: 400 ml Thirsties hemp double, large: 150 ml Size 4 Bambo Nature disposable: 650 ml The prefold and doubler combo gets you pretty close to disposable diaper and 550 ml is more than 2 cups. That’s a LOT of fluid. Of course, sometimes leaks happen before the entire diaper is saturated with liquid. This is where using the “right” cover matters. You know which covers/diapers fit your baby best right now so make sure to bring one for the trail. My current go-to is the Flip cover. I didn’t fully appreciate the Flip covers until we moved to medium sized prefolds and they started popping up out of the top of most of our covers. We tried a larger rise settings but that ended up causing leg hole gaps and leaks. The Flip covers have a short pocket in the front that you can tuck a prefold or insert into so it can’t pop out. They’ve held up well and are reasonably priced. Give it a Go! So that’s it! It may seem a bit daunting at first, but it’s really not much more complicated than hiking in disposables. The most important thing is to just try it rather than assuming your fears are valid. Even if it does end up being a disaster (it won’t!) everyone out on the trail with you will rally and get you through it with ease.  

I’ve wanted to explore Jackson Hole and Yellowstone for as long as I can remember. When an opportunity presented itself that my Mom got a timeshare in Wilson, WY over 15 years ago it’s been more than just a wish. It was now a mission. She’s invited me since year one. I was just too busy with career, becoming a couple and then becoming a Mom. 5 years ago, my wife and I started a family and our daughter is now the light of our life. She loves hiking and outdoors as much as I do… and we planned our trip to Yellowstone to be a family adventure to visit with my Mom and enjoy all that the openness of that region offers. About 3 months ago; my wife decided that with all of the travel we do for work and with Spring Break only a few weeks prior to the trip – she and our daughter would not go with me. So, in order to keep my promise to my Mom… I planned my own adventure and would spend time as a daughter and as an outdoor enthusiast/novice photographer. Connecting with my mom in the great outdoors As a mom with a busy lifestyle and travel schedule – this was the perfect opportunity to reconnect with me and of course connect with my Mom. I mean we’ve been a family for 48 years and her love of nature along with her being a professional photographer who has traveled the globe; I’d get to borrow one of her awesome cameras and show her how my eye has developed. Each evening we’d share and she couldn’t believe the angles I took. When I was a kid, I looked forward to my summer adventures with my Mom. As a photographer, she always picked the coolest places to hike. Malibu, Northern California coast around Big Sur. She’d take photos of my brother and I acting like Big Foot through the tall grass. The year I turned 12, a trip to Yosemite changed me forever. Seeing how tall the rocky cliffs with waterfalls as high as the clouds and noticing those Ansel Adams photos along the lodge hallways really painted a bigger picture for me; that nature is awe inspiring and hiking I must go. Another favorite trip when I was 15… and we traveled to Crater Lake. I fell in love with Oregon that very moment. My mom was the reason my love of nature blossomed. I am forever grateful. Nurturing Myself at Yellowstone My mom and I during this trip, spent 4 days in Jackson together driving and hiking. Looking for the best places to shoot photos and see wild animals. WE laughed, we lunched with her local friends and we had some great conversations as Mom and daughter. After those 4 days, I pushed on to Yellowstone by myself. If you are familiar with Yellowstone then you know there is no Wifi or TV’s in the hotel rooms. (WTH?) So, after my initial shock and 3G network via my cell phone I relaxed into “my time.” Super quiet time, with no one and nothing but my phone and the books downloaded along with podcasts I have been meaning to listen too. I realized that for the next 4 days my job was to enjoy all the surrounding and to sit and watch the animals I did come across. As a Mom, sometimes we forget to really nurture ourselves. I mean going on a hike with a 5 yr old is super fun and rewarding; but, hiking for yourself and making your job for a week to just take photos, eat, have a beer and literally do whatever you want is pretty freeing. I mean I manage 3 companies from home unless I’m cooking and taking care of our kid. Finding balance can be hard even with the easiest children. We are moms… we take on the world if need be and our desires or passions are usually but on the back burner. This gift of a week to just be while getting some amazing, quality time with my Mom was icing on the cake. My Challenge to You I challenge you parents out there to find a 4 days – a week to do something you really love to fill your cup. I am a better Mom because I did this. Life coach, Iyanla Vansant said it best on taking time for your self, “No, it’s self-full,” says Iyanla. “It’s self-full to be first, to be as good as possible to you. To take care of you, keep you whole and healthy. That doesn’t mean you disregard everything and everyone. But you want to come with your cup full. You know: ‘My cup runneth over.’ What comes out of the cup is for y’all. What’s in the cup is mine. But I’ve got to keep my cup full.” Giving to our children from our overflow gives them the best of us. Now that I’m home – I’ve already planned a fun day to the Ape Caves with my daughter and friends and I’ll keep planning fun trips to the outdoors to keep my daughter’s cup overflowing as well. No TV, no wifi, just her and I and nature. Next year – I’ve started already thinking about another week trip with my Mom again; this time to Alaska. Sharing our passion is fun. This trip was a good reminder that it’s important to get our kids out, but also parents need to get out too and take time for themselves in nature.   My name is Michele Flamer-Powell and I live in Beaverton, Oregon with my wife and our five year old daughter. We moved to Portland 7 years ago via Arizona because of the amazing farmers markets and the fact that you can find a hike 10 minutes – 90 minutes away from your house depending upon where you live in the city. When I’m not outdoors, you can find me on a plane somewhere. Feel free to follow our adventures on Instagram @michele_flamer  

Miriam in the welcome tent at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. In this interview series, I'm going to introduce you to park rangers across the United States. Today's post features Miriam Hornstein, a park ranger at Yellowstone National Park. What is your name and job title? My name is Miriam Hornstein and I am an Interpretive Supervisory Park Ranger at Yellowstone National Park. Is this the first National Park you've work at? If not, tell me what other parks/nature centers you've worked at. Nope, this isn't my first National Park; as a matter of fact, this isn't even the first time I've worked at Yellowstone as a Park Ranger! I've worked at Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Joshua Tree NP, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, Big Cypress National Preserve, Colorado National Monument, Yellowstone NP–all as a seasonal ranger. Then I spent four years with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on the island of Kauai at the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. I worked at the National Park Service at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C., for five years, and then moved to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area for three years. Finally, I returned to the West for my current position as a park ranger at Yellowstone. Where did you grow up? The country, the city or the suburbs?  I grew up in a combination of places. Mostly suburbs/smaller cities in MN, TX and ND. When I graduated high school in ND, I went to college at Oberlin College, near Cleveland, OH. It's a small town with a focus on green, environmental-type living. I also spent a year living in Munich, Germany, when my father was a Fulbright Exchange Teacher. That taught me that I wasn't cut out for the big-city life pretty quickly. Too many people and too loud! What did you love about the outdoors as a child? What I loved about the outdoors as a child was that it was an endless playground filled with adventures. There was always something to see and do to spark my imagination. When did you know you wanted to work in outdoor education?  I didn't consider a career in outdoor education until I graduated with my degree in Geology. I did a three-month-long internship at Arches NP through the NPS's Geo-Scientists-in-the-Parks program. Half of the time, I worked on synthesizing information for an interpretive trail exhibit, and the other half I worked as an interpretive park ranger. My eyes were opened to a whole new world. Interpretive park rangers are the ones who focus on outreach and education. We're the ones visitors meet in the Visitor Centers and give the guided hikes and programs. We work to help visitors form intellectual and emotional connections to the resources that we're charged to protect because people are far more likely to protect what they care about and understand. After I worked in my internship for about a month, I realized that National Parks were a classroom that changed every day, filled with students who wanted to be here and who wanted to learn. And I haven't stopped loving that feeling since. Who encouraged you to pursue a career in outdoor education? I've had multiple mentors in the NPS who took me under their wing to help me learn and grow as a park ranger, but ultimately the strongest mentors would be my parents, specifically my mom. She was a Girl Scout herself and was determined that her daughter would at least have a basic appreciation for the great outdoors if not the basic skills to handle it. My mom enrolled me in Girl Scouts at an early age and even became a troop leader despite her busy working schedule to help keep me involved and to ensure that the experience was about the outdoors. She and my dad always found a way to send me to camps and encouraged me on adventures like canoeing the Missouri River from below the Garrison Dam to the Bismark-Mandan area the summer between 7th and 8th grade with the Girl Scouts. And when I talked with them about becoming a ranger, both of my parents always encouraged me. They admit that they love having an "in" at all these parks and a reason to visit them. What is the most common question you get from park visitors? Without a doubt, the number one question at any park is, "Where's the nearest bathroom?" But for me as a person, visitors are very curious about how I got started as a ranger. And as I've gotten older, they want to know what it's like trying to juggle a personal life with the remote conditions that I live in. I'm always happy to answer their questions about how I got started, but I draw the line at the questions about my personal life. It gets a little irritating to get subjected to questions like, "What does your husband think about you living out here?" when my male coworkers are never asked questions like that. How can parents raise kids to love the outdoors? From what I've observed, the best way for parents to raise their children to enjoy the outdoors is to take them outside with them and have adventures together. We all spend too much time attached to our various devices and too much time indoors these days. Let your time with your children be your time to get out there and have fun. If it's cold, bundle up and enjoy it! Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are popular wintertime activities for a reason, but even something as simple as sledding can be great fun. I can't tell you how many great memories I have of sledding with friends and family, laughing until we all fell off the sled! One of the best gifts my parents gave my brother and I was a huge sandbox in the backyard. We played for hours in it and most of the neighborhood parents knew that when they couldn't find their kids, they would check our backyard. Hours of imagination and fun!  If it's spring, get out and enjoy what's blooming. There are so many free to low-cost apps for phones that help you identify a plant, flower or bird. And most of them don't require cell service once you have them installed. I use these ID apps a lot and I don't have cell service where I live and work! Anything else you want to share about your job or what you love about nature/being outside? I think what I'd like to share the most is that it doesn't take a big, expensive, once-in-lifetime type trip to a National Park like mine for families to fall in love with the outdoors and nature. No matter where you live, there is nature around you. Take advantage of your city, state and county parks. Get to know your neighborhood and what type of outdoor volunteering opportunities there are available. And take the time to step away from your electronics to experience your world around you. It's such a beautiful, wonderful place. I am so lucky to find my calling and be a park ranger. I hope that if we teach our children to love the outdoors, there will be future park rangers to follow in my footsteps.

Losing my hearing November 2016 was one of the hardest months of my life. I was diagnosed with severe hearing loss, and between the two rare diseases I have that caused it, along with the rare type of hearing loss I have, I quickly started to feel all alone and like no one understood what I was going through. I could feel myself slipping into a depression. If it wasn’t for Hike it Baby and the people I have met through this organization, I might still feel that way. Hiking with fellow Hard of Hearing branch ambassador Nicole Dominick I joined the Hike it Baby Orange County, CA branch right as it was getting started in the spring of 2016, I became a branch ambassador in October 2016, and then was diagnosed with my hearing loss in November 2016. The founder of HiB Orange County, Sara Boswell, teaches children with hearing loss and her support, knowledge, and love got me through my darkest times understanding my new hearing loss. I have been very open about my hearing loss, which has led me to meeting others with various degrees of hearing loss, including three members in our branch, one being Lexi Marman-Cowden and one being one of my fellow branch ambassadors Nicole Dominick. Nicole, Lexi, Sara, and I have chatted many times about how being Hard of Hearing has impacted our hiking, both alone and in groups, and we wanted to share a few tips we have picked up for both those who are Hard of Hearing, and those who are hiking with someone who is Hard of Hearing (even if you don’t know you are). Having a hearing loss is invisible This makes it very hard to understand and harder to know if someone has one. Unless someone openly tells you, you may never even know you are hiking with someone who is Hard of Hearing. Roughly 5% of the world’s population has a disabling hearing loss. A good rule of thumb is to always practice inclusive practices, especially around both adults and children you aren’t familiar with. Here are some tips we have that help us communicate on the trail: Tips for those without a Hearing Loss Be Kind If someone asks you to repeat yourself a few times, seems to ignore you, or interrupts when you are talking, please do not assume that they are not listening, rude, or socially awkward. They may have a hearing loss and do not feel comfortable sharing. If this happens, please repeat yourself clearly, slightly louder, and slightly slower, but you do not need to do any of these exaggeratedly. Rephrasing your sentence can help too as some words and sounds are harder to hear than others. Please remember, as annoying or frustrating it may be for you to repeat yourself often, it is even more so for us asking you to. Please be kind to us; it is a good thing we are asking for clarification because it means we want to talk to you and we care about what you have to say! If you notice someone is actively standing on one side of you more than the other, please let them do so. Both Nicole’s and my better ear is our right ear. Which means we both try to have people stand on our right side when we are having a conversation. Sometimes I have to awkwardly switch sides mid conversation, which may look strange. Some of my Hike it Baby friends instinctively know to always hike on my right side now because of this. The sound of waves crashing on the rocks was making it hard to hear conversations on this HiB hike in the tide pools Background noise can make hearing conversations very difficult for us. Examples include: a strong wind, leaves rustling, noisy walking surface, a creek babbling, or even birds chirping. A few months back I attended a HiB hike at a local wetland. Generally this hike has low background noise, but that day there was a construction truck nearby. Just having the rumbling of the truck was enough for me to not be able to understand anyone. This was before I was diagnosed with my hearing loss so I didn’t understand why everyone else seemed to understand each other but I couldn’t make out any words. After asking people to constantly repeat themselves, I got very frustrated and shut down, smiled and nodded a lot, mimicked other’s facial expressions, and then pulled away from the group, hoping they wouldn’t notice my lack of understanding. Make it easier for us to communicate with you When talking to others, please make sure your face, especially your mouth, is uncovered and you are facing the person when you speak to them. Nicole and I both intuitively lip read when possible, but Lexi’s hearing loss is more severe so she needs to read lips in order to understand. If they are looking away from you when you want to start talking, a wave of your hand or a gentle touch on the shoulder are all fine with the three of us. This can all be near impossible and exhausting to do when you are hiking on single track, so depending on the level of hearing loss a person has you may need to wait for deeper conversations until you are back on wider paths. We are all comfortable hiking in silence, so don’t feel obligated to always fill the void with conversation. Make sure all safety hazards are addressed and understood at the beginning. Nicole brought up a great point, it is especially important to address any safety hazards at the beginning of the hike, since you'll have the person's full attention and they'll be able to ask questions. While hiking they will be less likely to hear any last-minute warnings. If someone opens up to you about having a hearing loss, don’t be afraid to ask them questions. Trust me, it is much more awkward if you don’t know how to act around us than it is to ask us a question. The Deaf/Hard of Hearing community is a huge and very complex spectrum.  No two people’s experiences are exactly the same. Some may have hearing aids or cochlear implants. While others don't. Some may communicate with American Sign Language while others use Listening and Spoken Language, while some use both equally. What works for Nicole, Lexi, or me might not work for others and that is completely OK. It is best to read their cues, ask them questions, and really listen if they are asking you to do or say something differently. Tips for Those With a Hearing Loss Since I was already so close with my Hike it Baby family when I got my diagnosis, they were (and still are) a huge support through every step of my difficult and complicated journey. However, if I knew of my diagnosis before joining HiB, or if my loss was more severe, I would be nervous about joining a hike for the first time as meeting new people can be scary. If you or your child has a hearing loss and you are hesitant to join a hike, we have some tips for you too. Hiking with Sara Boswell and her twin boys is good for my soul Be open and honest about your hearing loss At first I was always so scared to tell people I had a hearing loss. Recently, I have adopted a personal rule that if I ask someone to repeat themselves more than three times, I always casually say something like, “I’m sorry I am having a hard time understanding you. I am Hard of Hearing and the wind is making it extra hard to hear you right now.” I have found that especially on Hike it Baby hikes, the hikers are always very supportive and try to accommodate the best they can to make it easier for me to hear. Use your hearing friends to your advantage On multi-use trails, often we won’t hear other hikers, bikers, or horses coming and we rely on our friends to give us a heads up. Nicole says, “While on the trail, my daughter has lost 2-3 sippy cups. I've been on several out-and- back trails and not realized that she lost her cup until I come across it lying in a bed of flowers or floating in the stream. She also dropped her sunglasses one time and I didn't hear them fall. Luckily, I had several hiking partners with me who spotted the glasses on the side of the trail and were able to return them to me.” When possible, I try to stick to the middle of a hiking pack so I can have someone who is hearing both ahead and behind me. With just a little extra thought, inclusive behavior, and a bit of compassion, hiking can be an enjoyable experience for both those who are Hard of Hearing and those who are hiking with those who are Hard of Hearing.   Vanessa is the mother of two year old daughter Torey, a dachshund, and a chiweenie. She is one of the branch ambassadors for the Hike it Baby Orange County, CA branch and a member of the Community Values team. When she is not hosting or attending hikes, she enjoys crafting, gardening, and blogging. Read more about her personal journey at her blog Wrighting it Down 

Changing expectations When you become a parent you never dream of your child having a disability. Once the reality sets in and you can come to accept it, you do everything in your power to help your child live a healthy and normal childhood. We can’t always attend busy events at the local multiplex, go out to a loud restaurant, or sometimes even attend a birthday party. We do these outings occasionally, however proper planning is a large part of our attendance in some of these “high risk situations.” What is normally a chance to explore, be silly, laugh, and socialize with your peers, becomes overwhelming when you have a global developmental delay. There is one place however that I don’t have to worry about my almost six year old daughter. I don’t need to plan, I don’t have to watch her voice level, I don’t need to bite my nails and be nervous about what might set her off. Outside, in Nature Nature is my daughter’s best friend. A place where she can be herself and not feel overwhelmed. A place where we can explore together, it truly is our best form of therapy we can experience as a family. Being vocal about the animals we see or hear, discussing the rocks and leaves we find, talking about the trail we are on or the bridge we are about to cross over is our Speech Therapy. Hiking up a high hill, swimming in the cool lake, jumping over that big mud puddle is our Physiotherapy. As we use our pincher grasp to pick up those tiny stones on the ground and feel the different textures and hear the sounds they make once we drop them into jars to carry home this becomes our Occupational Therapy and Sensory exploration. Growing up as a child in a small remote town in the Yukon Territories of Canada I spent lot of time in the outdoors exploring and know the value of nature. As a parent I can’t predict the future but I also can’t shelter my girls from reality. My hopes are that my children know they are loved, and that I will always be there to hold their hand if they need me. I know my daughter will continue to make great gains, but one thing I always know for sure is nature will always be our therapy. I'm Teresa Donnessey and I'm the blogger behind the Momma Luvz Blog. I am a Babywearing Educator in Northern Alberta, Canada. I am originally from the Yukon Territories and was raised being outside and in nature hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, and more. I now have two daughters ages 17 months and 5 years and I enjoy taking them on outdoor adventures. It might be a walk to explore in the forest, or hiking to a waterfall in BC, but we love being outdoors. Follow Me: Facebook | Blog | Instagram

There are days that getting my kids to agree to a hike is like pulling teeth. You'd think they never had a fun hike in their lives (which isn't true, just to be clear ;). I beg and plead and maybe even cry because I need that time outside. I hype up the place we're going and who's meeting us there. I bribe them with treats in their packs. But to no avail; they don't want to go ... until I bust out the scavenger hunt. This weapon is so powerful that I dare not use it until all other resources are exhausted, lest it lose it's potency. Ah, the scavenger hunt! A way to get my kids out the door? Yes. But SO much more. It's a way to engage them in our outing on new and sometimes extreme levels; to reinforce the powers of observation that I'm always trying to train as second nature for them; and to learn as we take new things we saw and look them up when we get home. Your scavenger hunt is only limited by your imagination (and possibly geography). A quick and dirty list with some links, 'cause I know you wanna see them. ;) Colors (this simple one or this great idea ) Numbers (1 bug, 2 leaves, 3 acorns, etc.) Identification/Types of... (bugs, animals, trees, leaves, etc.) Collection vs. observation Scientific (parts of a plant, life cycles, etc.) Sensorial (This scavenger hunt from iMom and this one from Hodge Podge Craft are both awesome and Leave No Trace friendly if you take a photo instead of the item) Each one can be further tailored Each scavenger hunt can be unique. Our color collection hike will look very different if we head to the beach instead of the woods. As would our sensorial scavenger hunt. Seasonal is another way to tailor your hunt (This winter hunt is perfect for our Australian branches). Age is a big one. When I first started doing them, all the printables required reading, which my then-preschoolers couldn't do, so I had to make my own. (This is not the case now; here are a few options for the pre-reader.) Don't forget that age-appropriateness goes both ways. I even came across this hilarious Selfie Scavenger Hunt. No matter what scavenger hunt you decide on, be sure it includes things in your geographic area. As adorable as a winter-themed scavenger hunt is with its mittens and hats and snow, it's not so much fun in Hawaii, no matter the time of year. Whether you create your own or use one online, it's good to keep the geographic factor in mind. I greatly enjoyed finding these reusable hunt cards from Mama May I. They would be fun to stash in the car for last-minute walks and excursions. Do you have a great scavenger hunt list? Share with us below! Or check out our Pinterest Board Join a community of like-minded parents and caregivers with a shared mission of connecting families with babies and young children to the outdoors and each other. Learn about Hike it Baby donation-based membership options and join the fun today! About Hike it Baby Hike it Baby is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to getting families outdoors and on trails across the U.S. and internationally, supporting, educating and inspiring families through their more than 300 communities across North America. Since its grassroots inception in 2013 in Portland, Oregon, Hike it Baby is now a growing community of 270,000 families and 500 volunteer branch ambassadors hosting more than 1,600 hikes per month. More information, as well as daily hike schedules, can be found at HikeitBaby.com, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram. Photo Courtesy of Ali Chandra.

One of the great joys of Hike it Baby is getting to watch the love of nature develop in our kids. We are excited to share a Canadian organization with you today. For those of you in Quebec Ti-Mousse dans Brousse (translated to English: Kiddy in the Backcountry) offers French resources for bringing your child on adventures with you. We hope you enjoy her expertise! Ti-Mousse dans Brousse (Kiddy in The Backcountry), a new initiative begins in Quebec Like many prospective adventurous, mountainous and traveling parents, a great joy (scattered with anguish) grabbed hold of me when I learned that I was carrying life for the first time. "Congratulations! This is the beginning of the most beautiful of your adventures," my friends told me ... I was ready to believe it, but what would happen with my semi-nomadic life that I loved so much? It is from this moment that my spouse and I decided to be, within our abilities, models for our children by teaching them the values ​​that are paramount in our eyes, such as the respectful manners and the know-how related to the life in the great outdoors . Skills and abilities that are believed to be fundamental and positively translatable to all spheres of our lives. Admittedly, having children changes everything, but that does not mean having to change everything... We slow down the pace, change the objectives, choose the destinations wisely and plan our journeys more carefully. These are the reflections that gave birth to the Ti-Mousse dans Brousse project! With the training and experience as an adventure tourism guide, I knew how to transform the passion that I had for the outdoors, in a lifestyle. After guiding through Quebec and First Peoples territory, through Canada, United States and Peru, I thought that the outdoors with children could be, after all, the simple equivalent of being in charge of a canoe-camping trip with a beginner group ... Everything is possible when you know how to adapt… right?! Hahaha! I was partly right although I quickly realised that newborns are much more fragile than a group of newbies, and that we must know and respect the fact that, often, it is much better to postpone certain adventures because of the appearance of a sudden fever instead of persisting through the moment…! I wanted to continue going into the forest... It is through my wish to continue my getaways in the forest with my toddlers that I realized very few practical information existed with the aim at facilitating the access to the nature for the young families. I therefore decided to create my own blog and to offer training workshops and a guidance service (lots of other upcoming projects) with the objective of informing, inspiring and motivating parents to do outdoor activities with their young children in a safe manner. TMDB wants to help create a next generation of young people connected to nature by focusing on the concept of micro-adventure and helping to simplify the related planning and logistics for new parents. It is the art of enjoying the great outdoors with its toddlers. A context of wonder for all! Be part of the movement and bring your kiddy in the backcountry! Website: http://timoussedansbrousse.com Facebook page: www.facebook.com/timoussedansbrousse Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ti_mousse_dans_brousse/

We knew Grayson was an easy and laid back baby early on. (Easiest all-natural delivery ever!) In a family of hikers, he never fussed when being worn by his mama on the trail, and would squeal with delight whenever there was a breeze. Around the age of six months we noticed he wasn’t progressing quite as he should. Along the route to determining his diagnosis, he had countless blood draws, testing, observations, therapies, and a multitude of opinions as to the cause. Terrible News In June 2015, just three months after his first birthday, we received the news no parents should ever have to hear - Grayson has a terminal illness. It’s called Infantile Tay-Sachs and the average life expectancy is three years of age. This degenerative neurological disorder causes regression and the shutting down of all organs. We were told to engage hospice and prepare for the immediate end. Grayson turned three in March, and we are completely aware that “the end” is slowly creeping up on us every day. We’ve had to carefully craft what we tell our six year-old, who is great at educating others about Tay-Sachs, but doesn’t yet know that it’s a terminal disease. We’ve become the experts on Tay-Sachs as it affects Grayson, informing the doctors of what we need. Just as important, we continue to be as much of the “Kemp family” we’ve always known ourselves to be, which includes hiking as a family and sharing those hikes on our blog, Family Trail Time. Outside helps us stay normal Being outside in nature with his family is the only thing we really know that Grayson has always enjoyed. We will get out on trails with him for as long as his health permits. Hiking as a family grows increasingly difficult, as it takes more and more to keep Grayson comfortable. As a result, we often look for paved or handicap-accessible hikes in order to keep him on wheels and have everything he may need. Those hikes we take that are not wheelchair/stroller friendly tend to be shorter hikes than we once took, we wear him in a front carrier, and everything - everything - depends on how Grayson is doing that day. This life we have is not one anyone wants, but one we have learned to treasure. Hiking as a family keeps us grounded; we get fresh air and exercise and it provides us quality time to focus on each other and the natural beauty of this earth. When the time comes, Grayson’s older brother, my husband, and I will continue to go hiking together and we will continue to carry Grayson. It’s just that instead of wearing him on my chest, we’ll be carrying him in our hearts. What can You Do? From now until Labor Day, my family is challenging everyone to #hikeforgrayson. To do so: Make a donation to the Cure Tay-Sachs Foundation (CTSF) Go on a hike and post a photo on FB/Twitter/Instagram with hashtag #hikeforgrayson And tag @curetaysachsfoundation + challenge at least two friends to hike for Grayson! Our goal is to reach 1,000 donations this summer. No donation is too small, and all are greatly appreciated. All details and updates on #hikeforgrayson will be on our hiking blog. If any special needs parents (or anyone) would like to reach out to me as a resource, you can email me at [email protected]. See you on the trails! Felicia Kemp