I was asked recently how I fell in love with the outdoors and how it became such a big part of my life. In this post, I want to share how that happened and why my mission in life now is to inspire families to do the same. I started loving nature when I was a young child due to my parents’ willingness to immerse us in the outdoors. We participated in many different outdoor adventures in warm and cold weather all year round. The picture above shows us hiking along Lake Minnewanka as a pre-wedding get-together for my brother and his wife. Outside is where we like to spend a lot of our time. Over the years, my family has been my safety net, my safe haven and most importantly, at thirty-five years old, they are still my go-to people for adventures in the outdoors.
Table of Contents
Starting Out
The first backpacking trip I ever did was the Berg Lake Trail at six years old. My brother was four years old. It took us approximately seven hours to walk seven kilometres. My parents had to carry most of our belongings, as we could only fit a couple of things into our small school backpacks. We found ourselves wanting a snack every hour. It took a lot of patience from my parents but eventually, we arrived at Kinney Lake campsite and that propelled me into wanting to create memories in the outdoors with my family, moving forward. My parents have been pleased with the results!
Tip #1: I understand that it could be daunting to go backpacking if you’ve never been or haven’t taken your children yet. I suggest lots of different hikes varying in lengths and difficulty to practice. This will make an eventual backpacking trip easier. You can also hire a guide to show you the ropes if that makes you more comfortable.
Tip #2: Be fit parents to carry items for yourself and for your child. Start with an overnight trip to share your experience with your child/children and get a taste of the outdoors with them.
Tip #3: Bring many snacks for your children as they might want to constantly eat; especially if they are younger. There is a great variety of available snacks.
Love for the Outdoors Doing Activities
Activities
I grew up in the outdoors with my family, as you can see by scrolling through the five pictures above. We did various activities such as canoeing the Bowron lakes when I was twelve years old. We were small enough at this point for the four of us to fit in one canoe. At times, my brother and I hung on to the gunwales of the canoe and sat at the bottom while my parent manoeuvred some rapids. We were able to help paddle forward on the lakes. We had the privilege of learning different paddling techniques at a young age.
My family and I went cross-country skiing to Shadow Lake in the winter when I was ten and into the backcountry to Bryant Creek shelter towards Mount Assiniboine with our cross-country skis when I was seventeen. We learned that we could experience a weekend in seclusion by travelling fourteen kilometres on our skis. Sometimes, we went to bed looking at beautiful glowing stars under a clear sky and woke up to moose in front of the hut. Most people will never get to experience that and I did at seventeen!
We backpacked the West Coast Trail for the first time when I was fifteen years old. My love for the outdoors continued until I was an adult kayaking Desolation Sound with my family at thirty years old. My parents looked for opportunities to immerse us in things people would never do themselves or with their children and in turn, I got experiences of a lifetime! I’m so grateful for the memories!
Family Bond Created Through our Love for the Outdoors
The outdoor activities that we participated in together created a bond between us, like nothing I’ve experienced anywhere else in my life. I couldn’t wait for the next trip, for the next adventure whether it would be close to home or abroad. I’m experiencing an adventure of a lifetime! At the end of our trips, we would always have a family hug. That became a tradition. Now, we include Kris in our family hugs when we finish a trip together. It was fantastic to experience a variety of different activities. We always knew our summers would be packed with fun. I was happy that we had the opportunity to spend it with my parents and brother.
We also went downhill skiing, snowshoeing, and skating in the winter. In the spring, summer and fall, we participated in events such as hiking and camping. We never ran out of activities to do as a family.
Adventure Planning
My dad loves planning. I inherited that trait. He brought us on many adventures near and far from home. We gained many skills doing a variety of outdoor activities that came in handy throughout our lives. It offered us perspective and to be adaptable when things didn’t go as planned.
Tips
Tip #1: It’s important to be adaptable and ready to change at a moment’s notice when dealing with the weather in the outdoors, or campsites being closed on a backpacking trip causing you to hike longer that day.
Tip #2: My best memories were created doing activities together. Don’t worry about the expensive trips. Remember quality time over materialistic items, will win your children’s hearts for life. If you’re not at ease with overnight trips, day trips hiking, kayaking, and cross-country skiing are just as wonderful. Your children will be happy you took time off to spend it with them.
Love for the Outdoors With Family
Growing up doing outdoor activities with my family taught me that I could be vulnerable, honest, and open about how I felt regardless if I was happy, sad or defeated. Doing outdoor activities with them made me feel secure. It was a safe haven surrounded by people I trusted my whole life. I didn’t have to put up a brave face and pretend when I wasn’t happy or feeling challenged. I could be myself.
We created a routine. I know what to expect when we explore together and can be vulnerable with them.
Love for the Outdoors Helped my Mental Health
My love for the outdoors helped me through tough times. My parents always had the mentality that I will feel better mentally and physically when I spend time outdoors. So that’s what we did. I created an exercise challenge in May, knowing it would make me feel good and I wanted to encourage you to feel the same as well. Plus the bonus of me exercising regularly this spring is helping me to feel more in shape for our upcoming backpacking trip this summer.
Friends
Every once in a while, I enjoy hiking with friends as well. Kris and I had the pleasure of joining our friends on the Athabasca Glacier hike last summer, as shown in the picture above. It was a gorgeous day that enticed us to take many pictures. Hiking with friends allows me to explore different regions and converse in different conversations. It’s amazing the topics that can be covered throughout an adventure. No one is distracted by technology or other things going on in our lives. There is so much time spent talking about many different ideas that pop into our heads. I like to plan hiking events but it’s also nice to be invited on trips. I think exercising in the outdoors with my friends is a great way to spend time together. We get to catch up while also creating positive mental and physical health for ourselves.
Career in the Outdoors
I’ve thought of pursuing a career in the outdoors but I don’t have an interest in being a backpacking guide all summer. I like to change up my activities. When the weather is miserable on a family trip, it’s manageable for one week and then I know it’s over (there’s an end in sight). On the other hand, if it rains all summer while guiding people, that’s less enjoyable.
I’ve thought of the possibility of organizing private trips when I have some free time in the future. I could offer a couple of trips over the summer with either a one-day hiking or kayaking trip or a two-day introduction to backpacking trip. These could be possibilities. It would offer more flexibility to work around my schedule. Even if the weather isn’t the greatest, I would know that it’s a short time under those circumstances. The trips I’d offer would be comfortable for me making it easier to maintain a positive outlook and would be nice to inspire families to get outside as well. The rest of the summer would allow me to do different activities with my family. I’ll see where the future takes me and what I want to consider.
Inspire the Love for the Outdoors
Backpacking the Rockwall Trail
Describing the above photos, my brother and I are backpacking the Rockwall for the first time at nine and eleven years old, respectively. We did parts of the Rockwall three times throughout our childhood. It is such a gorgeous hike with wildflowers over the summer months. I’ll need to do it again sometime soon as an adult to compare notes. We were able to carry much of our equipment and supplies at this point, for example, a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, clothes, and some food. My parents carried heavier items such as the tent, pots, and fuel. I always enjoyed these trips, getting away from it all (the hustle and bustle of the city) and being with family in nature.
Canoeing Murtle Lake, in British Columbia
My brother (at seven years old) and I (at nine years old) helped my parents paddle on the lake. We learned the endurance it took to canoe long distances at young ages but also the skill it took to get to our destination. I loved learning about many different activities throughout our lives.
Love for the Outdoors Cross-Country Skiing
I started cross-country skiing at nine years old. The picture above shows me cross-country skiing to Shadow Lake. The smile says it all. I loved being able to ski far distances into the wilderness away from cities and spend time with my family in the snow-covered wilderness.
Kayaking Near the Copeland Islands
We kayaked here after I graduated from grade twelve, at eighteen years old. I learned to kayak later in life (not as a young child). I loved the feeling of being free to kayak where we wanted on the ocean without a specific trail to take. We just had a general paddling direction while staying close to shore. Wearing our PFD made it easy to move our arms while travelling long distances. I love watching sea otters and sea lions play in the ocean. They inspired us to slow down and take pictures and distracted us from quickly kayaking to our destination. The spectacular purple and orange starfish in the water were gorgeous to look at as well.
Final Thoughts Inspiring Families to Love the Outdoors
I want to inspire families to get outdoors by realizing the benefits of doing this together. It won’t always offer sunshine, rainbows and butterflies but having a place to be yourself, be honest, have fun and learn about the outdoors with each other is priceless.
When people tell me, you’ll stop having a life when you have kids. I have always been shocked by that comment. “You’ll have to put your life on hold” I was told. My response is “really?” My entire life we did outdoor family adventures. We canoed the Bowron Lakes when my brother and I were 8 and 10 years old respectively and backpacked the Rockwall Trail when I was eleven years old. I was fifteen years old the first time we backpacked the West Coast Trail.
That’s a far cry from my parents having to stop living their lives. I feel they lived an even greater life, passing on their passion and love for the outdoors to us. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ll stop living your life. You are capable of living the life you want. You have to make that decision to spend time in the outdoors! Start with small trips and build on your skills and abilities.
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