A Mountain Hearth

type='html'>I have always been an outdoor girl. I grew up camping, backpacking, and playing outside in the foothills of the Olympic Mountains. Back in college, I aspired to become a backcountry ranger, wilderness plant researcher, or something equally rugged, solitary and wild. Then I had twins and decided I needed to be at home raising them. Ever since, I have aspired to be a backcountry forest mother. With my husband and two children in tow, I have continued to explore wild places. Over the last eight years I have discovered how to camp, hike, canoe, and backpack with young children, how to do it frequently, and how to come prepared. From backpacking with babies to sleeping in fire lookout towers rented from the US Forest Service, I have never lacked for adventure. Do I get out in the woods as much as I want to? Not always, but when I do, seeing how happy and at ease my children are in Nature makes it somehow more enjoyable. I am confident that these experiences will help them grow to be adults who love the outdoors and find peace and solace there in this hectic world. It is my hope that this blog will provide information and inspiration to other families and individuals on living a life closer to the earth and the wild. Since the bulk of my work is tending home and hearth, I will include writings about that as well from time to time. It's good to hear how other people live sometimes, as it widens our own perspectives, and gives grains of truth to which we may relate. All that said, I have secretly wanted a blog for a while now because I love to write. I have let it go by the wayside for far too long. So, here it is. A Mountain Hearth.