Hike it Baby Book Launch

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Hike it Baby Founder Shanti Hodges and her family are headed out on the road this summer for five weeks to promote her new book “Hike it Baby: 100 Awesome Outdoors Adventures With Babies and Toddlers”.

The five-week Hike it Baby Book Launch presented by Subaru is a camping and hiking adventure where the Hodges family will meet up with Hike it Baby communities throughout the Rockies and Midwest. The goal is to visit a number of locations written about in the book and get a tour from locals.

HOW DID THE BOOK COME ABOUT?
The book is based on a year-long project where Shanti crowd sourced family friendly favorite Hike it Baby adventures through the community nationwide. She received closed to 300 hikes and had to narrow it down to 100, a major task considering there were so many choices.

WHAT’S NEXT?
This guide is just the beginning for Shanti’s vision of helping families find easy to access trails for babies and new little walkers. One of the things that the Hike it Baby community identified over the last five years since the organization began was how families were often limited because they just weren’t sure if “family friendly” really applied to their family with little kids heading out on the trail.

A comprehensive guide and a community offering regular hikes is definitely a first step in opening up trail access for families with young kids. Shanti is hoping by touring around the country and meeting with families all over, she can dream up new ways to encourage more family participation through education, outreach, trail guidance and community development.

Check the schedule below and join them at one of their stops for a hike.

Buy The Book On Amazon

Book Launch Crew

Shanti, Mark, and Mason Hodges

THE HODGES family is on a mission to build communities, both online and offline, that help connect people to nature. In 2013 just after Mason was born, they founded Hike it Baby, a nonprofit dedicated to helping families with babies and toddlers find each other in the outdoors. The initial idea was to create an online space for families to find each other and then go meet up on trail with young children.

As Mason got older and began walking, Shanti and Mark realized there weren't many resources out there to help them get on trail. While there were great guides, Mark would spend hours researching their next adventures and it was still a crapshoot on whether it would work with Mason. So Shanti decided to write a book using the Hike it Baby community as a resource to help their family and others find trails wherever they went.

Over the last few years the Hodges have hiked extensively throughout the Western US, Alaska, Canada and Baja, Mexico. They have also met up with Hike it Baby members throughout the US.

Shanti and her husband Mark and their son Mason split their time between Portland, OR and La Verkin, Utah (Zion National Park area). She enjoys watching their son Mason fall in love with nature on their frequent adventures camping, rafting, biking, and of course, hiking in the outdoors. Shanti hopes to help families discover easy ways to connect with and enjoy nature as often as possible because she truly believes the love found there can change the world.

Want to follow any of Shanti's other endeavors? In 2016 she began hosting an annual family camping festival (familyforestfest.com) in Oregon. In 2018 she began hosting retreats in Southern Utah (hikingmyway.com).

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Maura, Bobby, Jack, and Rowan Marko

The Marko Family loves to explore by foot, canoe, and bike. Maura is a writer and stay at home parent and Bobby is a Designer. Together they have two children; Jack (age 4) and Rowan (age 1.5). While based in Minnesota, Maura and Bobby plan regular adventures around the United States and Canada, all with an emphasis in visiting diverse ecosystems, introducing the kids to all aspects of nature, and instilling in them the tools and knowledge necessary to being stewards of the land. The couple firmly believe in the power nature holds to educate and inspire young children.

The experiences Maura and Bobby have while on these travels with Jack and Rowan serve as lessons and tools to pass on to other parents who are looking for successful adventures in the outdoors with young children along. The Marko’s speak at outdoor expos around the Midwest, teach family-focused classes at REI, and maintain a blog with trail/trip reports and many useful posts regarding tips and tricks and best gear choices.

Upcoming Launch Stops

On the Road with

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Book Launch Gallery

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