Every Wednesday in July, Wild South led hikes for children and families to some of the coolest and wettest creeks and canyons in the Bankhead National Forest and Sipsey Wilderness in northwest Alabama. On these days, our hikes were as much in the water as on a trail.

When we are outside in nature, in a forest, on a river or creek, a hiking trail, and especially in a wilderness, we put ourselves in a place where our connection to all other living things is most direct. In a mature forest, we breathe air that is more pure, more oxygenated than air in any building. When we stand or wade in a creek we think about how ancient the water is, and how, through water possibly more than any other single element, we are profoundly connected to our earth. When we spend time outside, all of our senses are engaged and we are most fully alive.

For humans and all other critters, outside is where it’s at.

The purpose of all Wild South hikes is to provide people with opportunities to get outside and get to know the forests on their public lands. After a family hikes with us, parents know at least one place where they can take their children: A place where nature is experiential, immersive, sensory and not merely images on a television screen.

One mother, Kasi Roden, summed it up recently when she said of her 5 month old son, “We want Connor to be outside so much now that when he’s older and is not outside he’ll feel like he’s missing something important.”

Thank you to all you kids, teenagers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who participated in our Wild Wednesday hikes! The fun and adventure does not end with the month of July. We lead hikes for families all year long on the first and last Saturdays of each month, plus the hikes we lead for Fresh Air Family (find out more at www.freshairfamily.org). For more information on our hikes please Click Here.

Thank you, also, to our dedicated, reliable and amazingly generous member donors. Every time you make a donation, you are strengthening our outreach program and helping us get more kids outside.

By Janice Barrett, Outreach Coordinator