Twin Parents Save Sanity by Hiking

My husband and I enjoyed hiking before having children, but we craved it after our twins were born. It was the leisure activity that required the least accommodations to most closely resemble our pre-parent lives! We found it to be a real stress reliever, so we started taking a family hike every Sunday. Sure, it required extra equipment, but our babies loved being carried through tall trees by tranquil caregivers, I was happy to be out of the house (and temporarily responsible for only the baby in my front carrier), and Allan was thrilled to finally find a family activity he could relate to!

A Hiking We Will Go

Our first hikes were to some of the fabulous local parks we are blessed with in the San Francisco Bay Area. Allan and I each carried a baby in the front and a pack on the back: one held baby supplies (diapers, wipes, bottles with pre-measured formula, and water) and the other held adult supplies (water and snacks).

Mom Taking a Break

One hike we did in Marin had scenery so exquisite I felt like we were in Switzerland. All was well with our world: the babies were happy, Allan was feeling like being a dad was manageable if he could still do his outdoor activities, and I was pleased to learn I was strong enough to do a longer hike than usual. Just then, one and then the other baby started emitting blood curdling screams indicating hunger and we realized -- to our horror --that we were out of the water we needed to prepare the baby formula! We hiked as fast as we could to reach the end of the trail, all the time feeling we had damaged our precious babies irreparably. We finally reached water and made and delivered their bottles. Much to our surprise, both children calmed down instantly, drank happily, and forgave us our sin. We learned that our children were much more resilient than we thought.