Our latest interview is with Audrey Withycombe who has created an amazing podcast called Outdoorsy Families – I suggest you all go and subscribe to it right now. I’ve been looking for a while for an outdoor parenting podcast and I was excited to hear about hers. In this interview, she shares what it’s like to be an outdoor parent while raising kids full-time on a summer camp. I hope you enjoy it and find it helpful like I did!
Name: Audrey Withycombe
Location: Northern Minnesota at a summer camp on a lake
Family Activities: Hike, camp, mountain bike, motorboat, fish, canoe, paddleboard, downhill ski, cross country ski
Kids: River who is 3 and Hattie who is 1 ½
Work Schedule: full-time stay-at-home mom.
Our family loves getting outside and has a lot of outdoor hobbies that are pretty seasonal. In the summer we love to hike, camp, mountain bike, motorboat, fish, canoe, paddleboard, and just play outside! In the fall and spring, we typically hike, camp, and mountain bike. In the winter we downhill ski, cross country ski, and just play in the snow. My husband is also a big whitewater junky and loves to whitewater kayak, canoe, and raft. We haven’t done that with our little ones yet.
Transitioning to Parenthood:
What outdoor activities did you do before you had kids?
All the outdoor activities we do now, but we used to live in Idaho and Utah, so we would spend a lot more time downhill skiing, peak bagging, and hot springing. My husband also led canyoneering and rock climbing trips in the desert. We aren’t doing these as much because of our location, not because of having kids.
When you were pregnant, did you continue any of the activities and how did you modify the activity while pregnant?
With my son, I continued to hike in the Wasatch mountains frequently. I also finished my ski season by skiing until I was 18 weeks pregnant. I did a mild whitewater raft trip while I was pregnant too. I camped a bit, but I was very uncomfortable when I tried sleeping. This was a problem at home and camping, but after the 2nd trimester I was often sick at night due to acid reflux, and just couldn’t get comfortable to sleep camping.
With my daughter, we lived at a summer camp in Oklahoma at the time. Being very pregnant in Oklahoma in the summer was difficult because of the heat and humidity (it often feels like 110 degrees Fahrenheit out!). As a result, I was not nearly as active as I was with my son’s pregnancy
If you do different activities after having kids, why is that?
We mostly continued doing the same activities that we did before kids. Although some we have recently added as a family, like mountain biking and downhill skiing. We also take turns doing these higher adrenaline activities. One of us will stay with the kids while the other one skis or bikes, then we switch at the trailhead or lodge. That way everyone is getting outside, and mom and dad can still get their adrenaline fix!
How old were your kids when you started doing outdoor activities with them?
My son’s first hike was at 7 weeks old and my daughter’s first hike was at 5 weeks old. Both babies were cross country skiing with dad at 3 months old, and both snowboarded between our legs at 15 months (River) and 13 months (Hattie). We also camped with our babies at 6 months (River) and 8 months (Hattie).
What was your biggest challenge when you started doing outdoor activities with the kids?
Since they were babies, I’d say figuring out how to do diaper changes and feed the babies in the snow. We were also guilty of overpacking baby items, which just added more weight to our adventures!
When you were pregnant, did you continue any of the activities and how did you modify the activity while pregnant? With my son, I continued to hike in the Wasatch mountains frequently. I also finished my ski season by skiing until I was 18 weeks pregnant. I did a mild whitewater raft trip while I was pregnant too. I camped a bit, but I was very uncomfortable when I tried sleeping. This was a problem at home and camping, but after the 2nd trimester I was often sick at night due to acid reflux, and just couldn’t get comfortable to sleep camping. With my daughter, we lived at a summer camp in Oklahoma at the time. Being very pregnant in Oklahoma in the summer was difficult because of the heat and humidity (it often feels like 110 degrees Fahrenheit out!). As a result, I was not nearly as active as I was with my son’s pregnancy
If you do different activities after having kids, why is that?
We mostly continued doing the same activities that we did before kids. Although some we have recently added as a family, like mountain biking and downhill skiing. We also take turns doing these higher adrenaline activities. One of us will stay with the kids while the other one skis or bikes, then we switch at the trailhead or lodge. That way everyone is getting outside, and mom and dad can still get their adrenaline fix!
How old were your kids when you started doing outdoor activities with them?
My son’s first hike was at 7 weeks old and my daughter’s first hike was at 5 weeks old. Both babies were cross country skiing with dad at 3 months old, and both snowboarded between our legs at 15 months (River) and 13 months (Hattie). We also camped with our babies at 6 months (River) and 8 months (Hattie).
What was your biggest challenge when you started doing outdoor activities with the kids
Since they were babies, I’d say figuring out how to do diaper changes and feed the babies in the snow. We were also guilty of overpacking baby items, which just added more weight to our adventures!
Outdoor Parenting:
How have these challenges changed as the kids got older?
As they have gotten older, I think the biggest challenge has been balancing their needs (like naptime and early bedtimes) with our desires to still do big adventures. Honestly, camping still isn’t easy because bedtime feels like such a challenge. We often need to cut adventures short to accommodate the mid-day nap that both my toddlers still rely on. We actually bought a vintage camper that we bring with us to the ski hill so our kids have space to nap and play while we take turns skiing.
Do you have trouble maintaining the kid(s) interest in the activity (ie during a long hike) and if you do, how do you keep the kid(s) interested?
I think the time that we have the most trouble with maintaining interest is when we try canoeing and fishing from the canoe. My daughter loses interest quickly. Luckily, we live on a lake and if she is losing interest we can just cut her canoe time short and play something else outside.
How do you fit the activities into your working life?
I am a stay-at-home mom, and we live at my husband’s work (a summer camp). I try to get us outside at least twice a day year-round. Usually, our daily outside time looks like going for walks around camp, exploring the woods near our house, and playing at the lake. My husband works a lot of hours, especially during the summer. However, since we live where he works we usually sneak in a little outside play with dad during the day too.
Bigger adventures are usually packed into the weekends and my husband’s vacation time. However, as the kids get older I’m starting to try doing more solo activities with them, like paddleboarding with both kids and taking hikes with them. I’m considering solo camping with the kids, but I’m not sure if I’m ready for that, since they sleep so terribly while camping!
I know that we have a very unique living and working situation that affords us a lot of time outside. This was an intentional decision that we made when we chose to leave the suburbs of Utah for a rural midwest summer camp.
How do you balance outdoor activities with kid(s) activities (organized sports, music, school)?
My kids are still little and don’t have a lot of kid activities yet. The ones we do have are only a couple of hours a week. I also think that I have a huge advantage to easily accessing the outdoors since I live in a space with trails, a lake, and a lot of acres to roam and play in.
How do you ensure that both you and your partner can keep doing your outdoor activities?
This is honestly something I struggle with! There are some activities that my husband does that kids can’t join in on, like whitewater kayaking. It’s such a tiny window of opportunity in Minnesota that I just make sure he has time to do that. For myself, I rarely go adventuring without the kids. Usually, we just adventure as a family. Since my husband doesn’t have a lot of time off we want to make the most of that time together. We do take turns doing laps skiing or mountain biking.
Have you ever received pushback on outdoor parenting from family, friends, or community? If so, how have you handled it?
I have fortunately always had support from our families on our outdoor adventures! Both my husband and I grew up in families that got outside a lot, and I think that they love that we’re taking that to the next level with our kids.
Summary/Conclusion:
What resources helped you figure out how to do these outdoor activities with your kids? (books, friends, groups, blogs, etc)
It’s kind of funny to say, but I mostly just made things up as we went as far as getting our kids outside. When we took them camping for the first time I didn’t read any resources. We just gave it a try! It’s been the same with a lot of our activities. I think we both already felt pretty comfortable in the outdoors and just continued doing what we already knew worked. I will add that my husband has his degree in Recreation, so he went to school for leading people on outdoor experiences. He also has a lot of certifications and trainings in leading different outdoor experiences. Both of us have also worked in jobs that involved getting kids outside long before we had our own babies.
With that being said, I’ve recently joined the outdoor parenting community and love a lot of accounts on Instagram. Some of my favorites are @beboldlittleones, @borntobeadventurous, and @blackadventurecrew. I also love Tales of a Mountain Mamma. Her gear reviews are awesome, and I have used them since my kids were little babies.
What are the blog posts, articles, books, videos that you have written/created that you think would most help other families?
My website is outdoorsyfamilies.com. I write about tips and tricks for getting outside with your kids! I also have a podcast called Outdoorsy Families, where I talk with other parents about their outdoor experiences.
What is your favorite outdoor parenting hack?
Since my husband and I are skiing fanatics, I think buying the vintage camper and using it as a private ski lodge! We can take turns skiing without the kids and they have a comfortable space to nap and stay warm. This was a huge deal during COVID, when lodges weren’t open. It allowed our family to continue to enjoy the ski hill safely!
What is your biggest outdoor parenting mistake?
I was once hosting a meetup at camp with other toddlers and parents. I took them into the woods on the hiking trails without a carrier for my daughter, and my son had a huge meltdown. It was incredibly difficult to get two little ones back home from the trail, especially while my son screamed and yelled at the top of his lungs.
If you could give one piece of advice to other outdoor families, what would it be?
You don’t need to do extreme outdoor activities to get outside as a family! Simply playing at the lake or having a picnic is getting outside as a family. If you’re new to something start small and build up to bigger adventures.
What is your favorite piece of gear for outdoor parenting?
A soft structure carrier. I love our big backpack carriers for hiking, but soft structure carriers are way more versatile. They can be used from infancy through toddlerhood and can be used everywhere from snowshoeing to shopping at the grocery store. If you’re new to getting outside with kids it’s really all you need. Don’t feel pressured to buy all the latest and greatest gear.
