My First Hike It Baby 30 Challenge

Grand Total: 62.82 miles for April 2018

I joined Hike It Baby, Greenville, in January. I came across it by following a couple articles posted in Kidding Around Greenville on Facebook. This is also a great page to join, friends. I find a TON of free, fun, and educational things to do with Ellie and as a family.

Loving hiking and the outdoors and wanting a way to get Ellie outside more and a way to meet some other babies, I decided to pack us up and go hiking on one of the posted group hikes. Instant sisterhood bonds created. Instant friendships, respect, fun, help, and trust. Many different backgrounds and personalities all sharing in the love of our children and nature and motherhood together. It has been one of the most amazing experiences for bonding with Ellie, sharing with Ellie the beauty of God and His creation, making new friends and joining old friends on the trails. It really is its own little family that anybody would be welcomed into. Judgment free zone. Help, love, fun, respect. Hike It Baby has been such a blessing from God in our lives.

It is also cool keeping up with each other and watching all of our children growing day by day, week by week, month by month.

I love Hike It Baby because it is so much more than me getting out and doing what I love doing. It has been a way to challenge my body, to do more with Ellie than mindless play, to explore so much of South Carolina and North Carolina that I have never had the opportunity otherwise to do, to meet people, women, moms, who help provide wisdom and perspective on so many things in parenting and life in general, learn new things about the nature God created and gifted us, and also a way to meet my needs as my own person by relaxing my mind, freeing my body, and filling my happy cup up to the brim- all while doing the same for my daughter who already has a love for the outdoors and has made precious new friends on the trails. 

So, when so many of my hiking mommy friends raved about the awesomeness of the Hike It Baby "30 challenge," I was so down. I decided to partake for the month of April. I go on most of the hikes posted as is, anyway, but with the challenge, it brings the competitive spirit out in me to strive to even be more involved and spend more time in God's creation while also encouraging my health and positive and strong relationships. Running outside with Ellie in her stroller is also a way to contribute miles to my totals, so it encourages me on days I do not feel like getting out to run, to do so anyway and ultimately end up feeling incredible.

My initial goal for this challenge/ what did I want to get out of it?...I wanted to achieve the challenge and find greater strength in my physical abilities as well as praise God for allowing me the health to achieve this challenge. Challenges like these are what keep my heart strong and thriving and my ambitions pumping. 

I have gotten all this and so much more. Stronger friendships, trust, and accountability from my hiking friends. Ellie has made stronger & new friendships. Self confidence in my abilities. Physical & mental strengthening. Really good sleep every single night after a day of hiking. Knowledge of new (to me) flowers.  Deeper appreciation for our upstate and for North Carolina. I have gotten to explore new places and see things I never knew existed in our area. It has given me a deeper appreciation for where we live.

So what exactly is the challenge by definition? "to encourage families across the globe to get their babies and children outside for 30 miles in 30 days or 30 minutes three times a week."


So, we did 30 miles in 30 days, Ellie and I. Well, we actually surpassed with a final April total of 62.82 miles. (Which is easy to do when you have one baby who you can wear and move quickly with....if I were like some of these awesome mamas with multiples and little walkers, I would not have accrued this many miles I guarantee!)

This was SO fun! 
Coming for the next challenge in September!! #HikeItBaby30 #HikeItBaby