Beaverton, OR
Hike it Baby Portland
Who are your hiking buddies?
Natalie (8 in March), Beth (5 in Jan), Chris (husband), Oberon Jellybeans (the big white dog)
What is a favorite memory outside with your people?
Watching my girls play & flit along the trail, climbing, getting dirty, and soaking up the beauty in their rain boots and tutu skirts
When you’re trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door?
TIME! Finding enough time when we can get our gear and snacks packed, then drive somewhere together is difficult. Even shoes on and out the door to go around the block can be daunting, but it’s totally worth it, so we keep trying!
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking?
Going to the beach with my mom & sisters or playing outside in the yard with friends and pets.
What’s something about you that people may not know?
I love playing board games.
What National Park do you most want to visit?
Yellowstone
What is something about you that people may not know to expect?
I'm not afraid to go to a place I've never been. I love exploring new places, meeting new people, and trying new things.
Moyock, NC
Hike it Baby Hampton Roads
Who are your hiking buddies?
Carson (11) Evan (9) Charleston (7) and Tillmen (4)
What is a favorite memory outside with your people?
My favorite memory outside is actually outside in our backyard. It was been raining for a few days and we live close to the bay, so as the tide comes in everything floods, and when the tide comes out everything is under a big swampy mess. I told all the kiddos they had to go outside even for 5 minutes. It took them one minute to discover that mud makes a pretty epic slip-in slide. They spent two hours playing in that puddle, and the joy and laughter that this moment brought everyone will always be a favorite memory.
When you’re trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door?
I would have to say taking the time to spend outside. When they were smaller it was easy, there was always time to take the hike, now with school, sports, and work it takes more intention to take that hike.
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking?
I was living on Ft. Stewart, GA and I remember me and my older brother exploring the base, the different trails, parks, and the mysteries in our minds that the base held (one mystery included a sewage plant waterfall), and being home before the street lights were on.
What’s something about you that people may not know?
I love a good Zombie movie, or anything post-apocalyptic.
Downingtown, PA
Hike it Baby Southeastern PA
Who are your hiking buddies?
Landon (6), Aidan (4), and our newest hiker, Brynn (6 months)
What is a favorite memory outside with your people?
We have spent SO many long days outdoors while hiking along creeks, picnicking, and splashing around, so I’d say those are our best everyday memories. When my oldest was a baby, we did go out to Jackson Hole to hike Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone, and that trip is definitely my favorite *epic adventure* memory!
When you’re trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door?
Changing clothes - whether we are creek splashing and need swim gear or building snowmen in the winter and need layers, getting on seasonally appropriate gear has always been tough.
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking?
My backyard! As a kid, we had a wonderful fenced-in backyard that I have so many fond memories of spending hours playing in with my sister. For hiking specifically, we spent a lot of family vacations hiking in the White Mountains in New Hampshire and I look back on those as our first big hiking adventures.
What’s something about you that people may not know?
Pre-kiddos, I ran 13 half marathons and 5 marathons, and one very hilly ultra marathon!
North East, Ohio
Hike it Baby Cleveland
Who are your hiking buddies?
William (9 years old), Mark (7 years old), Mike (Husband), Charlie (Golden-Doodle) & Dipper (Havaneeze-poodle mix)
What is a favorite memory outside with your people?
Seeing my boys enjoy nature the way I did as a kid. Seeing it again through their eyes is just the best.
When you're trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door?
Making the time to get outside. We love the warm weather months because we can camp with our pop-up; when it's warm, we are camping!
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking?
I grew up in the Santa Cruz Mountains; we were immersed in Redwood forests. My favorite childhood memory is reading books in a tree ring that created a beautiful canopy above. I lay for hours, daydreaming, counting the birds, thinking of what the cloud shape resembled.
What's something about you that people may not know?
I love decorating paper planners, pens, stickers, time blocking, and goal setting.
What National Park do you most want to visit?
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
What is something about you that people may not know to expect?
I read over 150 books a year. I can read quickly and love to get lost in a great book.
Who are your hiking buddies?
Sebastian has been hiking with me since he was a few months old. We’ve been getting outside with Hike it Baby for 8 years!
What is a favorite memory outside with your people?
One of my favorite memories is when Sebastian did 6.5 miles of a 7-mile hike all on his own two feet! He was so proud and I was so happy I didn’t have to lug 40 lbs of kiddo on my back the entire time!!!
When you’re trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door?
It used to be a challenge to “make sure we had everything” and find the time. Now that we are older and more experienced, it’s simply finding the time to enjoy outdoor adventures together. Work, school, activities, and life have made it more complicated. But we just enjoy it, even more, when we get the chance!
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking?
My earliest outdoor memories are being outside in the snow in the Wisconsin winter. I would play outside for hours and prolong the walk to/from the bus stop so I could be outside! No bad weather for me!
What’s something about you that people may not know?
I’ve been swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii and in the Galapagos – my dream is to swim with them in Australia someday!
Sandy, UT
Hike it Baby Salt Lake City
Who are your hiking buddies? My two kids: Tommy (middle school) and Matthew (elementary school) along with a handful of their friends. I’ve become known as the mom who goes hiking a lot and I’m happy to bring more kids along. And sometimes my husband joins.
What is a favorite memory outside with your people? My husband has never really been an outdoorsy guy. His parents immigrated to the U.S. just before he was born and the kind of outdoor activities that are common here are simply not where they are from. In 2018, our oldest son got my husband hooked on fishing and it led to us spending long summer days in the high Uinta Mountains fishing, hiking, and chilling in hammocks. This was a big deal for me. We finally had a "thing" that made spending time in the mountains enjoyable for all of us instead of me just going with our boys. We’ve even managed to get my husband to go camping a couple of times.
When you’re trying to get outside, what is your biggest challenge to getting out the door? Making the time for it! Both of my kids are in school during the day and I often work odd hours during the week. That combined with many trails getting crowded on the weekends and we don’t get out as often as we’d like during the school year. All bets are off during the summer though.
Where is the first place you remember hiking or walking? Growing up, my family vacations were almost always camping because it’s what my family could afford with a single income and four kids. I have fond memories of hiking with my dad and him trying to teach me how to use an SLR camera (non-digital!); explaining shutter speed and aperture and me having no idea what he was talking about.
What’s something about you that people may not know? In 2021, my oldest son and I earned our black belts in taekwondo.
