"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing."
Looking out the window at two feet of snow blanketing the backyard and icy tree branches sparkling in the morning sun is magical and reminds me of my childhood. It makes me want to go outside and play! But then I think of how much work it will be to change all of my clothes and all of my one-year old's clothes... I take a deep breath, t...
In this article, Hike it Baby Branch Ambassador and photographer, Melissa, shares her tips and recipes for easy camping meals for kids. I don’t like to cook. Let me clarify: I don’t like to cook when I have tiny people pulling on my legs, climbing on chairs next to hot stoves or generally being on top of me in some way or form while I'm trying to provide for our survival. So th...
Hiking with kids can be a difficult endeavor on the easiest of trails, which can sometimes discourage us from taking on the challenge of more demanding terrain. We get caught up in all the logistical details and lose focus on why we are out hiking in the first place, which can cause us to underestimate kids and their amazing abilities and capacity to overcome challenges. Here are a few tips for...
I learned early to layer in the winter. Growing up, I was always cold. Our house was drafty and we played outside a lot in winter. I would always ask my parents to turn up the heat. My father would promptly ask me how many layers I had on. If it was less than three, the answer was a guaranteed no.
Now that I'm a parent, I totally get the layering question. Each kid is different and will need a...
Last year, my little family embarked on a summer filled with hiking adventures ranging from 1 mile to 14 miles, and one of my biggest takeaways was the fact that packing food for summer hiking was VERY different than packing for other seasons. Some of my normal go-to foods (such as sandwiches made with cold-cuts and mayo) just don’t hold up in the heat of summer without having to haul some sort...
Deciding to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail (AT) didn't happen overnight for us. We had been dreaming of thru-hiking for almost 10 years; we just never imagined that the best time in life to do so would be after we had our first baby, Ellie.
From the time our daughter was two months old, we started hiking regularly as a family. But hiking wasn't anything new for me and Derrick. In fact, the ou...
It's midday and I am sitting in Yosemite in the campground while Mason naps in the trailer peacefully. A warm breeze blows gently across the campground and rustles the the wall of our pop up shower tent.
Mark has gone for a hike without us to get his hardcore on. After a beautiful 9 mile trek to Vernal Falls with Mason yesterday, I am happy to wait it out here in the campground and take a brea...
So you are getting out hiking and not just a little, a lot! It's always hard to decide whether a frame or a soft carrier will do the trick when you are getting out there. I usually suggest if you aren't super serious about your hiking and it's just a hike here and there to consider renting a frame carrier from a local shop. A lot of sporting good stores will carry baby backpacks.
However if yo...
Hello Hikers! Meet Lyndsey - she joined in the June HiB30 Challenge and won a prize from our partners at Garmin by registering her little one, Aubrey (18mos), and hiking 61 miles with the HiB Monadnock Branch. Way to Go!!
Was this your first Challenge? If yes, how did it motivate you to get outdoors? If this was not your first Challenge, how was it different from your previous experience?
This...
This summer, due to various circumstances, we decided to become a one-car family, temporarily, from early summer until fall. We live in Portland so it's an easy transition. Luckily, the roads have special bike lanes and whole streets are dedicated to only bikes. While I know this isn’t the case everywhere, we see this trend growing – especially electric bikes. Many cities are embracing biking a...
