Fall Hiking Products for Families

Velocity-by-Vasque

As the weather cools, we Arizonans breathe a sigh of relief. We sit out in the garage, with a bowl of tortilla chips and medium salsa - playing with chalk and riding bikes until the orange sorbet sunset surprises us. We hold out hope that soon we will be able to pull out our boots and sweatshirts. Fall marks the beginning of many things. For our family, it most notably marks the beginning of hiking season! Beginning very shortly, you'll probably find our family of five out in the wilderness … [Read more...]

The Outdoor Family: ERGObaby Performance Carrier

ergo-performance-in-action

Tim & I like to hike. When we began having babies, we had two options: (1) Stop hiking and wait until all of our kids were old enough to hike on their own (that might be a long time coming...) or (2) Carry the little ones. We decided on the latter. For shorter hikes, our 4-year-old can hold her own. She's quite an able hiker for being so young. For longer hikes, Tim carries her part way in our Kelty carrier. When our baby was younger, I carried her in the ERGO on my chest. Now that … [Read more...]

hike to bridal wreath falls

bridal-falls

3 miles there. 3 miles back. 6 miles total. We see deer (three of them!), rabbits, squirrels, multicolored lizards, spiderwebs, and a bird's nest. When we get to the falls, there isn't any water (but there IS plenty of shade). We munch on trail mix, Clif Bars, fruit roll-ups, and yogurt-covered raisins. Then, Tim asks, "Should we pray together?" "YES!" our 3-year-old says. "What should we talk to God about?" he asks. "Thank him for all this beautiful stuff?!?" she answers enthusiastically, … [Read more...]

How we spent our Saturday: hiking 7 falls

seven-falls-tucson-hike-with-baby

This photo was taken at approximately 2:15pm today - after a 6-MILE hike with the girls. Note my flushed cheeks from the warm weather (the high was 86 degrees today). We hiked up Seven Falls in Bear Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. And this is "real" hiking - with stream crossings, rock-hopping, and trekking uphill. At the end of the trail, there are waterfalls (hence the name) and pools for swimming (but fair warning - the water is c-c-cold). The hike was totally fun - and it was … [Read more...]