From a very early age, my mother encouraged my sister and me to get outside. She loved to hike. When my sister was 2 and I was 4, she found a pony (named Macaroni, nicknamed Mackey) so she could take us out on the trails without worrying about little legs slowing her down.
A pony that started it all
Playing with Mackey could occupy us for long periods of time. During the long summer days, we would spend countless hours building forts and stables in our yard and pastures. We would tie the world’s most patient pony to small sticks or the swing set. None of our other horses cooperated. When Mackey was done playing, she would occasionally run one of us under a tree branch or throw us into some rocks and take off for the barn.
We were always riding our bikes to the little store down the road or to friends’ houses. Other days we would go for walks in the woods. No matter what, we explored. When I look back on those summers now I think of just how lucky I was that I had a mother who a.) loved horses, b.) believed children should go outside as much as possible, and c.) gave us a remarkably free rein.
Growing up
As we grew older, Lindsey and I grew to appreciate hiking more and more. Where we lived in northeastern Connecticut was surrounded by parks and trails. Within a 15 minute radius of our home, there were at least three or four places where you could easily spend hours hiking. When we both went off to college, we took this love with us; me hiking (and riding horses) in the hills of Tennessee, and my sister in the much bigger California mountains.
We both solo hike a lot. Another thing our mother gifted to us is bravery. Over the years, so many people have stopped me on the trail asking me if I worry about hiking alone. Frankly, I rarely think about it (well, except when I see a snake or something similarly life threatening). The quiet time I spend alone in the woods is time that I treasure. But don’t worry everyone – I normally have a big stick, a rock, pepper spray, or, at one point, brass knuckles (that’s a whole other blog post) in hand.
Life lessons that never go away
These days, we three all live far apart from one another. But, we still find ways to get out in the woods together; road tripping to national parks and forests. We’ve visited Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, Joshua Tree, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Oak Creek Canyon, and many places in between. We’ve hiked, camped, ridden horses, laughed a lot, built fires (sometimes successfully, sometimes unsuccessfully), seen bison, wolves, bears, and elk, and done much, much more.
I’m so thankful to have such an incredible role model in my mother. When we started LOW, I knew I wanted to help women who didn’t have the same experiences I had growing up. I want women to be able to find confidence in the outdoors, in whatever fashion they so choose.