About Me

tl;dr: kids, hiking, cell phone camera, read blog

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This blog was inspired by a love of the outdoors, seeing new places, climbing to the top of things, and small children poorly contained by walls. Frankly, it was mostly the last one. Fear of household destruction sent me out hiking with 2-3 year olds. If you haven't done it, it's a bit like herding cats...if cats found well-marked paths better for lying down and making dirt angels than for hiking.  Copious breaks and even more copious quantities of singing later, you'll be rewarded with momentarily silent children and an intact home.

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Even once trained to generally play in a forward direction along a path, hiking with small children can feel like an endurance race in slowing down. Adult strides, slow-twitch muscle ratios, and fuel needs are all poorly matched to children. And, typically outnumbered, I have a strict no-carry policy. Enter the cell phone camera. I started taking pictures to amuse myself. For years, I stowed it in my sports bra and would pull it out for a quick shot before resuming. As much as I'd love a telephoto lens on my hikes, fancy camera equipment does not mesh well with helping kids learn to climb, preventing unintentional cliff diving, or halting very intentional whining. 

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My library of pictures and my experiences are the foundation for this blog. If you're reading this thinking, "Huh, maybe I don't want to take my kids outdoors," read on! I post about past and current adventures to inspire you, and share things I've learned along the way.

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Get out and get dirty,

Luisa