2025 summer camps + ebook news!
March is usually when summer camp registrations open
I want to thank those of you who have reached out thinking of me, your “park lady,” at a time when the National Park Service and our National Parks are under threat. I appreciate your caring for me and know you care so much for these employees and this land as much as I do!
How can you help? My ask is going to be different from everything you’ve already seen out there and I believe it’s the main thing that is going to help us as we move forward: Humanize the numbers. These are real people being impacted. Individuals each with their own story. Yes, at the National Parks but in almost every headline you see here and globally. How can we help reduce the suffering of just one person? Then another. Then another. Imagine if we all thought this way instead of causing harm for our own gain.
Individually, we can absolutely make a difference for each other. In fact, you do that every day as a parent or caregiver. You make a difference for the child in your life. Every. Day.
Collectively, we have the power to do even more.
I shared the individual story of Kenan Chan (@kenanchan) on Instagram, a marine scientist at Channel Islands National Park who is just one of the NPS employees who were terminated from their position with almost no notice. I’m thankful to him for sharing his story. I think it’s important to get Kenan’s words from him directly. Click through the photo carousel and read the caption. Then watch his answer to this question: “What have you loved and lost?”
Humanize the numbers. Protect the parks.
I’m so glad you are here. Humbled to be part of each other’s story.
With so much love,
Michele
As a friendly reminder, make sure you ALWAYS check official sources when you are heading out to any of the locations I share. These are merely suggestions. Only you know what works for your family. Plus, your experience may not be the same as mine — and there can be changes to the hours or unforeseen circumstances or conditions at the suggested locations.
Summer camp sign-up time!
Every year, I update my list of outdoor-themed summer camps to support programs that give kids time outdoors over the summer. I don’t take advertising fees. I don’t endorse any of them. Honestly, we couldn’t afford most summer camps when my kids were growing up, so we did a few of them and I ended up DIY-ing it most of the time. But you do have a lot of choices when it comes to summer camps and choosing the outdoor ones shows there is demand for it.
Correction on San Clemente Visitor Center
I shared the San Clemente Visitor Center run by the San Onofre Parks Foundation last week — and I wanted to mention that the hours posted at the location are 10am-4pm daily, but I found out there is an *asterisk. It is closed most Saturdays (March through November) due to private events like weddings being held on the grounds. If you are in doubt, you can always call ahead before you visit.
And speaking about San Onofre, I wanted to mention that dogs are NOT allowed on the beach at San Onofre State Beach. They are allowed on specific trails, but NOT the beach. Just a little tidbit I wanted to pass along on behalf of the ecological restoration volunteers working there.
PLAY: Printable Hiking Book Coming Next Week!
This is the section of the newsletter where we talk about PLAY or connecting to nature each week. I might share a video, an article, a book, or something inspiring. Just trying to help keep you empowered to prioritize play to benefit development and preserve childhood!
Barring any technical difficulties, the Winter Tiny Hikes printable ebook of Mini Trail Guides is coming out this time next week! I’ve been working tirelessly on it for the past couple months with a little bit of help and support. Right now, it’s at 84 pages with over 160 color photos. It will be over 100 pages when it’s done. It’s included with your subscription, if you are an annual subscriber. You’ll also be able to purchase it as a stand alone item to gift or get for yourself if you’re not a subscriber.
The idea is not that you will have to print all 100+ pages. No. There is a Trail Landmarks section in each guide that is from 1-3 pages. It will make sense if you want to print those pages and bring them with you as you take the hikes.
Tiny Hikes are a mindset
(Excerpt from one of the Tiny Hikes emails that went out to subscribers last year as I was scouting and writing the trail guides.)
This week’s tiny hike humbled me. Not because it was hard, but it made me question my own thinking. I know that ANYTHING can be a hike, but I had to talk myself out of my own negative self-talk that this one isn’t “enough.”
A tiny hike is absolutely equal to any hike. A long time ago, I invented the term “sidewalk hiking” to add to my personal definition of hiking. Why would walking on a sidewalk and noticing the nearby nature not be considered a hike? It’s all about your mindset!
I’m now so content to call any walk: “a hike.” Even if you aren’t walking! If you are out on Back Bay Drive or on an accessible trail or sidewalk in a wheelchair. It’s a hike! Limiting definitions limits us. Expanding your definition makes you care less about the particulars and more about the feeling you get when you are outdoors with birds flitting from tree to tree, or wheeling around roly-polies on the ground, seeing gophers poking up through their holes in the lawn, or even simply noticing the weather while walking in the parking lot from the car to the grocery store.
What if we thought of it ALL as a hike? Wouldn’t it somehow be more fun?
A bit of the culture of hiking is to compare distances, elevations, extreme conditions, and then defend a made-up classification of a “real hike” where some trails make the cut and everything else is equivalent to walking at the mall! Really? Why is it even a thing?
I almost fell for thinking this way and I know better! I had to remind myself that this is indeed a hike. In fact, this tiny hike is even more fun for the artful wonder woven into the trails. And, even adults tend to like it because it’s short and enjoyable without many decisions to be made or thought that needs to be put into choosing a particular route. It’s simply a tiny hike your kids will love.
Play-Filled Extras are waiting below this paywall each week for all paid subscribers. Thanks for your support!