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An Interview with Hike it Baby - Boise

Posted by Kelsey McCormick on
WHEN THE LONECONE STAFF HEARD ABOUT HIKE IT BABY (HIB), YOU COULD SAY WE WERE INTRIGUED.
So there’s a group of Boise-area parents who meet up and hike all around town? Sometimes even to grab a beer or a coffee? Heck yes, that’s right up our alley!
On a recent sunny morning we met with a few local ambassadors of Hike it Baby Boise group for oversized scones at one of our fave coffee shops, Big City. Three lovely ladies—Jennifer, Elsa & Chantae—brought their adorable kiddos and sat for some questions.

FIRST OFF, WHAT IS HIKE IT BABY?
HiB is an international community organization that launched about three years ago in Portland, Oregon. In those three years, HiB has amassed over 260 branches in at least six different countries.

BUT WHAT DO YOU DO?
We hike! Or walk, or bike, or let our toddlers lead us around a trail. There are no parameters to lead a hike, and all age and ability levels are welcomed.

ABOUT HOW MANY ACTIVITIES A WEEK DO YOU RUN?
Through our Hike it Baby website, we have a calendar where folks can research and post hikes—there are at least a dozen throughout the Treasure Valley each week, with different times and locations.

OK, SO HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
It costs absolutely nothing to be a member of HiB and participate in/lead hikes!

HOW MANY LOCAL MEMBERS DOES HIKE IT BABY HAVE?
We are growing here like crazy! We had 600 members in January, and are already up to 1,300 this month. To put that in perspective, we had 100 members in August 2015.

HOW DOES SOMEONE BECOME A HIKE IT BABY HIKE LEADER?
Once you have attended one hike you are eligible to plan your own. The beauty of HiB is that you can fit your hikes in to your family’s schedule—sometimes that means early morning, after work, weekends, etc. It doesn’t matter, as long as you’ll be there and are open to having others join! You can make it a weekly thing, or just add it in whenever you have time.
The hikes are explicitly at-your-own-risk, so hike leaders are not at liability for anything.

DO ONLY MOMS ATTEND, OR CAN DADS, GRANDPARENTS AND CAREGIVERS BE A PART OF IT?
Absolutely, we have all kinds of people attend our HiB activities! In fact, dads are a large part of our brewery hikes on weekday nights! :)

IF I’M A MEMBER, CAN I ONLY ATTEND HIKES IN BOISE?
Nope—you can attend hikes anywhere you travel that has a local chapter! Many of our members seek out HiB chapters when they are traveling.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE HIB ACTIVITIES?
So many! The snowshoe hike up at Bogus Basin on New Year’s Day was a huge hit, as well as our recent Cinco de Mayo hike that ended at Tin Roof Tacos. We also do camping trips in the summer, so that’s always a great time to relax and get a little hiking in.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE POPULAR HIKES OFFERED AROUND BOISE?
It really depends on what someone is looking for! We usually have a great turnout for our Morning Coffee Strolls on Wednesdays, as well as toddler-led hikes and the aforementioned hikes where we end at a brewery. :) You can check out our calendar and join our Facebook group to find more.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS FOR LONECONE READERS?
This truly is a more-the-merrier organization! We love having people join us for activities, and the fact that it's free means it's accessible to anyone. We hope to see some Boise-area parents and caregivers hit the trails with us soon. 👶👶👶
Thank you so much to Hike it Baby - Boise for meeting with us and talking about their organization. We joined them on a hike with a few of our little ones a few weeks back and will talk about that as well in a separate blog!

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