First Day Hike!

One of the the New Year’s traditions we never miss is a first day hike. The idea is that it sets the tone for your year- make getting outside and interacting with nature a priority! This was actually the brainchild of the State Parks in the United States and most parks offer official guided hikes, but we prefer to do our own thing. (Which also sets the tone for the year!) If you are looking for a good hike check out your state’s First Day hike offerings! And if you aren’t in the US or want to go somewhere else, just pick your favorite park and go for it. It doesn’t have to be a fancy or super challenging hike, it just should make you feel good!

Last year, on our first day hike, the boys got incredibly muddy climbing a “mountain” we found a bird blind to relax and eat our 12 grapes for a sweet new year. Some day I’ll do a separate post on all of the lucky foods I’ve complied to eat for the new year, but one that we really like is 12 grapes which comes from Spain. Each grape is supposed to represent a month of the year, so if they are all sweet you are golden, and it one is a little sour you can expect that month to be as well. We slide them onto skewers and take them on our hike to eat in the park, sometimes with a thermos of sparkling cider for a New Year’s Day toast! This started out of necessity because they never stayed up late enough the night before, but I actually prefer it now. A bird blind is the perfect place to toast the new year! After our hike we head home for warm baths, hot cocoa and reading.

Getting kids outside in nature is one of the most important things you can do for them. If you don’t know about 1000 Hours Outside check it out. It’s easy, fun and so important. (Study about the importance of kids + nature.)