When we decided to move out west a few years back I never knew I would discover a hobby that would end up making such a profound impact on my life. Hiking!
The world I have always had a passion to explore was always right there, but somehow, getting out on foot and experiencing it first hand gave me an entirely new perspective. I was hooked.
It’s wonderful to have a passion for something, but when you can find a passion that can be shared with your best friend, it really is amazing. J and I found this shared passion in hiking. Our ideal weekend = one of us will find a hike with pretty things, he maps it out, I pack the string cheese.
Rinse, wash, repeat.
Hiking is not only a reason to get a cool pic (although, I will not lie, I love pictures), but more than that it is a way to ‘detox’ from the clutter of the world. It is so refreshing to take a deep breath and have those moments of silence.
There was a time when J and I had a fair amount of unknowns after our travels to Europe. We were “homeless” (so to speak), had just moved out of state, J had just dealt with an emergency surgery, and we were living off of a part-time Starbucks income. Yes, we had made decisions to get to this point and no, we didn’t regret any of our decisions but we still found ourselves in unknown territory.
J knew I needed my mini-retreat #MyTherapy haha! We went out on a beautiful trail in the desert. This night I remember so vividly because it was a moment of clarity for us. It is a beautiful world indeed.
We found out by surprise that we would soon be expecting a new little hiking pal. It was a SHOCK to say the least! Of course our reaction was to head to the trails again. This was the first time we found “Cathedral” trail in Sedona (noted: one of my favorite trails to date.)
Before Remy was born we frequently heard the advice: “Get your hiking / exploring / adventure in before kids, because you can’t do it once you have them!” Once we were pregnant we heard: “Do it before you have her!” Once we had a newborn: “Do it while she is still small because once they get bigger…”
Now we have two mini toddlers, but… we still adventuring. Why let a mini-person control us bigger-persons?
As a matter of fact, starting from a newborn our girls have always loved hiking. Singing softly or sleeping, it really is a peaceful time for them as well. This makes me so happy! The fact that she loves something that is so dear to us is truly a blessing.
A few thoughts for hiking with a little one…
Practical Ideas:
*Start as young as possible.
*Make sure the first few hikes you don’t get them out every time they make a peep.
*It helps to teach them to love the pack they are in. Make sure they are comfortable and it fits them well.
*Staying positive. If you aren’t enjoying it, they won’t either.
*And you know the main one… stay protected from the sun and well-hydrated
