Camping with Kids (Book Review, Author Interview and Giveaway!)

Camping with kids is not the same as camping in college with a bunch of buddies.  No secret there!  It requires more stuff, more patience, more planning AND results in a whole lot of fun.  I get emails all the time from people asking for our own camping tips with babies/toddlers.  Some posts in response to those are in the works, but in the meantime I am SO excited to introduce a fabulous book to you all that I think is currently THE handbook for family camping (if I may be so bold in saying so!)  

The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids by Helen Olsson encompasses a whole range of aspects of camping as a family.  And yep, there is a WHOLE lot more to think about than just sleeping and eating!  The book is an easy read with cute vintage pictures, tons of check-lists (which I happen to be a sucker for!) and sprinkled throughout with "Smart Tips" to highlight the really important stuff.  Helen's writing is humorous, informative and will draw you right in saying "that's us!" if you are a parent!  I truly feel like she wrote the book I just haven't gotten around to yet. :)  And be sure to read her introduction - we're kindred spirits on the importance of having some Family Screen-Free time!

Photo by Julia Vandenoever

Because I wanted you to hear a little more about her book from her own witty words, I was thrilled to be able to track Helen down for a little interview (and um, I am still laughing about #4.....):

psssttt..... read to the very end for a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself!

1.  So very honored to have you on the blog, Helen.  I am a huge fan of your book and think your wisdom reaches out to a full spectrum of camping families.  Can you tell me, first of all, a little about yourself for people that don't "know" you? (yourself, your family, your blog, your passions, etc.)

 I’m a freelance writer and former executive editor at Skiing Magazine. As of this spring, I can add “author” to my resume. But first and foremost, I’m a mom. I have three small children, ages 6, 8, and 11. They run me ragged! We are passionate about skiing. I grew up ski racing in Buffalo, NY, and my kids are following in my footsteps. Although my 11-year-old is already faster than me (by 3/10ths of a second, which is truly galling.) In summer, we love to camp. We bike, hike, and paddle, but our favorite thing to do as a family is to camp.

2.  Loving your S'more section in the book.  It's a personal camping favorite of mine (and no trip seems complete without them!)  So, I have to ask- how do YOU like your 'Mallows/S'mores??  Traditional or fancy?

S’mores are the quintessential camp dessert, to be sure. But personally, I find graham crackers to be overly sweet and they stick in my back molars, so I prefer to make chocolate cherry bombs. You poke a hole in your marshmallow, stuff it with semi-sweet chocolate chips and dried cherries, and roast. Super yum.

The Big Move

For the first time since our family was established (all of 4 years ago) we made the life-changing decision to pack up everything we owned, switch jobs, change cities and move on.

Not an easy decision, not an easy change.

We have been surrounded by this:

We are looking forward to digging through this:

We have been exploring this:

This Moment....

*No words necessary, just a precious moment from our life.*

Jackson Hole Packrafts and Rentals Review + Giveaway

Despite the fact that Mtn Papa and I both grew up on lakes, so far we have not been a boating family.  We both LOVE water and spent many hours growing up water skiing, boating, canoeing, paddle-boating and ice skating (on lakes, so it's relevent. :))  The simple truth right now is that we live in an area where water is just not easily accessible.  The wind (which I find myself mentioning often) is also a factor when you have children and white-caps are fairly common.


Long story short, when a friend of a friend contacted me about doing a review of her Packrafts, I was psyched!  (in case you missed it, Amy did a guest post last week.)   Located 70 miles away from us, Jackson Hole Packrafts and Rentals not only rents boats locally, but also has a program where they will send you a Packraft for rent and include a prepackaged return label and box.  The perks?  Not having to buy a raft with the ability to keep it long-term (the rates drop dramatically with time.) 


A great list from the Packraft Site about what the rafts are good for (besides the obvious):

A packraft can…

1. Easily fit into a backpack, small plane, boat, or the trunk of your car.
2. Be used to cross a river that would otherwise be impassable on foot
3. Provide shelter during a heavy down poor or during an all night rain
4. Serve as a heavenly, soft ground pad for an afternoon nap or full night’s sleep
5. Facilitate travel during endurance races
6. Get you to that hot fishing hole on the other side of the creek
7. Haul your bike or skis during a multisport adventure
8. Be paddled around a pristine alpine lake9. Carry your sheep or caribou as you float out from a seldom visited hunting spot
10. Be filled with water and let to sit in the warm sun – voila, your very own hot tub
11. Our addition: They are REALLY fun coming down a hill on snow! :)

*Guest Post* Interviewing Tiny Trekker

This week the guest post is a little different.  I have had the chance to get to know a great little company over the last few months that I wanted to highlight. Meet Erik, the owner and family-man behind Tiny Trekker.  He agreed to answer some questions I had about Tiny Trekker, his family and WHY they have a great thing going.  Like I mentioned on our gear post on Monday, they are having an excellent sale right now (up to 50% off!) and free shipping over $45 (sale ends 5/28).

Owners Erik and Julie and one of their sons

1. Tell me a little bit about why Tiny Trekkers was started?

At the time, we were parents of two little boys and while owning and operating Mountains Plus, we soon came to realize that it was really difficult to find quality outdoor gear for kids and families.  Even as industry 'insiders' it was extremely difficult.  Hence the birth of Tinytrekker.com. We’ve used our experience in finding and accumulating the best gear available to put together a site where any parent can find the tools they need to share the outdoors with their own Tiny Trekkers.

2. I know Mountains Plus Gear is a sister company....would love to know more about that site too and how they are related

Mountains Plus was originally started back in 1995 when online retail was a bit like the wild west.  Originally we specialized in selling ski and bike equipment but our offering grew and adapted over time into what we now sell today.  We specialize in finding some of the best and hardest to find gear for outdoor enthusiasts of all types. At Mountains Plus Gear you can find the most popular lightweight tents, backpacks for any adventure, footwear for everything from trail hiking to crossfit, and more. 

Tiny Trekker is an extension of Mountains Plus and our selection of great gear for your little ones. 

Wait for the Gear Sales!

I know that we talk gear a LOT here.  It's not because we think everyone is loaded and should spend their money on gear, but I can think of plenty of things much WORSE to spend money on. :)

In our family, we value the memories we make outdoors and so we make the little sacrifices so we can own the equipment that safely (and happily) gets us out there.  Our life is by no means extravagant, but a Gear Closet is a must.  And we are ok with that.  And yes, we are MORE than willing to spread the love and loan it out too - we truly want others to take full advantage of those precious family moments.

I am not going to tell you that all gear/equipment is created equal, because more often than not, you get what you pay for (at least in the value of it.)  But, there is no shame in second-hand shopping (most gear lasts forever!) - garage sales, Craiglist.com, REI Garage Sales, etc.  And buying off-season helps a ton too (you just have to estimate growth for your kids if you buy that way!)

This week REI is having their mega Anniversary Sale and there are some smoking deals on things that don't usually go on sale.  Having lived in Alaska and Washington before I moved to Wyoming, REI was THE place to go.  I am FAR from one now, but they have great gear (and their return policy is unbeatable.)  I thought it would be fun to make a little wish-list of bigger-ticket things I, personally, would recommend when you can get them on sale!

Before I begin, I also wanted to do a little shout-out to Tiny Trekker (which you will learn more about later this week.)  They are an incredible little company that works hard to provide excellent customer service and keep the gear in stock that truly helps families get out.  They have free shipping on orders over $45 and a daily deal with a HUGE reduction in price.  By all means, PLEASE support the "Little Guy" first - REI is great, but the customer service at Tiny Trekker blows them away.  They are having a pre-memorial day sale right now on some great camping gear (tents, sleeping bags and kids' balance bikes)  Sale ends May 28th.


If I were going to take a family shopping to the REI Anniversary Sale.....And remember, Members get to take 20% off of one full-price item.

1. Chariot - these VERY rarely go on sale.  20% off is a great bargain if you can't find one use (which we never could.)

Cabin Memories (with a shout-out to Coleman!)

“Sponsored by Coleman and hosted by the Outdoor Blogger Network, this is my submission for the Coleman Camping Heritage Essay Contest.”  It's a little snippet into my personal life before I was married and had my own children.  Does it bring back any memories for you?  Anyone else depend on Kerosine Coleman lanterns for hours of game-playing?  

I grew up in Alaska with a dad who was trying to always get away from the phone.  He worked on-call as a doctor, and the phone meant having to leave his family and/or get up in the middle of the night (often working throughout the night and next day too.)  Therefore, we spent a lot of time at our remote cabin on his days off. 

“Cabin” to some people means electricity, running water, and no chores.  To us it meant lighting our Coleman lanterns in the winter for light (in the summer it never got dark enough to NEED lights), working to clear victims of the Spruce Bark Beetle for firewood (we literally had an entire shed full) and going through the endless task of sorting trinkets left over from previous owners.  The cabin (still) has character, and plenty of it!   The only access to it (besides bush plane) is via snowmachine (the “correct” term for ‘snowmobile’ if you are from Alaska) in the winter and hiking then boating across the lake in the summer. 

This Moment...

*No words necessary, just a precious moment from our life.*

For the Love of Balance Bikes

Back in March, I did a post all about Multisport Journeys, a company dedicated to helping inspire people to get outdoors.  We also had a photo contest to help the company up their amount of "kid images".

Melissa of Adventure Tykes was the winner with this fabulous photo of her son, J-Man riding the single track on his Strider Bike:

Since we are such HUGE fans of balance bikes over here, I wanted to be sure that everyone saw the image that Multisport Journeys made based on her photo.  Isn't it great??

The image is available on the Multisport Journeys site for you to customize with one of their numerous products (short-sleeve tees, long-sleeve tees, mugs, etc.)  

Additionally, Christina C. won runner-up with this photo (which I also think is great and love that it features yet another Strider!) 

Thank you, again, to everyone who entered the contest!  They were all fabulous and it was very difficult to choose a winner!

*Guest Post* Ultra-running + Pregnancy

Please welcome Amy to the blog today.  She is actually a friend of a friend and the owner of Jackson Hole Packrafts and Rentals (more on that coming soon....)  In our brief exchanges via phone and email, I knew she would have something great to contribute here!  This post is a little "rewind in time" so make sure to check out her full bio at the end!  As always, comments and discussion are welcome and appreciated! 

Location of my bachlorette party

Our campsite was the quintessential spot for an IFOT – a term used locally by photographers standing for "In Front of Tetons". We pitched our tents on the bluffs of Shadow Mountain, taking in the clear skis and peaceful surroundings.

Four lovely ladies joined me on this camping excursion. They schlepped borrowed tents, bottles of wine and a chocolate cake made in a bread pan, with two muffins perched on top.  It only took a little convincing to move my bachelorette party from Jackson Hole’s bustling bars out to the serene Gros Ventre camping area directly across from the Tetons.

It helped that I had a rock solid excuse for not drinking a sip of any concoctions my friends would otherwise dream up: I’m five months pregnant.

That magical evening on Shadow Mountain helped to quench a thirst that’s been building in me all summer for my beloved outdoors.  When I first learned I was pregnant, my second thought was, "what will happen to my ultrarunning?" (My first thought was panicked excitement).

That’s how whole-heartedly devoted I was to ultras. I had structured my whole summer around the two 100-mile races I was signed up for. I had a job that could accommodate long hours of training. I had tracked down a crew and pacers months in advance. I was calling random names and numbers given to me by friends of friends to find people to hit the trail with.

Hours after I took that positive pregnancy test, I dug out an article from Ultrarunning magazine on running during pregnancy.  Several experts were interviewed in the article, with this general consensus:

The Mountain Life + Women's Mountain Khakis Review and Giveaway

Growing up the Matanuska Valley in Alaska (carved by glaciers a very long time ago =) and living now in the Wind River Range in Wyoming, I honestly can’t imagine my life anywhere BUT the mountains.  I love feeling like maybe there are still some places in this world that remain uncharted and mysterious.

Matanuska Valley, Alaska

The truth is that I feel somewhat exposed in wide-open places with nowhere to rest my eyes (except maybe a moving heat mirage.)  I am always looking just a little bit further into the horizon and am often surprised by a nagging feeling of unsettlement. 

The mountains let me breathe, hold my heart, and have encircled the family I grew up in and now my own growing family.  They are home for me. 

Tetons - view from Slide Lake area

While no community is perfect, I admire hard-working men and wind-blown women fretting just a little less about their appearance and a little more about getting their family outside.  In the mountains it is ok for kids to be glowing from a breathless day outside in the dirt and smelling like a campfire all summer (or winter!) long.  Quality family time is spent hiking, skiing, biking and stocking up firewood.   

This is who I am, and despite attempts to change it during my teenage years, this is who I will remain.  I am truly proud to be a “Mountain Mama”. 

Camping + Outdoorsy Books for Kids

Get ready!  Camping and s'more season is upon us.... (unless you live at 7000 feet and then you may still be digging out from under the snow.)

One of our favorite wedding gifts - a moveable fire pit (so we can avoid the wind!)

Since books are a love of mine that I work hard to share with my kids, I thought I would highlight a couple of our summer favorites!

A great book full of poems all about camping.  It will make you want to pack up and head out.  This is the one I plan on bringing this summer to read to the boys in the tent or around the campfire.

My favorite poem from the book (because s'mores are an integral part of camping, of course!):

Toasting Marshmallows

                                                                            BY KRISTINE O'CONNELL GEORGE

I am a careful marshmallow toaster,

a patient marshmallow roaster,

turning my stick oh-so-slowly,

taking my time, checking often.

This is art---

a time of serious reflection

as my pillowed confection

slowly reaches golden perfection.

 

My brother

            grabs ‘em with grubby hands

                        shoves ‘em on the stick

                                    burns ‘em to a crisp

                                                cools ‘em off

                                                            flicks soot

                                                                        eats quick.

 

I’m still turning my stick.

He’s already eaten six.

This Moment....

*No words necessary, just a moment from our life*

(review on this bag coming later this summer...)

*Gear Review* Osprey Syncro 15

This is the time of the year when we really switch gears and end up spending most of our traveling time on our bikes.  While we are bound to still have snow, it is certainly warming up quickly.  Between higher temperatures, a drier climate and the elevation (nearing 7000 feet here,) hydration is a must.  Since moving to Wyoming six years ago, I feel as though I am constantly battling the dry climate.  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post focusing on staying properly hydrated and nourished on the trail (for all ages.)  Sometime in the next few weeks, I will be going into a little more depth about the Geigerrig Hydration System (which I personally think is the very best out there for numerous reasons.)

However, actual hydration aside, I think that the packs hydration systems are kept in are equally important.  Bottom line: if the pack is comfortable and you want to wear it, you will be much more apt to keep at the task of drinking lots of water.


I am pretty excited about this new pack from Osprey (the Syncro 15).  In fact, that is an understatement (which Mtn Papa could verify because he has to listen to me rave about it every time we go biking....daily...)

*Guest Post* No Touch Plants + Giveaway

Please welcome Teresa of Mountain Mama: Expecting Adventure once again to the blog!  She wrote a guest post for us back in February about the joys of a post-baby body (and being proud of it!)  Today she is introducing a brand new, ingenious T-shirt for kids.  BUT, since we live in a place where poisonous plants are few and far between, I wanted her to tell all about them (since I am certainly no expert at all!)  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments (and make sure you read all the way to the end for a chance to win!)

There are few things more rewarding for a mountain mama than watching their little ones take their first steps on a favorite trail. Even better are the many mountain milestones to follow. 

I beamed with pride the first time Fausto, now 4, rejected the kid-carrier backpack that was his perch on many trails over many months and insisted on walking on his own. He quickly accepted my rules: don't drink from the stream, pee away from water, sunblock is a must. One initiation I dreaded, though, was the first encounter with what we call the “no touch” plants. Where we hike, these include an abundance of stinging nettle and poison oak, though I'm sure it won't be long before we run into their cousins, sumac and ivy. 

Stinging nettle is pretty easy to spot, with it's almost fuzzy appearance and needle-like protrusions on the edges of the leaves. Poison oak is trickier. I still find myself ticking the traits off the list when I see a dead-ringer – leaves of three, oily appearance... But sometimes it's hard to be sure.

On one hike, while Fausto chanted “no touch, no touch” at every suspicious bit of flora, I thought, wouldn't it be great to have a cheat-sheet that he and I could both reference to make sure we were identifying these plants correctly. That's when inspiration struck, what could be better than having the littlest hikers be the cheat-sheet? 

Photo credit: Danielle Kaiser

*Gear Review* Stonewear Designs + a Giveaway for Moms!

Mother's Day is just around the corner and, as you can imagine, we are big fans of moms around here :)

This weekend we honor the moms that raised us; the moms that get their families outside; the moms that cook and clean and work and love; the moms that we are.  This post will be directed more at moms than usual, but if you are MARRIED to a mom or HAVE a mom, listen up! :) (there's a chance to win at the end here...)

First of all, I wanted to highlight a women's clothing company I am especially fond of because of their mission to help us women stay active in clothing that can keep up with our busy lives.  Stonewear Designs strives to "make clothing to help us (women) feel beautiful while performing under strenuous demands."   Established in 1996 in Boulder, CO, the company (made up entirely of women) has been setting the bar high for climbing, yoga, fitness and travel wear (all made here in the USA.)

I have mentioned before that I personally demand my clothing to work throughout my active day which includes my daily-routine, chasing my kids, going on a walk/hike, biking and being involved in the community.  When I first discovered Stonewear Designs at a shop in Jackson (WY), I felt like I had made a pretty great discovery.  Wear upon wear has confirmed that.   Their prices may seem a bit higher than you would expect, but you are definitely getting what you pay for (clothing that performs AND lasts).

Even more attractive about Stonewear Designs is their commitment to make clothing that fits EVERY body (not an easy task!)  They truly work hard to make their designs flatter and look good.  I am proud of the fact that I am a mom, I am active and love the outdoors, and I am ok with the fact that my body is not "perfect".  I like clothing that is ok with that too.

Without further adieu....

Reflections on Screen Free + Contest

Screen Free.  Possible?  

Did you take full advantage?
Did you take advantage at all?
Did you find it easier or tougher than you thought it would be?
Did you decide it was silly and there were no benefits?

After a full week, Mtn Papa and I sat down just to reflect a little bit about how it worked for us.... (Spoiler - we are going to do this Screen Free Business a bit more often!)

The good, the bad and the unplugged: 
What was great:
- We went to bed earlier every night and spent time reading (something I seem to do less and less lately.)
- I quit wasting time on social media stuff and was very focused when I checked my emails.  I had more time (crazy, I know!) for the simple things (like throwing a ball with my son!)
- Mtn Papa didn't worry about emails or balancing the checkbook or looking for "THE" truck on ebay, etc. after having to be on the computer at work.
- As a couple we made it more of a priority to play games together, go on extra walks as a family and just spend a bit more time outside.

What we didn't expect:
- We really don't watch TV hardly at all, but we do have two PBS stations ;)  After a long stretch of sleepless nights, I was wishing I could sit J in front of some quality shows for just 30 minutes so I could sneak in a little extra sleep in the morning.
- I didn't miss FB or Twitter.
- The effect on our kids was minimal because of their ages and lack of TV usage in our house.
- It was a great vacation of sorts!
- The house wasn't any cleaner....hmmm.....