by Stephanie Green - I grew up in Chicago, where the highest elevation was a 50-foot freeway overpass. When I moved to California, I fell in love with the mountains and their commanding height. I also loved exploring the variety of natural areas from the ocean to the desert. After twenty years, I am still in awe of the abundance and diversity of ecosystems. My recreation of … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Nature, Sustainability, and Conscious Choices
by Cheryl Magyar - One was born in a town of Romania, another was brought to life in the suburbs of America, and the third arrived quietly on a homestead in Hungary, with animals waiting patiently, in complete silence, just outside the door. Our births were given dates and exact locations, to be institutionalized and stamped on a certificate of existence, yet it remains that … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: We stopped living the “dream” to live OUR dream
by Jessica Sueiro - When Will and I first met, he was an accountant and I was a graphic designer. We loved adventure and outdoor activities, but we were limited solely to weekends and two-week vacation adventures. At the time we lived in Los Angeles and our normal weekend outdoor activities consisted of hiking Runyan Canyon in LA with our dog. We had very few vacation weeks … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Muddy Waters, a canoeing story
By Christopher Tupa This past weekend I decided my family should have ourselves a little canoeing adventure. My wife and I woke the kids up and told them about our awesome plans for the day. They were less than thrilled and I won’t bore you with the details but it involved a lot of moaning and groaning and hiding under the overs. Once everyone finally got out of bed, ate … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: When three-nagers meet intentional parenting
by Lindsey Lebowitz - In 2005, my husband and I moved to Colorado from Florida. We moved across the country for a change, a sense of adventure, and the Rocky Mountains. Our 480-foot studio apartment was only $500 a month. Our jobs were not serious, and with limited responsibilities, we explored this great state together. We hiked over 12 hours to summit and descent Long’s Peak. … [Read more...]
Unschooling Conventional Wisdom: Our not-so-tidy RV life
Editor's Note: Lydia Blanco Garza and her family hit the road 299 days ago. This unschooling essay is the first in a four-part series about the trials and tribulations of their not-so-tidy RV life. by Lydia Blanco-Garza - When we decided to embark on our RV family adventure across the United States, we didn't really think too much about homeschooling, much less unschooling. … [Read more...]
Hike It Baby: How to get involved & get outside more
by Erin Kirkland - Shanti Hodges has no qualms about admitting she has a problem "overextending myself." Fact is, though, if she hadn't, hiking with newborns might not be a thing. Enter Hike it Baby. Hodges, of Portland, Oregon, is the owner of Hike it Baby, an organization she gestated and birthed in the cool forests of the Pacific Northwest but now nurtures through 290 … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Meet a caterpillar named “Fuzzy”
by Eliana Osborn My son's rain jacket is laid across the back of the sofa. In the split second before calling, Come hang this up, I notice something yellow on the sleeve. Closer up, something fuzzy, perhaps a flower bud knocked off while running by. I lift the yellow cylinder with a piece of paper from the computer. A caterpillar, braving a stormy wet Fairbanks, Alaska … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Meet Lauren Gay
by Lauren Gay The great outdoors has been the gift that keeps on giving to my unique family of two. I am mom to a 15-year-old son. Exposing my son to outdoor activities at an early age has not only enriched him, it has also led to a very special bond. Unlike many who love outdoor activities, I grew up very much a city girl, with no exposure to outdoor activities as a child. … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Beauty and Tragedy
by Andrea Friederici Ross I believe in wonder. Daily life is filled with the mundane: laundry, oil changes, dentist appointments, filtering spam. Routine. Over time, it erodes my spirit, eating away at the core of well-being. So whenever I have an opportunity, I grasp at the concept of wonder. It can be a mother bird feeding her young, beak-to-beak; a particularly … [Read more...]
Before and After: Hiking with Kids in 7,982 Simple Steps
by Elizabeth Small I was the sort of not-uncommon-but-woefully-ignorant pregnant lady who believed I could somehow do this parenting thing differently. Yes, I was familiar with the entirety of human history and the overwhelming evidence that "different" was impossible. But I thought, "Hey, I'll just do this my way." It's not exactly that I thought other people were doing … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: The Bonds
Get to know October's "Outdoor Family" by Nicolette Bond Children don't necessarily see nature as something separate from them. I was lucky enough to grow up with parents who encouraged me to run barefoot in the rain, howl at the moon, and play in the mud. My husband and I hope to preserve that connection for our two-year-old daughter Cora and "re-wild" our own … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Meet the Sages
Editor's note: The Sages- Clark, Kelly, Clark (8), Sophie (5) - are a homeschooling family who believes in "learning by living" with nature as their classroom. This month's "My Outdoor Family" column features Kelly's perspectives on a variety of outdoor-related topics, and readers can learn more about the entire Sage family on Kelly's blog, SageTribe: Adventures from our … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Meet the Yearouts
by Annie Yearout It's July in New England and my kids are running around a Vermont field at dusk, chasing the fireflies twinkling all over a pinkish sky and creating a magical, warm, summer night light show. Sleepy birds are chirping their final songs for the day, and multiple generations of my extended family are building an evening campfire to roast sausages and fresh corn … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: “The good about bad camping”
by Clint Tustison "This is camping?" I thought to myself, lying in my tent, shivering, trying to get dry from the downpour happening just outside. I had been a member of the local community Boy Scout troop for a few months when I finally had the chance to go on a real campout. I was ecstatic. This is what Boy Scouts lived for, right? Heading to the outdoors, building a … [Read more...]
The Circus Tent: A Mother’s Legacy
by Heather Longo Many of my most vivid childhood memories come from family camping trips. Roasting ?banana boats? over a blazing fire, fishing for the next day?s breakfast, and card games set to the sound of raindrops. Camping wasn?t just about time spent near each other, it was family, wrapped in and around a slab of canvas we called "The Circus Tent." You couldn?t miss our … [Read more...]
My Outdoor Family: Our Home is Round
by Meriah Nichols Our home is round. It is built in the style of a yurt, perfectly round, but it is not, as it is in Mongolia, a portable residence. Ours is made of stone and copper. It is there for the long run, just as we hope to be. Our family lives completely off the grid, relying primarily on solar power, but with a backup generator. Water comes from the numerous … [Read more...]
