Weekend Trip: White Sands National Park

This past weekend we ventured to White Sands National Park. The park is famous for its sparkling white sand dunes, which exist in the middle of the southern New Mexico desert. I'll talk a bit about kid-organization, and a bit about the geology of White Sands.

Building a Lifetime of Adventure

I recently wrote a post for the Trail Sisters journal. I'll copy it here, but you can also go ahead and check it out on their page. The more the merrier: My children and their cousins enjoying a summer hike. I grew up loving to run. In college, I ran cross country and track for …

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Outdoor Activities as a Parent

My husband and I are huge outdoors people. We always have been. Our first date was rock climbing (way back in the mid-90’s). We have grown together as a couple and as individuals as we have hiked, backpacked, and climbed our way around the western US (and Alaska! Italy! Switzerland!). As a competitive distance runner, …

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Divide & Conquer (Part 2)

Last time I talked about our Divide & Conquer backpacking trip. This method of splitting kids to maximize excitement is one of our most successful - if logistically challenging - outdoor activity strategies. During pregnancy, postpartum, or simply in times when one parent is pushing harder (or recovering harder) than the other, dividing kids is …

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Divide & Conquer

Our entire family enjoys being outside. We also have very different ability levels right now: A dad, a postpartum mom, 8 and 4 year old daughters, and a 3 month old baby.  This summer is the perfect time for us to employ one of our fall-back techniques for outside activity that everyone is happy with: …

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We’re back (slowly!)

It's been a few months since I've posted here, and what a tumultuous time it has been. Our son was born in late May, healthy and well; he is thriving as we move into his second month, in a record hot summer. Newborn life is a whirlwind and a cocoon. As usual after a new …

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Finding small joys in all the strangeness

I am 32 weeks pregnant, with 8(-ish) weeks to go until my third child is set to arrive.  This is my third pregnancy, and it’s playing out quite differently than the first two, and even differently from what was laid out by my OB/GYN back in November and December. Most notably, I’m over 35 ("elderly …

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Times of Change

So much has changed since last posting. Last time, I wrote about giving kids the tools to plan their outdoor adventures. In the weeks between, the COVID-19 virus has upended our lives, and everyone is dealing with a new reality. My daughters’ school and day care are closed, and we are self-isolating as a family …

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International Women’s Day (belated!)

Happy International Women's Day! Or rather, the day after International Women's Day. Life has many transitions. Some are minor, some major, some sudden, others creep up on you. Finding a community that supports you through these transitions is really important.  There is no larger evolution than becoming a parent for the first (or second, or …

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