MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2018

46 ML BLUE WINTER 2018 words :: Laura Raimondi It’s cold day in January and I’m pulling up to park adjacent to a snow- filled roadside ditch. Vehicles are already parked, their occupants crouching inside slightly open doors, quickly putting on all the necessary gear for a winter hike. The trails along the Escarpment will be stunning today as a snow squall just came through the area, covering the forest in a shimmering white blanket. Crampons or snowshoes are a must as the trail is hard-packed with icy patches beneath well hidden by the new snow. Next on the to-do list: get our hiking partners ready to hit the trail. A quick diaper change and breastfeed, snowsuit and toque, and a fleece blanket for extra protection from the cold and wind. We then make our way into the calmness of an eerily beautiful snow-covered forest. I once thought my outdoor adventures were the ultimate physical and mental challenge. Then came motherhood. Becoming a new mother is full of joy and bliss. It is also a humbling, overwhelming and exhausting experience at times. I spent the summer after my second daughter was born in a sleep-deprived fog adjusting to my new community in the town of Collingwood. I quickly realized that I was in desperate need of some time outside and social connection. I learned of a baby hiking group and was acquainted with a few of the women. We made plans to meet up. There is something unique about meeting other new moms at scheduled mom-and-baby groups versus a hiking group. Being outside in the open air lets the conversation flow and releases inhibitions. Our babies’ sleep schedules and nursing habits are certainly a hot topic of discussion but BABY STEPS MOTHER AND INFANT SHARE THE BENEFITS OF SNOWBOUND ESCARPMENT TRAILS WELLNESS DAVE BARNES ILLUSTRATION