Moms Who Hike: How Hiking With Kids Can Strengthen Bonds

by Mandi Carozza May 08, 2020

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you amazing #MomsWhoHike!

Thank you for choosing to share the trails with your kiddos. We know it’s not always easy, but the bonding time is always worth it. In fact, hiking with your kids can help strengthen your bond in many ways.

Hiking together with your kids gives you the opportunity to:

Challenge each other
Solve problems together
Appreciate the little things
Unplug from your daily life
Spend quality time together

Read: 8 Ways Hiking With Friends, Family & Loved Ones Can Strengthen Bonds

In this special blog, we're celebrating some of the incredible mommas in our 52 Hike Challenge community. Don't see your mom featured? Give her a shoutout in the comments!

Meet Karla & Adrian

Karla is the co-founder of the 52 Hike Challenge, and Adrian is her adventure-loving son who also works with 52! Check out what Karla has to say about hiking with her son:

"Hiking with my son throughout the years has been such a treat! I'll never forget the one time we hiked in Yosemite to some waterfalls when he was 6 years old. After a hot and arduous trek, we made it to some really refreshing pools and spent the afternoon cooling and jumping in them. Since then we've hiked at other National parks like Zion, Joshua Tree and the Grand Canyon. As of late, we have backpacked together, which is my absolute favorite, because we get to cook together, disconnect and be one with nature!"

- @lovekarlaamador

Meet Sandra & Evan

This is Sandra pictured with her oldest son Evan on #hike36 of their #52HikeChallenge! See Sandra’s inspiring story below:

“1 year ago this month, I was battling with stress, anxiety and severe depression. My marriage was coming to an end and I felt my world was crashing down. I didn’t want to feel or live that way anymore. I wanted feel anything but emotional pain and therefore I decided to start my fitness journey. A month into my fitness journey I decided to incorporate hiking as part of my fitness regimen. I brought my son with me and we had such a great time on our 1st hike together! We loved that trail so much that we started to do it more often and little by little I became faster and stronger. My son could also see the changes in his own fitness and not only did it become a fitness challenge for ourselves but it became our bonding time. We are approaching the 1 year mark since our 1st hike together and it brings me so much joy to see how far I have come along. Sharing this journey with friends and family has been amazing but sharing it with my oldest son has been an honor. I can’t wait to finish the 52nd hike at the trail where it all began!!”

- @sandraforeverme

Meet Micha, Adelaide & Layla

When Micha is not hard at work, Micha spends much of her time on the trails, and both of her girls share her love of the great outdoors!

"Hiking has been so great for 2 out of 3 of my kiddos (it never caught on with my son). It has given me the opportunity to experience so many beautiful places with my girls. I did my first 52 Hike Challenge with my youngest daughter who was 2 at the time. We went on so many "adventures" that year, and I got to see nature through her eyes. The excitement of every flower and waterfall! To the "faery hollows" she would look for in every tree. Experiencing nature with my kids has helped me to see it in a completely different way."

- @michahastattoos

Meet Emily & Gage

Below you’ll find a story from challenger Emily about how the #52HikeChallengeKidsSeries not only strengthened her bond with her 4-year-old son Gage but also fueled his interest in nature and motivated him to keep trekking! Check it out 👇

“Hiking is always something I’ve loved but as a parent, it’s been my main source of exercise and sanity. When I first learned about the 52 Hike Challenge last year I jumped all over it. This year when I found out there was a kids version I was so excited! I decided to surprise my son instead of tell him about it. Soon after Christmas his sticker came so I took him on a winter hike in the snow. During the hike, he got a little frustrated and was wanting it to be over. I told him that when we were all done he was going to get a special sticker. He perked up again and started enjoying the hike once more. He loves to see how high up we are and high five the signs. Once we got back to the truck he was proud and pumped. I pulled out the sticker and told him what a great hiker he was. He stared at the image and told me all about it. “Oh look at the mountains and the sun and the children and oh a puppy!” He loved it so much! We put it on his water bottle and sewed the patch on his hiking pack. Now every time we hike he earns his sticker and we color in a number on his paper. I’ve seen the motivation change and the enthusiasm for nature come alive. Today he completed a long awaited hike for him. A 5 mile trail to a waterfall that he calls the “purple” trail because the path on the map is purple. A few ups and downs but almost entirely ups.”

- @gages_mili_and_ammos_mom

Parents, Are You Ready For 52 Hikes With Your Kiddos?

Join The 52 Hike Challenge Kids Series
Whether hiking with kids is already one of your favorite pastimes or you're just getting into it, the 52 Hike Challenge Kids Series will be a great motivator for you and your little (or not-so-little) one!