Awesome Day Hike for Babywearing Mamas & Papas (Hopewell Rocks, NB)

An awesome family hike (and also a visit to a famous tourist destination) is the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick. It is a fairly easy hike, but not one that allows for strollers as you will be walking on the ocean floor! It is perfect for those using front or back child carriers. We used our Deuter Kid ComfortIII. It was fantastic! The hike in is on a very wide, very well maintained trail. It was beautiful! There were a few steep areas off the main trail that allowed you to look out at various rock formations. At the end of the trail is a very large staircase down to the ocean floor.

What we found ideal was to hike in at high-ish tide and take in the view of the rocks semi-submersed, have a picnic lunch, then when the tide was low head down to walk on the ocean floor! It was perfect! Our wee one was 15 months when we did it, and even at that age, she loved seeing the rocks and water. After hiking from the stairs past Diamond Rock, H was asleep on my back so it was a nice time to take it in and chat with my partner.

All in all, I would say plan a whole day for it; take your time. Have a picnic, play in the play area, enjoy the mystical scenery of the Fundy tides! Not just anywhere can you walk past rocks as tall as buildings with seaweed taller than yourself! 

[Review] Platypus GavityWorks water filter!

If you are preparing to head into the backcountry, one of the large investments you are going to need to make will be in a water filter! I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that water is the number one essential.

How to pick one? There are a few different options:

• adding chemicals
• using UV to kill the unfriendlies
• good ol' filtering
• pump!      
• let gravity do the work for you!

Chemicals are not a great long term solution. UV light in my opinion seems a little sketchy... what if the batteries die or the light quits? So we chose filtering. Since we would have already been spending upwards of $80 to have safe water (by means of a serious arm workout), we decided to invest in a GRAVITY FILTER! A Platypus GavityWorks water filter to be precise. It filters super fast (4L in 2.5 minutes), weighs very little, includes a water reservoir, kills 99.9999% of bacteria and protozoa, and costs $113. It is a lot, but it is a serious investment.

We tested it out last weekend while car camping as the campground had a boil order on for its water. I am so glad we brought it! The water was nasty! It looked like pee, but within moments of filtering, we had clear and safe drinking water! I would highly recommend this filter to any families who will be needing to procure safe drinking water while camping or hiking!

This was a must-have for us as we plan our first backcountry camping trip with H this year! Stay tuned, more to come on that! 

Top 5 Favourite Things about Camping with Kids

1. Freedom!!!
I love watching my baby girl run free! It's so good for her and for us. 

2. Teaching them to help.
Even if "helping" doesn't actually make you‒the parent‒more efficient, remember that it's important to take the time to slow down and give them "jobs" to do. Even if it is simply carrying their sleeping bag or walking with you to fetch water, this makes them feel confident while camping and prepares them to help around camp more when they're able to!

3. They learn so much about nature first hand!

4. Enjoy some down time with your partner and/or friends after they're asleep!
Watching the campfire burning is so relaxing, and part of good parenting is taking time to unwind for yourself!

5. Watch the sunrise again!
Either together or while they are still asleep. It's an incredible way to start the day!

[Review] The Freshette!

Okay, I know what you’re thinking… is she really going to talk about a pee-directing device? YES! I cannot promote these enough! I love mine! The Freshette is a urinating aid that allows women to pee standing, in a climbing harness, in a dry suit, etc. So whether you are in the backcountry and would rather not risk crouching in the poison ivy or if you’re a car-camping preggo mama who doesn’t want to sit on an outhouse toilet seat 20 times per day or a traveling lady who is unimpressed by unsanitary stalls, I strongly recommend a Freshette! It is $27 very well spent!

There are other types of urinating aids, including the SheWee, the Whiz Freedom, and disposable cardboard ones, but the Freshette always seems to come out on top. The SheWee has been knows to pinch labia as the trough is too narrow; the disposable ones are, well, just that—disposable; and the Whiz Freedom has a flexible plastic trough, which requires much caution so as not to squeeze causing the urine to spill out the top. The Freshette however is just right: hard plastic comfortable trough, durable, and easy to clean.

TIP: Try it out in the bathtub first so you feel comfortable and confident trying it in the backcountry.

TIP: To wash, use warm water and soap. Wash again once your trip is over before backing it away. Rinse with hot or boiling water.

This Hike Rocks! (Polly’s Cove, NS)

This past weekend we did a really great day hike! I had been meaning to go for some time now, and we finally got out there: Polly’s Cove. For those of you who aren’t familiar, I would love to fill you in on the secret! This hike is located 4 minutes from the famous Nova Scotia tourist destination Peggy’s Cove. There is a description of it in the Trails of Halifax Regional Municipality book, which, if you don’t have, I highly recommend picking up if you live in or near the HRM! The information for Polly’s Cove is very accurate. However, there are directions coming from Halifax, but not from Peggy’s Cove which we decided to check out first (our wee one—from here on out known as H—had not yet been and LOVED it! She has not stopped talking about “giant rocks and water” all week.). So if you are like us and are coming from Peggy’s Cove, it is simply 3-4 minutes’ drive after leaving Peggy’s. As Michael Hayne’s book describes, there is a parking lot that will barely hold three cars and the trail in unmarked. Easy to miss, so be on the lookout!

We parked and loaded our 30lbs 2-year-old in our backpack carrier. This is definitely not a stroller hike; to make the most of it, you will want to wear wee ones in a secure frontpack or—ideally—backpack. We have a Deuter Kid Comfort III carrier, which is fantastic! Sadly they cost a small fortune, but we purchased ours for cheap one year at an MEC gear swap. Older kiddos (toddlers/preschoolers and up) could walk a lot of it with help from an adult and some carrying when they've tired.

Off we went! The trail inwards is pretty linear and not too challenging but the terrain is uneven in places. At this point we let H out of the backpack. There are several short offshoots to the trail, which are great for kids to explore. We found Northern pitcher plants and explored them in awe for some time—I am totally fascinated by carnivorous plants! For the rest of the hike H looked at various things on the ground (dirt, rocks, grass, whatever!) and imitated Mama's excitement over the pitcher plants. It is so cool to see how easy it is to teach them to be fascinated by nature.

When you reach the end of the established trail (there will be a foundation to an unfinished building), the fun begins! BOULDERS EVERYWHERE! And a beautiful view of the ocean. Here you can hike around the barrens for quite some time. It is really beautiful! And feels like an epic hike while still being totally do-able with a wee one! Bring a picnic! Enjoy the beauty! 

Best Spot for Car Camping near Halifax, NS

Our daughter's first camping trip was to Porter's Lake Provincial Park, and it has since become a favourite for car camping--perfect for those weekends when you don't have enough time for a big trip but need to be outdoors. What we love about Porter's Lake is their walk-in campsites. They have several! They are a short walk from the parking area, but far enough that you feel closer to nature and--perhaps most important of all with wee ones--no cars driving past you while your child is trying to run around and enjoy the freedom of the outdoors! And most of them have direct access to the lake from your campsite. Our baby girl loves throwing rocks in the water, so this is a huge bonus! What is better than waking up to a giggling baby who wants to get exploring with the breeze from the water in your face? We love it, and on most 2-day weekends in summer, that is where you are likely to find us!