by Kendra MacEachern
I’m a new mom to an 8 month old and I love hiking, so back in the Fall I started a hiking group for parents and their kids. I was going for walks and hikes with my baby every morning but it was getting lonely. I was hoping to meet more parents like myself who wanted to get outside with their kids.
We started in the Fall and went on walks to the Keppoch, Beaver Mountain, Bethany and around town. I recently changed the group to Hike it Baby which is an international community of parents who hike with their kids. I decided to go ahead with the Hike it Baby because the community already has loads of resources for getting outside with kids and they also publish stories of other parents and their journeys to getting outside. I found it very helpful and inspiring to be part of bigger community because although getting outside and hiking has practically always been a big part of my life, doing it will a baby was scary.
About the group
Hike it Baby Antigonish is group dedicated to connecting families to nature with birth to school age children. It’s a branch of a non-profit US-based organization which is getting families outside all over the world.
Although dedicated to children ages 0-5, we welcome all ages. We also welcome all caregivers. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, anyone with kids! Don’t worry if you need to nurse or change a diaper on the trail, we don’t leave anyone behind. It’s a supportive environment and open to all ability levels.
The hiking trails
Our favourite trails are the Bethany Contemplative trail, Beaver Mountain and the Keppoch. We have at least one hike a week. Every Tuesday, we meet at Keppoch from 10:00am-12:00pm. We meet in the lodge and decide which trail to do together. As the weather warms up and ice finally goes away expect to see extra hikes throughout the week!
Hike it Baby 30: a new challenge
Hike it Baby 30 is a quarterly challenge to help motivate families and communities to get out and hike for 30 miles in 30 days or 30 minutes 3 times a week. This can be done with or without Hike it Baby!
We will have a hike at least once a week at Keppoch on Tuesdays. Others will be added throughout the week this month!
Check out Hike it baby 30 for more details.
**Since Canadians do not pay a membership fee there is no free challenge. Also, many of the prizes awarded are to US participants. International participants still have a chance to win, but from a smaller selection which do not have shipping restrictions.
Become a member of Hike it Baby! Anyone can host hikes! Click here to find out more and join us on Facebook.
See you out there!
Stephanie Monaghan, Hike it Baby Antigonish Coordinator
Kendra MacEachern, Hike it Baby Antigonish Coordinator