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Hike it Baby 30 Challenge Inspiring Stories

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Hike it Baby 30 Challenge Inspiring Stories for Hike it BabyHike it Baby is many things to many people. It helps us get out the door on drizzly days; gives us friends and companionship; and offers us a support group as we try to navigate work, family life, post-baby bodies (moms and dads!), sleepless nights and life. In addition, it also helps us all stay active and engaged in our communities. A few times a year we offer a challenge, and the Hike it Baby 30 Challenge months inspire us all in different ways. Some of us like a reason to keep track of our miles, some like to set a mileage goal for the month, and others use it as motivation to reinvigorate our love of hiking and nature. HiB 30 Challenge months offer us extra inspiration, support and motivation. If you’re considering joining the Hike it Baby 30 Challenge – whether it’s your first time or 10th– we hope you’ll join us and get outside and enjoy these autumn days before the colder temps set in. For inspiration, here are just a few stories from the last HiB30 Challenge that really capture what Hike it Baby is all about.

Hike it Baby 30 stories to inspire

Katy S. I'm so grateful for Hike it Baby for introducing me to some amazing, like-minded mommas & babies! I’ve just recently moved to Florida. While we may not log lots of miles, I’ve made lots of fun memories with awesome people. Kristin K. Looking through the month, I realized my daughter has spent more minutes outside than me. My husband stepped it up this month with taking her outside to practice riding her bike and to the playground alot more. I got in a few kid-free hikes as well. My goal was to figure out how can I fit in some adult-paced walks mixed in with what my child can do. Walking to a playground or going for a walk after gymnastics works out rather well. To find the balance of toddler/preschool wanders and adult-pace started off strong, but didn't end as strong and that's OK. We explored some awesome places and enjoyed the adventures as we welcomed in fall. Tiff Any R We finished up our month with another round of apple picking since [my son] loved it so much (and I had requests for more apple butter)! Our goal was no zero days, and we did end up with about four true zero days, but we had so many great toddler-led adventures. He's really so confident getting around outside and is always so excited when we "go hike." I love having this community to give us great ideas and gently push us to make the time, even on rough days. Thanks, everyone! Gretchen B. To be honest, I didn’t think we were going to make the 30 miles. Between moving, a case of roseola and dreaded morning/all day sickness, it just didn’t seem like we got outside that much. But I guess our little evening strolls, afternoons at the park & a couple good hikes really added up. We squeaked in at 30.5 miles. Deanna C. It was a busy month finishing up work, getting ready for baby (any day now!!) and my 5-year-old started kindergarten. I just added up our mileage and wanted to share our highlights from the month! First was ... Family Forest Fest where we started the challenge off. We got a lot of miles and time outside walking around the festival. Then before the first day of school, we hiked around sunrise and hiked to Fremont Lookout Tower with friends. I'm so proud of my daughter and her friends for hiking the whole way!! We did almost eight miles and a little over 1,000 feet gain. We spent the whole day at the mountain. It was perfect! I was 35 weeks when we did this hike so I'm glad I didn't have to put Charlie in the carrier! The last family hike we did was at Naches Peak Loop with all the pretty fall colors. I was 37 weeks and my husband didn't want me going far from civilization after that hike. He's afraid I'll go into labor on the trail! For being such a crazy month, I'm so proud of our total mileage! Hike it Baby 30 Challenge Inspiring Stories for Hike it Baby Vanessa W. We did it! One hundred miles in 30 days. This was our 9th challenge. I've always been in awe of the families who accomplish 100 miles and I regret not doing it when my 3-year-old was a baby and I only had one kid to keep alive. I figured if I was ever going to get 100 miles, it would be during my 4-month-old's first challenge where she is still mostly a potato. What I forgot to realize was her first challenge fell in September, which is arguably the hottest month out of the year in a city that already boasts year-round summer. But by then, I was determined and I can be painfully stubborn. Now, I will fully admit this challenge goal was 100% selfish. The baby didn't know she completed a 5-peak challenge; she would have been perfectly happy if I wore her around the house. I wanted 100 miles to prove to myself that I could do it and get the bragging rights. I also have some baby weight to lose, and I was secretly hoping it would melt off this month hiking at least 3 miles every day. San Diego is an incredibly hilly city; there is no such thing as easy miles around here. But I finished up the challenge feeling a little sorry for myself when the scale read the same it had at the beginning of the month. The second to last day, I hosted a hike that climbed up a fairly steep hill. I decided to tandem carry the girls, half questioning my sanity. See, I had just climbed that same hill a few months earlier only carrying the baby (at half her current weight) and I just about died. Once it came time to climb the dreaded hill carrying about 45 extra wiggly pounds, not only was I not breathing hard, but I was passing other hikers! It was at that moment I realized that even though the scale hadn't budged (I know weight is "just a number"), I had gotten massively stronger over those past 30 days. That is pretty awesome. Some other fun accomplishments this month:
  1. Daddy hiked more than he ever has any other challenge. In fact, he completed the 30-mile goal!
  2. The girls and I averaged about 2.5 hours outside every day!
  3. We ended up getting more dirt miles than urban miles, which I was surprised to see!
  4. We hosted 15 HiB hikes and attended 5 more. That's 20 HiB hikes in 30 days, including a HiB camping trip!
Megan F. We finished off our September HiB30 Challenge at Mallard Lake FP. The husband joined us for our closeout hike. It was misty outside but gorgeous. The lake was like a mirror and when the rain picked up, each of the 1 billion little drops could be seen rippling outward. This challenge was a lot different than our first challenge. The biggest difference was that I switched from a SAHM with a bit of PPD to a full-time grad student and TA with stress like none other. Unlike April's challenge where we focused on exploring new locations, this challenge became about being mindful of what time my daughter and I had to spend together each day. This challenge came at an incredibly challenging time for my daughter and I both, but we did it. I am so proud to say we had #NOZERODAYS! We totalled 35.48 miles and 1075 minutes hiking together. I carried my 23-lb. daughter for all but six hikes and loved every second. My body is sore and I need a massage but I'm looking forward to November's challenge! I know it will be even more different than our first two. I love that HiB30 has given my daughter a basis in being at peace in nature, given me peace at volatile times in my life, and given my dog much-deserved daily walks.

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Photos by Deanna Curry.

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