Oh, how I miss the sun! Fall and winter can be very dreary in the Willamette Valley. For those of you that don’t know… I LOVE the outdoors and I love to go hiking. Backpacking is a new passion for me and my 5 year plan includes hiking the Oregon section of the Pacific Crest Trail with my kids. Yes, you read that correctly. I want to hike 430 miles with my 12 & 9 year old. As you can imagine they are not nearly as excited about this plan as I am.
During the spring, summer and early fall I take my kids everywhere and we hike and backpack to some rather remote locations. People often ask me why I do this and why I love the outdoors so much. The answer is simple. It’s beautiful. Oregon has so many natural wonders, it would be sad if I didn’t introduce my kids to these wonders. Backpacking in for a few days with all of your supplies is such a rewarding feeling. I read some of my kids essays from school about what they did in the summer and they always mention our trips. That just warms my heart.
One of my favorite trips from this summer was an overnight backpack trip and my wonderful son caught his own fish and then cooked them on a rock. That was his lunch, he was so excited! Before that experience he never ate fish.
The amazing memories that are created out on a trail are priceless. I hope that when my kids are older they have the same love for nature that I do. So, today I am deeply missing the sunshine and the days on the trail with my beautiful kids and the beagle.
Inspiration, Motivation and Everyday Life! 