So back to this tourist season thing. You can not imagine the amount and quality of comments I receive from people regarding Tygh (that would be the baby because the 4-year-old is in day camp, remember?). For your reading pleasure, here is a sampling of the comments I have received just in the past few weeks:
"You're hiking this all by yourself with a BABY?"- I was 1/2 mile from a trailhead.
"Your baby needs a hat!"- No shit, lady. But he happens to tear off anything I put on his head, so I just smeared sunscreen with zinc oxide all over his blonde baby head instead. How about them apples? Also, NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.
"You have a baby in that trailer?!"- Nope. It's just my doll. She means a lot to me though, so I put her in her own special bike trailer to keep her safe.
"Your baby will be hiking 14ers before he turns 4!"- Um. Maybe. Because see my 4-year-old? I hiked with her when she was 2 weeks-old and you ask her to walk more than a 1/4 mile and she will automatically melt. Gravity will be so strong, she will be unable to raise herself from the ground for days. True story.
All this to say, people need to CTFD. I am not trying to rag on tourists (though they do make pretty rad comments). Obviously, their impressions of what people normally do with babies is based on their reality and I get that. Because I myself see a lot of parents who are so worried. About everything. So very worried. They can't leave their kid(s) with Dad for longer than an hour because they are worried things won't be perfect while they're gone. They can't put their baby in a bike trailer because they are worried. They can't hike alone because...well, I don't know. That one leaves me confused.
Then there's the "But it's so very hard to get out and do things in the outdoors with a baby." To which I want to respond, "YEP." And then: "It doesn't get easier." I don't mean that as a doom and gloom proposition. More that there are different challenges at every age when it comes to adventuring with children.
You know what's easy? Watching tv. You know what makes you feel lazy and uninspired? Watching tv.
You what's hard? Going on adventures with kids. You know what makes you feel rad? Duh. You know the answer to this question already. I really am that predictable.
This leaves me to burning question about parents and their reticence to DO ALL THE THINGS with children: Is your worry about your kid or is it really about you?
Why CAN'T you go on a road ride with a bike trailer?
Why CAN'T you take your baby hiking to the top of a peak?
Why CAN'T you go camping in a tent with kids for several weeks?
Why CAN'T you take kids rock climbing for the weekend?
Why CAN'T you ski with an infant?
If you can answer any of those questions with a valid reason, call me. Or message me (this is 2013 after all). We'll talk. But really?
CTFD. CTFD, my friends.
This message brought to you by my alpine baby. Who conveniently has a bug on his head.
