Cincy Hikes!

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Guest Post on Cincinnati Nature Center

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Edge Trail = Path to Adventure!


One of the greatest gifts you can give your children is the art of being still. I don’t necessarily mean standing still but being in the moment and enjoying the present. Hiking and spending time in nature are excellent ways to teach your children how to live in the moment.

My two have been hiking since…well…their entire life. We didn’t wait until some day to take them hiking. Hiking doesn’t have to be difficult. With little ones, a simple stroll on the Edge Trail is a huge adventure.

To read the whole post and checkout Cincinnati Nature Center’s cool website.

 

Bird Banding and Watching

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Germantown_bird banding (15)

As I mentioned in the last post, the biologists collected data from the birds that were captured.

This little downy woodpecker was not happy with being handled and spent a fair amount of his time letting the room know. At one point he also latched onto the fragile bit of skin on the inside of the biologist’s finger.

Give birding a whirl, there are several good guides for identifying birds such as the Peterson Filed Guides and Audubon Guide to North American Birds.

One of my other favorite id books is  The Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (Stokes Field Guides). It is perfect for gaining a better understanding of the bird’s behavior which gives a little be of insight on what and why the birds do what they do.

 

On a side note:

Germantown_bird banding (16)

I am always so happy when I meet people who are so enthralled with nature. They are such joyful souls and talking to them about nature and the great outdoors is like taking a ride on a roller-coaster–fun, exciting, and adventuresome.

The biologists at Germantown were so excited to share their love of ornithology. They happily answered the audiences questions and gave mini-dossiers  on each species of bird that was captured.

 

 

 

When Snakes Attack

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Attack of the inch worm

When my daughter was about three years old and her sister was one, we went to the park to play in the morning and then, before it got too hot, we drove over to the Cincinnati Museum Center to play inside in the Children’s Museum.

As we were turning into the parking lot my oldest started screaming from the backseat, “Momma! Momma! A snake! A SNAKE! A SNAKE! It’s gonna get me!” This, of course, was shocking and I immediately pulled over, hopped out of the car, and tore open her door.

“Where! Where is it!” I said looking frantically around the floor and her seat.

She was pushing herself up in her seat which is hard to do in a five-point harness child seat. Her eyes were fixed on the point where the five points meet. “RIGHT THERE!” she wailed, tears running down her cheeks. “RIGHT THERE!”

Finally, my brain caught up with my eyes and I was able to focus on the tiniest little inch worm. No one was harmed in the removal of this ferocious beast.

NOTE: The inch worm went on to live a safe and satisfying life in the crabapple tree. He writes often. That must be the only word he knows.

Slowing Down

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Slow Down

Hiking isn’t about getting from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible (well, unless there is a thunderstorm). A hike with your kids is about the adventure you have along the way. However, when you think of an adventure you might envision towering cliffs, raging rivers, plunging waterfalls but to your child every day and new experience is an adventure.

It is difficult to slow down. Especially when as an adult you are typically juggling a busy work schedule, kid’s scheduled activities, and life in general it is hard to stop and smell the roses.

Next time you are out with your kids on a hike make a point to take your time along the trail and see what you can discover by simply looking.

hiking with kids, adventures in ordinary
Walnut Mysteries
On a recent hike, my daughter discovered this chewed walnut and though it was the most incredible thing ever. She marveled over what it could be, what could have made those marks in it, what was inside of it, and what would want to live it the shell now. I forced myself to not say, “Come on! Let’s get going!” instead I said, “Wow! That is really amazing! What do you think?” This open ended conversation lead to a rather amusing discussion about squirrels versus chipmunks and the snail that would finally have a place to call home.

Hello Happy Hikers!

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Welcome and I’m glad you stopped by —  I’m the author of 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Cincinnati. To answer a few quick questions (the ones I get at every book signing and interview):

I used a Garmin GPS 60Cx and Delorme mapping software to create the base of the map the cartographer made it all-sorts-a pretty.

Yep – I hiked almost all of the hikes with two children under the age of five. The only ones the kids didn’t join me on were the any with the word “cliff”.

Yep – I’m still sane (okay, some people might disagree with this)

Best places to hike are Cincinnati Nature Center, California Woods, Clifton Gorge, Clifty Falls, Mary Gray Bird Sanctuary, and all the hikes in Ohio’s Adams County. Once you enter these amazing areas you’ll double check your coordinates!

Enjoy the trails!