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Baby & Me hiking is back

A popular Metro Vancouver family hiking group will be back up and running for the summer and fall.

A popular Metro Vancouver family hiking group will be back up and running for the summer and fall.

Baby & Me Hiking and Tiny Trekkers, two programs that took parents or caregivers and their little ones on guided hikes in Belcarra and Minnekhada regional parks (as well as in Vancouver and on the North Shore), were cancelled early this year but have since been reinstated for sessions beginning in June and September.

After that, however, Metro Vancouver plans to conduct another review of the program's feasibility.

"There were a lot of stirred up anxieties about it," said Shelley Frick, a guide for the past seven years who started up the Tiny Trekkers program as participants' babies grew out of the Baby & Me Hiking group. Moms and dads who had taken part in the weekly hikes and were looking forward to continuing the tradition were shocked to hear it wouldn't be continuing.

For new moms in particular, Frick said, the hiking group provides a desperately needed escape from the isolation and never-ending cycle of diapers, laundry, dinner and dishes.

"It gets them out of the house, it gets them physically and mentally active, it removes them from the stress that they would otherwise be surrounded by," Frick said.

Being part of a group, especially for moms suffering from post-partum depression, offers an extra motivator, a chance to meet people and "learn that you're not alone."

Conversations often touch on topics common to most new parents - sleeping (or lack thereof) and eating - with group members sharing their experiences and information.

"It's really encouraging for everybody," Frick said. "And when the baby screams nobody minds, we've all been there and we're all in it together."

For kids aged two and up, Tiny Trekkers gives them a chance to experience nature in a hands-on way, whether it's gently touching a slug or scrambling over logs.

Metro Vancouver's Gudrun Jensen said the programs were cancelled after a service review.

"As a regional parks agency we're looking to not duplicate municipal services but rather augment them in regional parks with more of a focus on environmental education," she said. "As we got more information about the program it seemed to fit with the view of what our regional parks need to provide."

Frick spent January and February putting together a business plan for the programs and lobbied Metro Vancouver to reinstate them, noting the size and "wildness" of the area's regional parks provided the geographical features needed to maximize opportunities for eco-system immersion that you can't get at more urbanized parks.

"You're removed from the sights and sounds of the city...the exhaust, the sound of cars going by," Frick said. "It's serene, it's quite peaceful to be immersed in nature."

One of the most important benefits, she added, is that parents learn the trails and can then return, confidently, with the whole family, sharing information they've learned about the forest's flora and fauna and how it's changed throughout the year.

Denise Blackwell, who leads the North Shore group, said registration fills up consistently for the spring, summer and fall sessions; she estimates she sees about 100 young families each year.

"It's all about socialization and exposure to our parks," she said. "And they're right in our back yards. How can you cancel it?"

In the Tri-Cities, Tiny Trekkers is at Belcarra and Minnekhada regional parks Mondays, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. from June 15 to Aug. 24 and Sept. 14 to Nov. 23. Baby & Me Hiking will run Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to noon, June 19 to Aug. 21 and Sept. 11 to Nov. 13. Cost is $50/session and registration is required at 604-432-6359.

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