OutGrown Blog

All around the world, Hike it Baby families are getting outside and hiking trails because of the incredible volunteers who Lead Hikes for their group! We appreciate this so much that we automatically enter every person who submits a hike to the website calendar in a prize drawing at the end of each month. Just by the simple act of submitting a hike, you are motivating other families to get outside AND you have a chance to win one of three prizes from our prize sponsors at Omega, North Face, and the Okee Dokee Brothers! It's so much fun and so easy! Anyone can lead a hike, just ask your local Branch Lead if you have any questions. So, what are you waiting for? Fill up that calendar and Lead a Hike this month!

I’m a new father (my little girl is about 1.5 years old now) and I’ve always been a healthy/active/outdoors-loving kind of a person. When we had our daughter, my wife found a new group, Hike it Baby, whose sole purpose was to encourage and help facilitate families to get outside and enjoy nature, and that sounded right up my alley. As simple as it sounds, I’ve found it to be a lot more than just that. I made a large career change a little more than a year before we had our daughter, which meant moving to a new place hundreds of miles from both of mine and my wife's friends and family. As a new parent, this kind of situation makes things significantly more difficult across the board–with making friends, caring for the new baby, keeping one's sanity, etc.  Getting out and hiking, if nothing else, does one thing without fail: it puts everyone in a better mood (if only for a little while for the baby). Anytime my daughter was in a crying mood and I had addressed all the standard concerns (followed by best guesses of what could be bothering her) with nothing else calming her down, I could always take her outside to look at or touch a tree and get some fresh air and 95% percent of the time she would calm down and relax for at least a little bit. The world of nature has that kind of effect on people. I am more than happy to join the rest of my family on as many hikes as I can (sadly many of them are during the day when I’m at work, but there are plenty in the evenings and on the weekends that I can make). As a matter of fact, I always look forward to the hikes when my wife invites me to one and I always say yes to going (except that one time when some home maintenance was a priority). We started going out to local hikes and the first big additional benefit of joining the groups presented itself–meeting new people. While I can’t say I’ve made any lifetime friends at the hikes, every single person I’ve met has been a quality individual in my book. The people come from all walks of life and in all different stages of family life which makes conversations very easy and often very helpful. As a new parent without friends or family nearby it’s really nice to be able to bounce questions, ideas, thoughts, or weird baby observations off of other people that are either going through it too, or have been through it. I’d have to say that the socialization aspect is great for me, and even needed. I also think that little 1.5 yr olds (like my daughter) get a lot out of the socialization as well. At every hike there are numerous social learning opportunities–how to interact with other toddlers and babies, how to interact with other adults, etc., all of which are very important pieces of the puzzle that is her growth and upbringing. Along with meeting new people at many of these hikes, it’s been fantastic discovering new amazing places all over the city. I think I’ve probably experienced more parks and trails than any number of locals that have been in the area for years, or maybe even decades, longer than I have. There are some really fantastic trails and hiking areas where I live and before Hike it Baby I’d only been to a very small number of them. Everything from hill tops that look out over swaths of forest, to bluffs looking out over Lake Michigan, to deep overgrown forested woods, and well maintained bike trails–the variety is pretty extensive.  One of my favorite places to go for the view is the bluffs that look out over the lake. When I want a solid, challenging hike, there are some amazing hills on the ice age trail. One of my favorite hikes was at a local, very basic park/trail. on the hike I found a fallen tree with a large strip of bark suspended between the base and the fallen section positioned perfectly for swinging. After testing it myself with my own body weight, pretty much every kid at the hike got a turn sitting on the bark and testing out their balancing skills and exposing them to a little bit of vertical height on a movable surface. As I mentioned, the world of nature has some fantastic benefits in improving ones mood. While we are out hiking a path or a trail, there are little things that constantly make me happy to be outside and exploring. Watching my daughter build her strength in walking, running, and climbing on all manner of surfaces, I recognize the benefit and unique opportunity each hike brings to her development and I am in constant awe of her continuous growth and improving skills. Watching her go from a stumbling toddler to a running toddler has been just plain awesome. I’ve been able to watch her navigate sticks and branches, hills and slopes, mud and snow, with increasing skill week after week and it’s truly fantastic. I’m particularly looking forward to the future with her and my wife as we are planning to do some backpacking and camping. I’m excited to share all the fun natural wonders of the outdoors with my daughter and am very glad my wife found this group and invited me along.     Daniel Featherstone is an Engineer living a bit north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, 1.5 year old daughter, and two dogs. Most of his time not at work is spent encouraging a toddler to explore, playing hockey in a beer league and training his German Shepherd. Daniel gets his love of adventure and nature from his parents who used to take him camping and encourage him to play outside in the woods and back yard at every opportunity.

You may look at the title of this blog and think, "Oh great...yet another post about getting in touch with the outdoors, listening to the great call of the wind or the sound of a waterfall."  Yes, those things are all beautiful and inspiring, but this particular call of nature refers to those dreaded moments that every outdoors man/woman faces when their bodies suddenly alert them (and usually at the most inconvenient times) that it is time to go. Yes.  That call of nature. Even as I write this I cringe, and simultaneously chuckle at some of my past experiences while I was alone, in a bush, pants around the ankles, in the deep dark woods, praying to God that the shuffling I just heard was a squirrel and not a bear. As I solicited stories from friends, family and strangers alike, people all seemed far too eager to share their embarrassing encounters with mother nature, so I have decided to make this a continuing blog for as long as the stories flood in. Lucky you! To break the ice, I will begin with a personal tale of hilarious tragedy... I went to college on the Central Coast of California at CSU Monterey Bay.  If you are familiar with that area, you know that the beautiful coastal mountains of Big Sur are just to the south, so needless to say my friends and I frequented those mountains, whether it was for camping, hiking or simply spending a day at the beach.  One fateful night, during one of our many regular camping trips, I had secretly left the comfort of the warm bonfire to relieve myself.  For my fellow campers, you know this can sometimes be a challenge.  You want to get far enough away so the light of the fire won't illuminate the deed you are about to do, yet close enough that your imagination won't run away with you. I thought I had found the perfect clearing in the darkness; one large bush situated next to an oak tree. I pulled down my pants and preceded to do my business.  As I finished, I was relieved that the situation had gone according to plan; no bear attacked me and no rattlesnakes and wriggled their way into my undies.  Pure and utter relief. The next morning I awoke with a horrible burning sensation on my rear and in between my legs.  I reluctantly called a good girlfriend to come inspect me, the poor thing.  She was gracious, but broke out in laughter.  As it turns out, my little potty break had not, in fact, been as perfect as I thought. Instead, I apparently made my nature toilet right dead smack in the middle of a poison oak bush. So, the moral of the story is, it would be wise to have a flashlight and a botanist degree before venturing into the darkness to do your thing in the woods. Our next story comes from Martin in California.  I've known Martin since grade school, and have seem him blossom from a typical, rowdy mountain boy into a distinguished wildland firefighter.  His story almost sent me into a laughing conniption.  Here is his wildly hysterical account... As a wildland fire fighter I'm sure you can imagine how frequently we use the restroom that nature has provided.  We often times spend as long as two weeks without seeing a proper toilet.  A large majority of my coworkers prefer to relieve themselves outdoors.  I, on the other hand, do not share their enthusiasm.  I will scout and scout regardless of how bad I have to go to find a secluded, yet comfortable spot to go numero deuce.  This is, of course, because I have a good reason.  Prior to the forest service, I grew up in the mountains, so naturally, I peed outside all the time.  It was so easy. But I never had to poop.  If I did, I'd just head home.  So I had never actually done it prior to my first summer in fire.  All the guys would boast about how great their poop sessions were if just for a laugh, and I'd agree.  I would discretely ask what method they used in order to gain intel on the matter.  It seemed the drop your pants, grab a branch and lean back was a popular method.  So when the opportunity presented itself I was eager to see if it would work as well for me. So I dropped my pants, grabbed a branch, leaned back and pooped right into the underwear still sitting around my ankles.  So now, ten years later, I seek a nice log or rock to firmly sit on. Story number three comes to us from another dear friend from my childhood, and although we grew up on the North American continent together, her potty story took place in Austria.  Hey!  We all need to go, no matter what country we are in!  Enjoy... Flashback to Austria, 2002-ish.  My older sister had come to visit me at the Bible College I was attending and being the competitive, over zealous freaks that we are, we decided that we were going to jog all the way around the small lake (about 14 miles) that was close to the school.  We began our journey without a care in the world.  Nothing could stop us!  Fast forward to an hour later, we were red faced, thirsty, exhausted, and no longer as confident in our physical prowess.  And on top of all this, I had to go number 2 something fierce, so all I could think was, squeeze my cheeks, squeeze my cheeks, and so on...  I finally found a large tree that was a tiny bit off the trail because it was literally going to fall out of my butt, and being the lady that I am, I kicked a bit of dust over my shame and sat down to join my sister at a nearby bench to contemplate what the heck we were going to do.  All of the sudden a classic European male jogger whizzes by.  Of course were going to make fun of this man and his outfit, but before we could even begin he turns off the path, chooses the same exact large tree where I had just freshly soiled the ground, and begins to stop around and stretch atop my pile of $#i+!  We were laughing so uncontrollably that we most definitely peed our pants.  The poor dude.  I wouldn't wish that unfortunate fate on my worst enemy.  We promptly opted that hitchhiking home was the best way to end our ill-planned day of fitness, and to that European gentleman who deserved so much better, I am so VERY sorry! Stay tuned for more adventures of humiliation on the trail! *disclamer - these two particular folks gave me the okay to use their names, being the brave and shameless souls that they are, however there are some who wish to remain anonymous, so for us lucky readers, we will just have to imagine who they are* Do you have an embarrassing When Nature Calls story to share? Tell us all about it by sending your tale to [email protected] (you can request to stay anonymous!) and we will feature it in an upcoming blog post! Mary Beth Burgstahler was born and raised in the Southern California Mountains and attended college at Cal State University Monterey Bay where she majored in Human Communications. Having lived her entire life in Wilderness areas, she gained an affinity for the outdoors and outdoor activities, one of the main reasons Mary Beth agreed to moved to her husband's home-state of Minnesota in June of 2013. Outdoor adventure abounds in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. Shortly after their move, Mary Beth and her husband, Jacob, welcomed their first son, Jackson, in August of 2014. They now reside in White Bear Lake, MN.    

I know summer is still far away but I am getting excited. It's coming, right? The other day on our walk in the woods I saw some crocus poking their green stalks out of the ground. That's the first sign! The second sign is that the campgrounds just opened their floodgates for booking and it's time to plan for July. What? Plan camping for July in January? Yes, that's right. Did you know that Reserve America is one of the only ways to book most government campgrounds and you can pretty much forget about group sites. Every summer we have wiggled our way into a situation where we never really can have all of the people or the dates we want. This year we partnered up with HIPCAMP and, gosh darn it, we are going to go camping! We are asking that everyone please visit HIPCAMP.com and sign up. It's FREE! Also go to Access Land and sign the petition to stop the monopoly that is blocking campgrounds from being easily reserved. Did you know that Reserve America is not a government company but a private company that has contracted with the government and has locked all campgrounds so no one else can offer reservations? The equivalent would be if Delta owned every plane and you couldn't book with any other airline. That would mean they could dictate prices and control when you fly and what you pay. They could also add on other miscellaneous fees. Help HIPCAMP change this over the next few years by shouting it out loud that you want to camp! Let's use our strong community power to have a positive impact on campgrounds nationwide. #freethecampgrounds pass it on. Meanwhile, you can come camp with me in April when I go on tour! I will be posting a calendar soon and staying at HIPCAMP spots across the Western US. HIPCAMP will be giving all Hike it Baby families a discount! Come join Mason and me as we go on a big adventure. Sign up for our new Camp Hike it Baby newsletter and stay in the know on how you can camp with us all summer! --Shanti   Hiking news Making the trail your own We give you permission to ignore the "judgers" Lessons from the trail to use in everyday life HiB hacks for winter weather fun You know best -- handling parental judgement on the trail How a welcome circle can change your life Stay in the know with the Hike it Baby Blog! Send us your gear and action shots We want to feature you! Do you have gear or trail action shots you'd like to share? Send us your photos to [email protected], include a photo credit (instagram names are a plus), and we'll consider featuring them in upcoming campaigns, blogs and social media. We're currently on the lookout for photos that feature: Nursing or bottle feeding Diaper changes snacks Our sponsors: KEEN, Deuter, Onya Baby or Oakiwear   What’s better than leading a hike and making new friends? Leading a hike and being entered to win some awesome prizes! Anyone can lead a hike and everyone who submits a hike to the Hike it Baby calendar is automatically entered to win at the end of the month. It’s that easy. If you are feeling nervous about leading a hike on your own, ask a friend or a Branch Lead to co-lead with you! Let’s fill up our calendar!   Welcome New Branch Leads Capital Region, NY -- Rebekah Hinckley Boise -- Elsa Johnson Manhattan -- Lauren Crossley San Marcos -- Patricia Petmecky Matthews Birmingham, AL -- Sabrina McClain Prince Frederick -- Abby Sines North Shore, MA -- Samantha Watson Concord -- Shawna Lavoie Kalamazoo -- Julie Collard Waterford -- Gwenn Rosenberg Wildman Ottawa, ON -- Melanie Lucas Providence, RI -- Kathy and David Christie Westminster -- Loren Olmstead Kansas City -- Kristin Fritchman San Diego -- Jodilynn Kim London, UK -- Keren Parsalidis Augusta -- Heather Edwards North Dallas -- Ashley Willingham Bel Air, MD -- Laurie Syphard Charleston, WV -- Sarah Anderson Brownsville -- Caroline Moore Phoenix Metro -- Jennifer Nerat Hillsdale -- Julie Kunz Charleston -- Christina Fleming Prince Frederick -- Laurel Cahill Whatcom County -- Rebecca Houston Edmonton -- Amy Holden Snohomish -- Jennifer Bradwin Houston -- Rebecca Harrison Kitsap County -- Melissa Keberlein Staten Island -- Mary Fiore Charleston -- Rachel Adams Kitsap County -- Jamie Barnett Vashon -- Jessica Tilden Tacoma -- Amy Tomblin Looking for a branch in your area? Schedule a hike today and you'll automatically be entered to win one a Lead-a-Hike prize. Didn't see a local branch listed? Read about how you can get one started!

All around the world, Hike it Baby families are getting outside and hiking trails because of the incredible volunteers who Lead Hikes for their group! We appreciate this so much that we automatically enter every person who submits a hike to the website calendar in a prize drawing at the end of each month. Just by the simple act of submitting a hike, you are motivating other families to get outside AND you have a chance to win one of three prizes from our prize sponsors at Altra, North Face, and the Okee Dokee Brothers! It's so much fun and so easy! Anyone can lead a hike, just ask your local Branch Lead if you have any questions. So, what are you waiting for? Fill up that calendar and Lead a Hike this month!

I grew up living on the outskirts of town on top of a mountain, where the nearest neighbor was a least a half mile away. In the 1980's, there were not enough families living on our road to justify the cable company running cable lines up to our house. I missed out on Punky Brewster, Alf, Mr. Belvedere, Silver Spoons, all the shows my school friends raved about. Instead, we got one channel with our wire TV antenna, and that was CBS. Being rural and miles away from any friends, I spent a lot of time outside. We had acres of land and I fondly remember creating beautiful waterfalls and lagoons for my Barbies (ok, they were more like mud pits, but I pretended they were a tropical paradise), creating dirt tracks to race our matchbox cars, lots of jumping rope, playing in the woods, and building huge snow forts.  This was everyday life for me. As I grew up, went off to college, and purchased my first car, I still hiked, skied, jogged and enjoyed the outdoors. But, it became less and less often, and adult life became more complex and demanding. Friends moved away, career life took the front seat, and time with nature became a commodity I purchased with vacation time. Having settled in an urban area where green space is being pushed further and further to the outskirts of town, I have a different lifestyle than my childhood self. I have also come to realize that I have choices about the way I spend my time. As a mother, I want to share experiences and create fond family memories that my daughter can carry with her. When I learned about Hike it Baby, I knew it was the opportunity to act on my maternal instinct. HiB was a way to connect with others, get outside, and instill in my daughter the same fondness for nature that I carry from childhood. Joining Hike it Baby has been the push I needed to explore again; the incentive to see life's renewal in nature, to not let my life go by disconnected from nature's rhythms, and to prioritize the things that really matter, like time with my daughter.  Joining HiB has led me full circle. It's been a true blessing to connect with other moms, but the biggest gift has been reconnecting with Mother Earth herself. Reflections on January 1, 2016 #firstdayhike Erin Vitali is a Branch Lead for Hike it Baby Capital Region, NY. Originally from the Finger Lakes, Erin lives in Albany, NY with her husband (Mike) and daughter (Juliet). HiB has inspired her to look for nature in every corner of her city and beyond.     Do you have an inspiring story to share with the Hike it Baby community? Send your blog submissions to [email protected] !

As parents, it's our job to make sure that our children grow up to be good people. We try to make sure that our kids' basic needs are met - food, clothing, shelter, safety. We set all kinds of boundaries that reflect our heritage, our parenting styles, and our children's abilities and personalities. We teach them how to survive in the world that we live in. Then we hit the trails and our children become wild animals. Okay, not all of our children but some definitely do! My own children may have been adopted from a Tarzan-like family, or so you might think if you ever see them out in nature. If you were a hiker before finding Hike It Baby then you are probably already aware that there is some basic trail etiquette that is expected among your fellow adult hikers. These "rules" help keep us safe and keep nature a pleasure to be out in! Shouldn't it be a matter of course to also teach our children similarly so that hikers outside of your local Hike It Baby branch find it a joyful experience to share the trails with our children? Many of the Hike It Baby hikes are extremely child friendly and setting boundaries for our children may seem unimportant, but what about when they go on more difficult hikes? What about when they get bigger and are ready to "take it up a notch"? Setting your expectations from the get go ensures your children's success. My family and I are avid hikers from pre-Hike It Baby days. My 4.5 year old daughter recently hiked with me on a moderately difficult 8.5 mile trail all with her own two legs. While this may not be typical of a 4 yr old, and children's abilities and stamina vary greatly, this is not unusual for her. Her familiarity with proper trail etiquette helps to make our longer and more difficult hikes safer and more enjoyable. (Now if I can just get her to stop trying to climb every other tree we see while on the trails!) Here is what we strive for with our children and trail etiquette: It goes without saying that parents know their kids better than anyone else and some rules may not be applicable or some might need added per a family's own needs. Now I have known some to question #3 - No running and no throwing. Isn't that part of the fun of being outside? Well, yes but not on the trails. For my family this is non-negotiable. Both of these activities seem to escalate quickly, particularly when there are other children around, and someone always ends up getting hurt. Running on the trails is not safe. There are too many variables for it to ever be safe. Roots. Wet leaves. Rocks. Etc. Throwing is also not safe. You could hit wildlife or another person. The only exception to this rule (again for my family) is throwing rocks into water. We do not consider stopping by a waterfall, river, pond or lake as being "on trail". I hope that some of you find this useful, even if it's merely a jumping off point for conversation. Enjoy your next adventure! Brittany Roy is a stay at home mom of two girls, Tallulah (4.5) and Ainsley (1.5). She is a Homeschool Mom, Gypsy Spirit, Yoga Lover, Hiking & Belly Dance Enthusiast, & Chai Tea Addict. She has been a member of her local Hike It Baby branch in Fredericksburg, VA since the end of October 2015.

Hiking has been a part of my life for more than fifteen years. I grew up on a farm outside of Eugene, Oregon. I spent countless hours of my childhood exploring the outdoors with my brother. I have so many amazing memories of playing at the small pond located behind my parent’s house. My brother and I built a raft that we used for our adventures on the pond. We spent lazy summer days catching salamanders, listening to bull frogs, and picking the juicy blackberries that surrounded the pond. For as long as I can remember, I have always had a passion for the outdoors and exploring in nature. Based on the title of this blog post, one would think that my story is about hiking through the different seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. However, this story is more personal. It’s about hiking through the different seasons of my life. It wasn’t until high school that I discovered hiking. I joined our local search and rescue volunteer group who worked with the sheriff’s department. We had monthly meetings and outings where we received training on various aspects of outdoor life: snow shelters, survival training, backpacking, map and compass skills, and other outdoor skills.   It was my first experience with hiking, and I was hooked. Hiking in high school was just something I did with my search and rescue group. I complained about it at the time (like most high schoolers would, I suppose), although I secretly enjoyed most of it.  My first backpacking trip consisted of a five-mile hike into a hidden lake under the shadow of the South Sister in Oregon. We spent the night and then hiked back out the next day. I was ill prepared for it, but it was still a blast! My feet were covered in blisters, my back ached from my pack that didn’t fit properly, and I was ready for a shower. As a teen, hiking was simply something that I did with the Search and Rescue group, or with friends. It was not something that I sought out to do by myself. Hiking in college took on a different meaning for me. It was something that I did to escape from everything. Hiking became my personal refuge. If I was stressed out about finals, or work, or boys… I would grab my hiking gear and hit a trail. My most favorite hikes were always the ones with a view. There’s something so rewarding about spending all that time and effort hoofing it uphill for slow, tedious miles to finally reach the summit. That moment of catching your breath and looking around at the world below you is unmatched. Everything looks so small from up high. Whether you are a religious person or not, it’s hard not to feel something spiritual when you can see the Earth from that kind of view. These were the moments that I craved: hiking renewed my soul. When I met my current husband, we spent many hours during our first summer of dating outdoors. A month after we met each other, we spent a weekend camping and hiking up the McKenzie River together. Some of my best memories of the two of us are from this summer. After I graduated from college, I taught fourth grade outside of Eugene. One year, I even took my fourth grade class on a hiking field trip. We hiked to the top of Mt. Pisgah in the pouring rain! I kept up with the fast-paced kids at the front of the pack, while my teaching partner stayed in the back of the pack.  The kids loved it! The sense of pride that the students felt after making it to the top was an awesome thing to witness. Fast forward a few years… my husband graduated with his PhD in 2011 and was hired by Drake University in Des Moines.  My husband is an avid runner and really enjoyed being able to run pretty much anywhere around the city. We also invested in some nice road bikes and took up biking together. However, I missed hiking. For some reason, I dismissed the idea of hiking in Iowa. I was upset that there weren’t any mountains to climb, and that all of the trails were paved.  I just continued to put it on the backburner, and didn’t really think about how it was affecting me. I still spent a lot of time outside walking the dogs, biking, and running, but it wasn’t hiking. Fast forward another few years… we moved to Beaverdale and my son was born in February of 2014.  I loved staying home with him, but it was also really overwhelming and isolating. I kept really busy, went to lots of playgroups, and saw lots of other mom friends. But, in hindsight, I was unhappy. It was probably a mild case of postpartum depression, but at the time I didn’t think anything was wrong. I thought that was just how it was supposed to be. I was constantly tired, stressed, and needing a break from my son. I hated admitting that to my husband, let alone myself. In November of 2014, a friend from Eugene posted on her Facebook page that she was doing the Hike it Baby 30 Challenge, and she was challenging other moms with kids to hike 30 miles in 30 days during the month of November. I was so intrigued! I had never heard of Hike it Baby! So, I spent the next hour or so checking out the website and watching the video explaining what Hike it Baby is and how it got started. I signed up for the challenge right then and there, and then I asked all of my friends to do it with me. This had my name written all over it! My friend Lainie and I did most of our hiking together. We coordinated days and times that worked for both of us and we hit the trails with our babies attached. Since there are only so many paved trails to walk on, we were forced to find other options. We explored Lake Ahquabi, Ledges State Park, Raccoon River, Brown’s Woods, Walnut Woods, and a few other spots. I felt like I had returned to my element! I was impressed with how many hiking trails there actually were in and near Des Moines. While none of them really boasted a view like I was used to in Oregon, they all were beautiful in their own way. We were blessed with a warm November that year. I have a picture of us hiking Lake Ahquabi in t-shirts! A few days later, we got the first snow of the season. I did lots of walking in our neighborhood to finish up my 30 miles for the challenge. While it was really fulfilling to complete a hiking challenge in Iowa, the really cool part was that I got to experience it with my son in tow. I vowed then and there that I was going to make the outdoors a priority in our lives. I want my son to grow up outdoors. I want his childhood memories to include playing outside, exploring the woods, and feeling dirt in his hands. After a long winter of tossing the idea around in my head, I decided to start a Hike it Baby branch here in Des Moines. I went through an online training program, and a few weeks later I started the Hike it Baby Des Moines branch in May of 2015. I also reached out to a few people and asked for help. I knew that taking on this task by myself would be overwhelming at times. A friend of a friend put the word out and her friend, Maridith Morris, stepped forward and offered to co-lead the branch with me. Between the two of us, we keep at least one hike per week on the calendar and manage the Facebook page. I feel so blessed to share my passion of being outdoors and hiking with families here in Des Moines. The community that we have created with Hike it Baby Des Moines is amazing, and I am so proud to be part of that. I think it’s so common for the outdoor activities that parents did pre-kids to get put on the backburner when babies are born (I know! I did it!). It feels like so much work to get out of the house just to go to the store, let alone on a hike. Our role with Hike it Baby is to make it feel easier for you. You just have to show up! Getting out the door is the hardest part; trust me! A lot of people also feel intimidated by the word “hike,” but it doesn’t have to be intimidating. One of the coolest aspects about Hike it Baby is their motto: “Leave no hiker behind.” We always hike at the slowest person’s pace, and we stop whenever someone in the group needs to – to feed a hungry kid, fix a hat, adjust a carrier, or to attend to a meltdown. We never want a person to feel left behind, or to feel like they will slow the group down. Come as you are, at whatever fitness level you are at, and we will hike together! Another cool aspect about Hike it Baby is that anyone can lead hikes. It doesn’t just have to be the branch leads. There are some guidelines we ask people to follow, but otherwise it’s pretty open. This is how the Hike it Baby community continues to grow – people get excited after attending hikes with us, they start leading hikes in their neighborhood or part of town, they start connecting with other moms and families, and the community builds and grows! Not only has hiking saved my sanity (literally) post baby, it has also renewed my spirit. Every chance I have to get my son outside and explore is an opportunity for him to love nature. There are days that my son gets so excited when I tell him we’re going on a hike. He even created his own sign for it before he could talk. There are also days that he screams and tells me “no” when I mention the word! I think this is all part of the experience. Sometimes I have to bribe him with lollipops or a favorite snack to get in the car or the carrier. But, once we usually get going, my son is so enthralled with looking around at everything that he is happy and content a few minutes in. My son is almost two years old now, so most of his tantrums are because he wants to hike or walk himself. I started doing “toddler-led” hikes at Brown’s Woods this fall, and he loved it! He loved being in charge, leading at his pace, and often times walking in the opposite direction! I just loved watching him explore the world at his pace, and seeing the world through his eyes. Hiking is different now in this season of my life. It will never be the same as it was before my son was born. To think that it would be is unrealistic. Adjusting my expectations has been an important step, and one that has taken some time. I no longer need the fast-paced, high mileage hikes to renew my soul. I just need to look at my son’s face when he finds a cool branch to carry, or a funny shaped rock to throw, or when he looks up at a tree. When was the last time you stood at the base of a tree and truly admired its’ height and magnitude? Now that’s soul renewing. Katy Severe lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with her husband, Sean, and two year old son, Parker. Two dogs and a cat make up their fur family. She works part time as a Special Education teacher, and is one of the branch leads for Hike it Baby Des Moines, which started in May, 2015. In her free time (which is rare!), she enjoys cooking, sewing, swimming, and reading.

The month before Mason was born I "grounded" my husband. I'll admit it, I was completely freaked out and convinced I was going to go into labor while he was out kayaking some remote river or climbing over some pass. I had visions of calling a cab to get to the hospital and what I would say to him when he showed up and the baby was already born. How could I not be completely annoyed at him missing the birth of our first and only child we were planning on having? Yup, pregnant thoughts. So I set up some rules. Here's the thing about my husband, he's an awesome guy. He makes me laugh, he's my adventure buddy and my best friend. But he also hates being "limited" in what he can do when it comes to heading out for an adventure. He likes to explore without strict timelines and living in Oregon means the playground is endless. He also thinks an hour hike is not a hike, but merely a leisurely stroll. Truthfully his adventurous spirit when it comes to getting out there is why I fell in love with him, but at times it's also a thorn in my side when we have things that we don't see eye-to-eye on as important. He also isn't keen on "rules" when they are being dished out by the wife he had never planned on having in his lifetime. But at 40 weeks I wasn't budging. I wanted him within cell range and  less than an hour away from me at all times. Oh and by the way, no activities that in any way put him in danger from being present on this earth on his son's birth day. Kayaking big rivers, nope. Ten-mile hikes, don't even think about it. Skiing on glaciers off peaks, are you serious? Ok, I'll admit I was probably a wee bit hormonal and over reacting when he maybe just was saying he wanted to stand up paddle board down the river down the road, but jeez, I was about to birth a little human! As Mason's birth day neared Mark was feeling more anxious in general, and so his cabin fever was compounding like a bad case of poison oak that spreads the more you itch it. That's when he decided to hike the Wildwood trail, a 30-mile-stretch of trail running through Portland. I had to agree to this because he would rarely be out of cell range for long, he could get to me within an hour from nearly anywhere in the park and if needed, I could find his exact whereabouts through cell service in case of emergency. At the time I didn't know this trail would eventually end up as one of my staple go to trails with Mason whenever I wanted a little urban refuge, with or without Mark. Over the weeks leading up to Mason being born I watched Mark pull out a map that he printed up in sections and taped together, marking parts of it off with a highlighter after he had completed a section. While the Wildwood isn't a crazy adventure or untracked trail, it is an excellent stepping off point from being an urban hiker to slowly learning how to become a true trail hiker. There are loops and side trails and many different configurations for roaming through the 30-miles stretch of trails. Mark was able to satiate his adventurous spirit with this trail for the few weeks that I "grounded" him by simply narrowing his exploration field and setting a goal of completing the whole trail. There he found adventure within boundaries I was comfortable with. When Mason was almost a year and a half my friend Beth texted me from the Wildwood trail. "We've got to hike this trail. All of it. Will you do it with me?" If you've heard me tell this story before you know I excitedly agreed and then this became the beginning of the Hike it Baby 30 and the rest is history and here we are today. What I would come to discover about the Wildwood trail and why I hike bits and pieces of it almost every month, is that there are guidebooks and it's well marked, there is also a lot of room to explore and many ways to explore it. It's all in how you look at the trail. After hiking all 30 miles of the Wildwood (which was 54 with the out and backs) in November 2014 I felt more connected to Mark and to Mason. Mark hiked about 10 of the miles with Mason and I, but the rest we did alone in a month while Mark was away at work. It also has a clear goal of 30 miles to complete and it was that goal that helped both Mark and I in different ways, find the adventure we needed as Mason entered into our lives. As we enter into 2016 I am thinking about what my new goals are with Mason. He's two and a half now. Our life is different than it was when he was an infant and a baby. We need to find trails that I can muscle through with him on my back and that are safe enough for him to hike on his own too. I have a few different thoughts about what my goals are. I want to hike 52 hikes in 2016 and do the 52 Hike Challenge (they are a new partner of ours so check them out!). I am committed to getting my 30 miles in on trail in the month of January even though I'll be away for a week. But I am also thinking again about the Wildwood trail. That's the trail in my heart. How can I explore it differently than last time? Am I up for muscling through it in the month of January? There's no fail in trying. But if you never look for your trail and then set that goal you'll only wonder "what if I had..." right? These days Mark is no longer "grounded". He's headed to the Grand Canyon in a few months for a month of man time away on the river. People ask me how I can let him go off and do these adventures and all I can do is smile and say because he has his goals and his trails and I have mine and if ever they do meet, and often they do, we have fun. And if ever they are apart, we each bring back our own adventures to share together in story we are weaving to tell our son when he will understand better. And then from that place we find our next adventure we can do as 3, Mark, Mason and Me. Happy New Year everyone and enjoy those trails out there wherever you are. HiB 30 January is underway! Are you in? Need some motivation to get yourself and your family outside in January? If so, then sign-up for the HIKE IT BABY 30 JANUARY CHALLENGE and join the amazing Hike it Baby global community in getting your babies outside for 30 miles in 30 days, or 30 minutes 3 times a week. REGISTER HERE   Registration closes January 15. Invite your hiking buddies and consider gifting a registration to a friend. Last but not least, sign up by January 10th to be automatically entered to gift a registration on the January Challenge! Thinking about doing the Hike it Baby 30 but not sure about it? We have tons of great stories from people who got out there last challenge. Check out the blog for more stories from Challengers. Got in our last hike/walk of the challenge. I was a little disappointed I didn't log quite as many miles as our previous challenge...but I cut myself some slack because we had a lot more going on than a couple months back. My last minute goal was to hit 120 miles...after our hike earlier today we hadn't quite hit our goal and I was ready to just call it a day. But my older son had archery tonight and I decided to make the most of it by talking little man for a walk to the park. We made it to 120! - Monique Vargas We did it! Almost 40 miles, over 1000 minutes, and "outside time" 17 days this month. I've really enjoyed hearing everyone else's stories about getting outside too. It's so motivating to have a personal goal and a community of people all striving for their own goals too. - Leah Hiking news 10 reasons to brave winter hiking with your family 13 Days of Giving Winners - Adrienne Holliday, Brittany Almassalkhi Dreams for the new year Hike it Baby High -- 8 steps to help you hike after baby  HiB Trails and Tales Around the World -- Michigan Stay in the know with the Hike it Baby Blog! Get your Hike it Baby Swag! SALE Hike it Baby t-shirts are on sale! Get yours before it's gone. Shirts are 25% or more off! No code needed. Just head over to the Hike it Baby Store.  Check out our partner 52 Hike Challenge Do you love the HiB30 Challenge and have a hard time waiting for the next one in between Challenges? The 52 Hike Challenge is an organization similar to Hike it Baby and a great way to keep yourself inspired and motivated this year on top of the HiB30 Challenges! The goal is to log 52 hikes in a year’s time. When you do 30 miles in 30 days with a HiB30 Challenge that should knock out a few right there! Why not join another community dedicated to getting people outdoors and back into nature? It’s free and fun for all. Let’s show the world how our HiB families can get those hikes in and rock the 52 Hike Challenge on social media. Share the challenge with your friends and family around the world and let’s get hiking. Sign up here.‪ #‎52hikechallenge‬ and tag @52hikechallenge if you are posting to Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.   Lead-a-hike in January Let’s get our calendar filled with fun and motivational outdoor activities! Choose a time that works for you and inspire other families to join you! All you have to do is submit a hike to the Hike it Baby calendar. Need even more incentive to lead a hike? How about the prizes you are automatically entered to win just by submitting a hike to the website calendar? Check out these prizes from our sponsors for the month of January! Please ask if you are unsure about how to submit a hike or would like a co-lead. What's for dinner? Making time for getting outdoors can sometimes mean scrambling to put something together for dinner. Why not prep dinner while you are hiking? Talk about multi-tasking at it's finest! Share your favorite slow-cooker recipes with other fellow hikers and we'll feature them in the Hike it Baby blog. Submit them here. Looking for recipes? Keep an eye on the blog for upcoming posts. In the mean time check out these favorites.  

Bored one day, my two preschoolers and I visited our county’s historical society museum.  The $5 admission fee was a steal for all three of us, and the kids loved looking at all the old tractors, wagons, and washing machines.  But they spent most of their time in the newest addition, a beautiful exhibit on the natural history and biology of the area where we live. Having worked briefly on visitor center exhibits before, I remembered well the planning, detail, and huge expense that goes into producing such great exhibits.  As I watched my kids studying a stream, exclaiming over the fish inside, the irony of it all hit me hard for the first time. We paid money to go inside an air conditioned building with no natural light to gawk over painstakingly created resin and plastic plants and animals, all of which could be found in real life within 25 miles of that building.   We went inside to observe what is outside.  We studied lifeless, man-made recreations of the wonders of nature, instead of studying the living, breathing wonders right outside the door. And I suddenly felt the ridiculousness of it all. I was standing under a beautifully sculpted, but decidedly fake, ponderosa tree.  Having stood under ponderosas in my own yard, I instantly knew everything that was wrong.  There was no sunlight filtering through the branches dappling the ground.  No needles under my feet.  No air moving.  No sound other than other people’s voices.  No vanilla extract smell emanating from the trunk.  The only sense being stimulated by that experience was sight – and even my sight could immediately identify the ways that tree didn’t measure up to the reality. The better option?  Going out to simply stare and wonder at the real thing.  Touching the bark of a living ponderosa, instead of a plastic one.  Listening for the sound of a real owl, rewarded by our patience, instead of instant gratification at the push of button.  Sitting on a stream bank waiting for the sight of a live fish, watching all the water bugs and tadpoles, feeling the cool air and smelling the willows.  Discovering things for ourselves, instead of being filled with facts someone else deemed important. A classic in literature is defined as a work that is worth reading over and over, because each time it speaks to you anew.  These works are life changing, wisdom bestowing, and inspirational.  Well, Nature is also a classic.  And the plasticized recreation stuffed into a building will never hold the insights, the experiences, the impact that simply gazing at the same living thing in its habitat will. As my kids ran in and out of a resin hollowed tree trunk, and oohed and aahed over a reproduction beaver lodge, I was deep in thought.  Do museums have value then?  Certainly.  But are we likely to have the connections and inspiration that can come from something truly experienced, instead of just seen?  I don’t think so.  A picture may be worth a thousand words – even a 3 dimensional one.  But so much in this beautiful world can leave you beyond any words at all.  And that is a big difference. Alana Dimmick is the branch lead for Hike It Baby Eatonville. She is wife to a park ranger, and full time mom to Eli (6), Riley (4), and Isaac (3 months). Alana currently lives in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington.

Because it's providing us with both a meaningful quality time spent together as well as time outside which is so hard to fit in a full-time working parent's schedule sometimes. It's also bringing peace to mind, releases stress and anxiety from the daily life's happenings and re-centers my priorities when I get to spend a few hours a week hiking with my family. Only when deprived of these special moments one can truly understand and appreciate so much more the time spent outside. The more challenging times that I struggled the most to find balance between work/parenting/life were the times I couldn't find time to get out and hike. --Anka, HIBVan I love that one of her first words was "outside." Another was dog and we don't even have any pets! --Chantae Pederson, Boise I'm so thankful to hike with my LO because it brings me such joy to watch him grow, explore, and smile. My LO is now a walker and learning to run. He loves to be outside and often asks to go outside multiple times per day. I'm so glad that he is asking to play outside with friends at only 1.5 years old instead of asking to watch television. --Carrie Wenzel, Douglas County, CO When I discovered HIB, my daughter was just over 1 year old and not only had I not lost any baby weight, I had added 10lbs since her birth. My daughter had just started walking and I could not keep up with her. I was scared of what our future would be but I didn't know how to make a change and incorporate a fitness routine that would include her. I lurked in the group at first but eventually got out on a walk, then a hike. The first hike was one of the hardest thing I have ever done. It ended with a group of women I had just met, giving me tremendous support and encouragement to make it up the last incline that led to the parking lot. I knew then, that this group was exactly what I needed. I can now barely go a few days without going on a hike or being outside. I have lost a lot of weight since starting, but what my daughter and I have gained, is immeasurable. --Chadlea, Spokane I am so thankful for hiking with my little guy! I love seeing the wonder reflected in his eyes when he looks up into the leaves. Then his eyes meet mine and we exchange a smile because being in nature puts us both fully in the moment! --Heather Smidt, Boston I am thankful for hiking with my baby because my husband and I enjoy it very much. I would like her to love the outdoors as much as we do. From hiking and playing outdoors at this young age, we hope it teaches her about nature, and she'll grow up to help preserve it. --Randie Lin, Houston Read all the inspiring responses: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Why are you thankful for hiking with your babies? Just fill out this form and we’ll feature it in a future blog post. 

Leading hikes for Hike it Baby is such an incredible way to inspire other families to get outside! By submitting a hike to our calendar, you are automatically entered to win a prize in thanks for helping to motivate us all to get outdoors and into nature.  It's that easy! This month, every time you submit and lead a hike, you are entered to win one of three prizes from our sponsors at My Outdoor Alphabet, Injinji, and Cozey 7.   [gallery link="file" size="medium" ids="57174,57175,57176"]