Everyone knows my first photography love was landscape photography. Over the years I have hiked many miles to many new and exciting places and captured breathtaking images during my experiences. I do offer prints of these in my fine art print shop for a small price. Somewhere along the way I started thinking that just selling prints wasn't enough to inspire people to actually get outdoors and experience it for themselves. I started thinking about the obstacles that might be holding people back from taking their own adventures into the wilderness.
You may ask why I even care...
Well I can tell you that at 40 years old most of the time I still feel lost in life. When I started hiking I began to find myself. I realized that I am capable of doing hard things. I can push myself out of my comfort zone. That even when I felt like giving up I could push through and make it to the end goal. Being in nature felt like home, like I could finally quiet the noise of the world and begin to hear myself again. This translated into my life as well because I knew if I could do it out there in nature I could do it in the real world too.
I grew up in the city in the best decade ever... the 80's! As a child we still had land that was wild before there were buildings everywhere. We took off on our bikes early in the morning and didn't return home until the street lights came on. We climbed trees in the woods, got our feet wet in the creek, ate honeysuckle for snacks, and rode for miles around our neighborhoods. Those were the greatest adventures I had in my childhood. It was truly a great unforgettable time.
Nowadays, the kids don't have that luxury. All the land has been built on so there is nowhere to explore. Times are different and parents don't trust their kids will be okay out on their own like that. They have video games and video streaming where they are comfortable watching from home all day in the AC. Hiking is such a great way to break kids from the norm and teach them all those things I learned about myself. I think this is so important in this day and age.
This thing I am trying to inspire people to do is so much bigger than just the kids though. It's time for us adults to get back to our childhood ways. We need to have a safe space to let go and be who we truly are. For those of us who are lost this is also a great way to find yourselves. Let's get back to the basics of how it's supposed to be and go on a great adventure!
That all sounds great in theory right but there are still things holding you back from taking this leap. Maybe you are scared of getting lost, or not having the right equipment. Maybe you don't even know where to begin to look to find places to hike. You could have concerns about parking, taking kids or dogs with you. Maybe you are scared of the unknown and don't want to take a step if there is a chance you could fail.
These are all valid reasons to not want to hike. I wanted to take away all those fears of the unknown so that you could enjoy the benefits of being out in nature.That is why I started making hiking guides that give you all the details you need and more. You don't have to be afraid anymore.
My hiking guides include so much information, see below
- Beautiful images to see what the place looks like
- GPS location links
- Whether it is safe to take dogs and children
- Directions on where to park and where the trailhead is
- Ideas of how to make the best time of your day there
- Details about the hike and destination
- Other places to see in the area
- History about the place
- A hiking gear checklist
- A camera settings guide
- List of resources for future hiking, gear and so much more
- The Leave No Trace Principles
My greatest passion is to inspire others to have fun in nature and go on adventures. That is why I created these guides to alleviate any concerns you may have and inspire you to see new places. To have great adventures in your life is to have lived your life to the fullest.
These guides are a labor of love as they take a long time to make because I want them to be as detailed as possible. There is a lot of work and effort that goes into them. They are priced very low for that amount of work to be honest. However, if I can inspire one person to live out an adventure on their own then it was totally worth it for me.
I hope you find inspiration in one or more of these guides. If you are considering visiting a place and find a guide you like I encourage you to check and make sure there isn't a bundle. Some places are fairly easy to get to so you could see many close together in the same day. For your convenience I have bundled some locations like this together for a cheaper price and so you have all the details you need to maximize your day.
If you don't see anything you like this time always come back and check again as I will be continuously adding new guides to the list as I get them made. You can join the email list here as well to notified when a new guide gets added or if I am running a special sale.
You can check out the brand new Mountain Momma website which has links to all the courses, fine art print shop, and my portfolio. I really do hope that you find some inspiration between these pages!
“Until you step into the unknown, you don’t know what you’re made of.” – Roy T. Bennett
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