52 Hike Challenge

I have 3 children, age 3 and under. As you can imagine it's difficult to go places. One of the major challenges in getting out and hiking is that I usually am waiting around for the magical moment when my husband happens to be home, we don't have too many pressing house projects, and I actually feel like going.

Now can you see why it's been 2 1/2 years since we've been camping?

But I'm sucking it up, stuffing my sorries in a sack because...

I'm joining the 52 Hike Challenge. I'm going on 52 hikes this year and I'm taking my 3 urchins with me.

Here's the scoop:

• You need to complete 52 hikes in the year of 2016. You can do 52 hikes in 52 days, or 1 a week, it's up to you!

• Hikes can be up a mountain or to your local park. Pick stuff that's fun and doable!

• Count the hikes you've already done this year. Don't make things harder on yourself. So far me and my family have completed 3 hikes this month, so we're only 1 behind. 

I've been doing this and so far I consistently remain 2 hikes behind. I had hopes of catching up this week, then bam we got RSV. But I'm not giving up yet!

Real life and sorry excuses

Wow, almost an entire 2 years has passed since I worked on this project. Embarrassingly I really haven't done much hiking, and zero camping.

You see, I love my son, but he has been a wild ride from the beginning. Colic, Reflux (for an entire year!), terrible sleeper, etc. Have you every read Dr. Sears' description of a "high needs" baby? That was Jonathan to a T. I kept thinking I would get back at it, but to be honest, me and my husband were afraid to take him camping. There was just no way he was going to sleep anywhere but his bed.

Once we recovered from the colic phase hiking was doable, but then the summer heat wave hit, then he learned to walk, and then he learned what independence really was. As it turns out, Jonathan is one of those people that has a deep rooted belief that boundaries are meant to be pushed, lines are meant to be crossed, and streets are meant to be darted out into constantly. I kept imagining him darting straight into a cholla patch and just couldn't bring myself to take 2 toddlers on a hike by myself.

And then I got pregnant with my third.

The regular challenges of pregnancy, coupled with my high needs child and near constant anxiety that I would have another colicky, high needs baby pretty much crippled the outdoorsy me. (By the way, my third baby is a total angel child sent from the heavens above. I highly recommend experiencing a "third child.")

BUT I think we're back! J-Dawg is 2 now and has a little bit more sense about him and is a much better sleeper.