Let's Go Outside | Adventurous Moms, Hiking, Camping, Travelling with Kids, Parenting Outside

In this episode, I’m sharing a conversation I had on the Adventures Mamas Podcast where we dug into our whole story: the outdoor ed trips that shaped me, the summer camp where I learned real backcountry skills (and met my husband!), and how those experiences eventually led us to raising our kids in the Canadian Rockies.
We chat about bringing babies on overnight trips, road-tripping in a tiny minivan when our son was five months old, taking a baby on the Juan de Fuca Trail, and all the ways our kids have naturally folded into our adventures. You’ll also hear the simple systems that help us backpack with toddlers — staying warm at night, choosing a first route, and I share why we have moved more into canoe camping trips with kids. 
We even get into our bigger leaps: long winter trips abroad, living life in “thirds,” and how we’ve made extended travel possible without a big budget…
There is a lot covered in this episode, come listen - I know you are here because this is your kinda thing too. 
Resources mentioned: 
Trail Magik Carrier
Trusted House Sitters
Trail Collectiv App
Check out The Adventure Mamas Podcast with Nikki Roth and Ashley S
Join the FREE Facebook community: Connect with other women in your area to go exploring with, ask your gear and trip questions, search in FB groups Let’s Go Outside Podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984734118616209/ 
Connect with me on IG: @besidethemountain 
Try Danika’s healthy snack recipes: https://besidethemountain.com/
Watch on podcasts YouTube: @besidethemountain
Email me: [email protected] 

Snack Prep Pro Ecookbook: https://besidethemountain.com/snack-prep-pro/  
Travel Gear Guide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IEqVfpGk-5uJ29uoiScoZXLPnTY4r311/view?usp=sharing

If you’ve ever wondered how to introduce your kids to the magic of plants, this episode is the perfect place to start. Today, we sit down with a mama who has built a deep, joyful relationship with herbalism—and has spent years weaving plant wisdom into everyday family life.
She shares how her own journey with plants began, the simplest way to explain herbalism to someone who may not be familiar with it,, and why learning about the natural world is such a powerful gift for kids. We talk about safe plant identification, easy herbs to grow with little ones, and gentle first steps for families who feel curious but unsure where to begin.
You’ll hear practical, beginner-friendly ideas you can try this week, and ideas to help make herbalism feel approachable and fun. Whether you’re homeschooling, hiking, gardening in pots, or just hoping to help your kids feel more connected to nature, this episode gives you a clear and welcoming path into herbalism as a family.
About Jackie Leed: I grew up a free-range kid in central Pennsylvania rooted in the Earth. My childhood was spent wandering through the woods, making jewelry out of cicada skins pried from trees, and cooking recipes that centered around the main ingredient mud. When I moved to Whidbey Island in 2020, herbalism came to me like a memory, a way back to the girl with skinned knees and soil under her nails. Now, motherhood carries me forward: barefoot in the garden, collecting nature treasures with my children, and appreciating the beauty of the moon from my backyard. I go outside because that's where I belong. I think a lot of us feel the same way.
Resources mentioned: 
Plant app - Picture This App
Connect with Jackleen Leed: 
Instagram: @raising_little_naturalists 
Website: https://earthwisemothering.com/root-to-crown/ 
Photography Website: https://wildkinwandering.com/ 
Article Jackleen wrote for runwildmychild.com: https://runwildmychild.com/herbalism-with-kids/ 
Join the FREE Facebook community: Connect with other women in your area to go exploring with, ask your gear and trip questions, search in FB groups Let’s Go Outside Podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984734118616209/ 
Connect with me on IG: @besidethemountain 
Try Danika’s healthy snack recipes: https://besidethemountain.com/
Watch on podcasts YouTube: @besidethemountain
Email me: [email protected] 
Codes & Discounts:
Download my FREE high protein snacks ebook: besidethemountain.com/protein-ebook
Snack Prep Pro ebook: https://besidethemountain.com/snack-prep-pro/

In this energizing conversation, Katie O’Mara — co-creator with her husband of Trail Magik and outdoor-loving mom of three. We hear about her creativity, optimism, and a deep love for exploring and how it has shaped her family’s everyday adventures. We talk about the early days of hiking with babies and toddlers, and the stories behind the very first hand-sewn Trail Magik prototype.
Katie opens up about how she realized this little piece of gear wasn’t just for her family anymore, and how she turned a homemade kid carrier into an approved piece of kids’ gear, and the joy of seeing another parent on the trail using something her husband dreamed up.
She also shares one of her favorite memories from places Trail Magik made possible — and her encouragement for any parent wanting to get outside more, even when the season feels messy or overwhelming. This episode will leave you inspired, smiling, and ready to hit the trail with your own crew.
Places mentioned: 
Yellowstone, MT

Valley of Fire, Utah

Mammoth Mountain, CA

Fossil Falls, CA

Alabama Hills, CA

Gear mentioned: 
Trail magik: https://trailmagik.com

Solly Baby: https://sollybaby.com

Wild Bird Carrier: https://wildbird.co/

Connect with : 
Instagram: trail.magik
Website: https://trailmagik.com
Email: [email protected]
Join the FREE Facebook community: Connect with other women in your area to go exploring with, ask your gear and trip questions, search in FB groups Let’s Go Outside Podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984734118616209/ 
Connect with me on IG: @besidethemountain 
Try Danika’s healthy snack recipes: https://besidethemountain.com/
Watch on podcasts YouTube: @besidethemountain
Email me: [email protected] 
Codes & Discounts:
Wildelore: https://wildelore.com/ Use code LETSGOOUTSIDE15 for 15% off

In this episode, I’m chatting with an incredibly inspiring mama who thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 155 days with her family, including a 1, 3, and 5-year-old — a journey that redefined what family adventure can look like.
We talk about how she first fell in love with the outdoors, how they made the decision to take on long-distance backpacking with young children, and how much experience they had before committing to a full PCT thru-hike. Instead of rigid planning and perfection, she shares how they intentionally chose an open-minded approach — no mapped-out route, no perfectly planned food boxes, and no pressure to “finish at all costs.” They relied on their previous experience and expertise, trusting their intuition and remaining flexible to meet their kids where they were each day.
Three years later, she’s still choosing a big adventure. This summer, she returned to the trail for a 200-mile, 24-day John Muir Trail trip with another mom and their kids, and she opens up about the experiences from that trip.
We also explore what everyday trail life looks like with kids: how they sleep (including their tent-free system), what they bring for entertainment and comfort, how they build resilience, and how she navigates choosing bold adventures that others might label as “too risky.”
This conversation is for moms who feel the pull toward the wild, long-distance hiking, and raising kids who grow up knowing they’re capable of hard, meaningful things.
Places mentioned: 
John Muir Trail

Pacific Crest Trail

Tahoe Rim Trail

Timberline Trail

Sierra Nevada Mountains

Appalachian Trail

Gear mentioned: 
Hyperlite Southwest Backpack 

How to Tell Stories to your Children 

Connect with Marketa: 
https://www.instagram.com/daleywalk/
https://www.yearinnature.org/
Join the FREE Facebook community: Connect with other women in your area to go exploring with, ask your gear and trip questions, search in FB groups Let’s Go Outside Podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984734118616209/ 
Connect with me on IG: @besidethemountain 
Try Danika’s healthy snack recipes: https://besidethemountain.com/
Watch on podcasts YouTube: @besidethemountain
Email me: [email protected] 
Codes & Discounts:
Travel Gear Guide
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IEqVfpGk-5uJ29uoiScoZXLPnTY4r311/view?usp=sharing
Download my FREE high protein snacks ebook: besidethemountain.com/protein-ebook

In this episode, we sit down with an adventurous mama who shares how she and her family got into climbing together, including why she took a lead climbing course to gain the confidence and technical skills needed to bring her kids safely into the sport. She opens up about how she stays practiced, informed, and comfortable as a parent when introducing children to higher-risk outdoor activities like family rock climbing.
We also dive into their summer of outdoor adventures, from a cross-Canada road trip and long driving days with kids, to hiking classic Canadian routes like the Rockwall Trail, Flow Lake, and the Skyline Trail in Alberta. She shares their canoe tripping experience on Maligne Lake near Jasper and how they approach trip planning with both ambition and flexibility.
As their children move into the teenage years, we talk honestly about navigating resistance, respecting autonomy, and balancing bigger adventure goals when not everyone feels ready. She explains why intentional discomfort is a powerful tool for building resilience, adaptability, and confidence — and how cultivating responsibility helps kids recognize their own capabilities.
If you’re a parent who loves the outdoors and wants to raise resilient, capable kids through family adventures, climbing, hiking, and canoe tripping, this episode is full of encouragement, insight, and practical inspiration.
Topics covered:
How to get into family rock climbing

Lead climbing for parents

Outdoor adventures with kids in Canada

Raising resilient and capable kids through discomfort

Systems for successful family trips

Back-to-back adventures & organized gear

Canoe tripping with children

Hiking with kids in Alberta

Navigating teenage resistance to outdoor adventures

Building confidence through shared challenges

Places mentioned: 
Prince Edward Island

Halifax, Nova Scotia 

Bay of Fundy 

Juan De Fuca, British Columbia

Rock Wall Trail, Alberta

Elk Lake Hut, Alberta

Flow Lake, Alberta

Skyline Trail, Alberta

Hidden Cove, Alberta

Fisherman’s Bay, Alberta

Coronet Creek, Alberta 

Gear mentioned: 
Excalibur Sqaure Food Dehydrator: https://amzn.to/4op88Z2 
Connect with : 
Jessica Bolton - [email protected]
Join the FREE Facebook community: Connect with other women in your area to go exploring with, ask your gear and trip questions, search in FB groups Let’s Go Outside Podcast https://www.facebook.com/groups/1984734118616209/ 
Connect with me on IG: @besidethemountain 
Try Danika’s healthy snack recipes: https://besidethemountain.com/
Watch on podcasts YouTube: @besidethemountain
Email me: [email protected] 
Codes & Discounts:
Travel Gear Guide
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IEqVfpGk-5uJ29uoiScoZXLPnTY4r311/view?usp=sharing
Download my FREE high protein snacks ebook: besidethemountain.com/protein-ebook