Like so many people, the start of a new year fills me with a lot of hope and anticipation. What kind of adventure will the new seasons bring? How will our garden grow? What will we nourish in our lives? And we start to make plans. But also, like so many of us, the responsibilities of life can really get in the way of the pursuit of dreams. Plus for those that struggle with anxiety, like myself, it is really easy to talk yourself out of actions that put you in your stretch zone. I’m a busy person. I homeschool my kid. I run a small business. I manage the ins and outs of daily life for at least three people from meal planning to adventure planning. So sometimes, my loftier aspirations can get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. But there’s a child with a thirst for adventure living in my house now and this year I’m choosing to honor that fact. So 2021 is going to be the year of 52 hikes with a toddler. That’s right. We’re doing the 52 hike challenge.

I started making the list a few weeks ago. 65 hikes within driving distance made the cut.  Why 65? I didn’t want to be on a strict hike schedule each month. This way Bear and I have options. What inspired this 2021 goal? Honestly, a little bit of my kid’s joy whenever he gets to go hiking, but also the sheer number of women who are mothers that have approached me on the trail to say that they wanted to be able to bring their kids, but couldn’t. There’s a barrier for women in the hiking world. Especially women with kids. A lot of them are afraid to hike alone and I wanted to share my blog so they could see that it is accessible. They can take their kid out on hiking adventures if they really want to go. Hiking alone doesn’t have to be terrifying when you’re prepared, do your research, and make smart choices. Am I a hiking/survival expert? Absolutely not. But those are not the hikes I take my son on and he doesn’t have any less wonder hiking easy/moderate trails under the ten mile mark. So if you think you might be interested in following our journey this year, feel free to follow us on instagram @treksandtoadstools and subscribe to this blog.

I’ll be sharing our adventures weekly and will include gear recommendations (what I actually use this blog is just for fun, I'm not repping anything), snack ideas, trail locations, cool plants discovered and every single trail tantrum. Come hike with us!