A few months ago, I decided to plan a special Shoestring Adventure to introduce my 3-year-old nephew to the outdoors. This summer, I am thrilled to be collaborating with mother, writer and outdoorswoman Traci Lehman on a weekend camping trip just for families August 14-16 in Mammoth Lakes, CA!
Traci shares her passion for the outdoors on her blog Walk Simply and inspires families everywhere to get outdoors as co-owner of Outdoor Families Magazine. As a woman who hopes to have a family of her own one day, I adore following Traci’s beautifully documented mother-daughter adventures.
Learn more about Traci below, then head over to Walk Simply and Outdoor Families Magazine for inspiration and tips on getting your kids outdoors.
Better yet, bring your family on a weekend camping trip with us August 14-16 in Mammoth Lakes, CA! Beginners welcome. Only 10 spots available, so register today! RSVP
What inspired you to start your blog Walk Simply?
Blogging is part of the recipe that makes up a balanced life for me. Initially, I created Walk Simply to document my walking and hiking. It has evolved into a place for me to inspire and share my love of the outdoors through each unique experience with words and photography. Instead of giving stats, I’d rather set the scene, note the details and remind myself and others to enjoy the little things, every day.
What do you hope your daughters will learn from spending time outdoors with you?
In a few words, I want them to grow from outdoor enthusiastic kids into outdoor enthusiastic adults who care about and want to protect our natural world.
What is your favorite activity to do with your daughters in the outdoors?
Simply walking out our front door, walking our neighborhood trails, and exploring locally is easy and something we can do on a daily basis. Additionally, when there is a minus tide we can spend hours looking for marine life in the tide pools and learning about them with killer views.
What do you love most about raising kids in SoCal?
Living a few miles from the Pacific Ocean, and with our year-round temperate weather, there are no excuses for not getting outside. We hit the beach, camp, hike, and swim year round.
How are you involved with Outdoor Families Magazine?
I’m co-owner with two fabulous women, Jennifer Fontaine of Mommyhiker.com and Erin Kirkland of AKontheGo.com. For Outdoor Families Magazine I manage the technical aspect of the site and work as an assistant editor. Outdoor Families Magazine has been in production since January 2015 enriching and inspiring families’ young and old. We’ve published loads of fabulous content, the free magazine is 100% online, and I’m excited to continue growing our community and sharing our love of the outdoors and nature.
What advice do you have for parents who want to introduce their kids to the outdoors?
Think positive, just do it and keep it simple. Don’t over complicate and over plan. Start small with low expectations and you’ll do fine. Kids thrive outdoors and can easily have fun anywhere.
In August, you will join Shoestring Adventures on a camping trip for families in Mammoth Lakes, CA. What are you most excited about?
I’m most excited to meet new people and finally you, Alyx, in person. Sharing a weekend outdoors and stories around the campfire with a group of strangers will allow us to find common ground, forge a bond, and take away some awesome memories with new friends.
The perfect s’more?
I’m probably in the minority, but I’m not a huge s’more fan. I know, I know… the outdoor community just did a collective gasp. Nothing against s’mores, rather, I don’t love marshmallows. Now, having said that I still serve s’mores each time I camp with my kids. They LOVE roasting and preparing them and a camping trip would not be complete without this campfire tradition. Recently, we made Oreo s’mores and they were a hit.
For more inspiration, visit Walk Simply, Outdoor Families Magazine, and follow Traci’s adventures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Photos © 2015 Traci Lehman
Thanks Alyx. I can’t wait for August!