My name is Megan Fisher. Who am I? Well, my feet are filthy, I have dirt under every fingernail, and my hair has been styled by the wind. As a mother of two beautiful daughters, I have rocks, leaves, and petals in every pocket. You see, I get to be a kid again and see the world’s wonders through the eyes of my daughters.
I grin with amazement when my daughters and I are out exploring nature together. I feel so connected to the earth and to them at the same time. We sit in fields, climb up mountains, slide down hills, run into sunsets, build rock towers, and draw designs in the dirt. Our hikes allow us to share stories, to explore and to feel free. Feel free to just be. Be together. Be present.
On New Years 2017, my daughters Lily (7) and Ruby (6) committed to doing the 52 hike challenge. Their spark came from wanting to inspire other kids to get out and explore the hills with them. I am thrilled to report as of October 5, 2017, they have surpassed that goal and completed 89 hikes. Now their goal is 100 by New Year’s Eve 2017.
We live in busy Los Angeles that, amazingly, has an abundant amount of beauty surrounding it. The hills in our neighborhood offer great access to trails nearby. Most of the girl’s hikes have been in Calabasas, Malibu, and Woodland Hills. We often have the trails to ourselves and are given the rare gift of peace and quiet. Other times we invite our friends to join. We have had 60 parents and kids join us for sunset hikes. It’s amazing to see kids stamina as they go and go and go with huge grins plastered their faces. They make up stories together, sing as loud as they can, challenge each other to climb higher, and help each other when they fall. This has become our special time, unplugged and connected to the people in our community.
We also find new hikes on our travels. This year, we went to the central coast of California, Death Valley, Utah, Massachusetts, Michigan and New Hampshire. One of my favorite memories was in Death Valley. The girls and their good friend Max found these glorious hills to climb all by themselves. It was so empowering for them because they did it alone and I could still keep an eye on them. They climbed so high and then ran down barren sandy hills that softened their falls.
That image will stay in my mind forever. In that moment, I didn’t feel fear, I felt proud. I was proud of their independence. I wondered if they felt like kings and queens on the mountaintop as they looked down over us from so high above.
I have felt how nature heals my family. Nature is our church and our medicine. It is full of surprises and gifts of ever-changing glorious sunsets and tall grasses to run through. Nature is our best friend.
Cheers to every other outdoor-loving family out there! And, to those who are hesitant to start exploring; I encourage you to give it a shot. Pull on some hiking boots, open the door and breathe it in. Nature will love you back. Promise.
by Megan Fisher
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Wild Parenting is a blog series put together by contributing parents who understand the value that the outdoors can bring to their children’s lives. Whose mission is to explore the world with a spirit of adventure, together.
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