I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not fake.

I may not be perfect, but at least I'm not fake.
This page is copyrighted by Deborah Dorey Wilson, The Lebanon Truth Seekers. All rights reserved.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Online Group Puts Parents Together for NH Kid Friendly Hikes.

HOLLIS, N.H. —Three-year-old Samuel Wood pored over a treasure map in his hand, then led a group of a half-dozen mothers carrying their babies in backpacks through the Wildflower Trail at Beaver Brook Association's Maple Hill Farm on Tuesday.
Sam was the leader of a two-hour walk that included stops for stretching, snacks, tantrums and photos with his new friends and grandmother, Sue Connors of Rindge.
Sam is part of a national movement to get little ones and their peeps out on trails.
New Hampshire now has four Hike it Baby chapters offering free hikes, weekly throughout the state.
Hike it Baby uses social media to connect parents and babies with the outdoors.
Sam lives in Alaska and is visiting his grandmother, here. His mom, Tonya went online to find a Hike it Baby! hike because they are members of the Eagle River chapter in Alaska.
Hike it Baby offers free hikes, led by volunteers and the aim is quite simple: get the babies on trails, outdoors.


There are more than 10,000 families in 90 cities or regions now involved and New Hampshire has more than 700 families who have joined.
Lyndsey Vaillancourt is branch leader for Hike It Baby Monadnock. She started the first chapter in New Hampshire in 2014.
She said after she had Aubrey, now 18 months old, she was looking online for information about snowshoeing with her when she came upon information about Hike it Baby on Pinterest.
"Anyone can lead a hike after they have gone on one and it's all volunteer," she said. There is no charge for the hikes, but you need to sign a waiver online.
In addition to Monadnock, there are chapters in Portsmouth, Merrimack Valley and now, Manchester.
The Portsmouth chapter has more than 500 members.
Hike it Baby began when Shanti Hodges, a young mother in Portland, Oregon joined a young mother's group at her local hospital in 2013. She thought it would be more fun to be outside of the hospital on a hike and suggested they all meet the next week for a hike.
And it took off through social media.
"Our goal is to get babies on trail," she told an Oregon radio station, describing Hike it Baby as "a platform to bring families together."
The website has challenges, like 30 miles in 30 days, and 30 minutes outside every day and offers advice on equipment from backpacks to strollers.
The rule is that no one is left behind, so the hike can take a lot longer than it might if you were going alone.
But it would not be as much fun alone, members say.
Sarah Marchand of Nashua has always been a hiker. She and her 20-month-old son Theo were on the trail, Tuesday with Hike it Baby, being led by 3-year-old Sam. Theo would get in and out of the backpack and he was a ham for the camera.
Jen Buck of Portsmouth was on the trail as well with Maddie, 19 months. With Kristin Talcott, they are the co-leaders of the Portsmouth group.
"I like that it is so inclusive," she said. Fathers are more often on the trails on the weekends while weekdays draws more of a mommy crowd. All are learning from each other.
The babies are about 25 pounds each so hiking with them can be strenuous. The hikes range from short and easy to long.
At Wagon Hill Farm in Durham there is a Hike it Baby hike May 30 from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
On June 6, National Trails Day, another hike is planned for Mount Major in Alton and for Lake Massabesic in Auburn. The Monadnock group plans a hike at the Bruce Edes Forest May 28 from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
Each Monday in June, a hike is planned in Mine Falls Park in Nashua.
You can get all the information at www.hikeitbaby.com and get outside with your babies.
     
Information originally from WMUR9

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