Nothing better than getting a little dirt on your paws and getting intentionally lost in the forest! We live for days where we have nothing but time to meander, hike, play in the creek, and have a picnic by a waterfall. All to wrap it up with a beautiful scenic drive home – amazing, right?!
Once we started thoughtful adventuring, we realized because of our sweet Forrest, not everyone will have this opportunity. Disabilities come in various forms with different limits. When searching for trails, we soon learned that not all trails are labeled correctly. Some trails were marked excellent but were a disaster for us because a summer storm rolled through and made the path rather unsafe. We saw reviews of safe ADA or stroller friendly trails but when up close and five miles in, it was far from what the reviewer stated. We kept thinking, there has to be a way, so others aren’t burdened with this. Calling ahead worked but it didn’t in the same as park rangers are busy and not answering. Google Earth helped but again, there was no up close and in person until we were there, carrying Forrest and his stroller, along with our equipment and walking the other three, through thickly overgrown brush. Sigh.
As we thought about it, we realized our experiences could potentially help others. When disability comes into play, it can make adventures difficult or thought to be impossible. Because of our little nugget, we know that adventures can happen!
While we do mainly focus on the how safe the trails are, there is still a whole lot of other beautiful aspects as well! Some of our adventures, we know won’t be ADA or stroller friendly – that’s okay because Forrest has us to tuck him safely in his backpack. He gets to be carried to some of the most scenic spots the woodlands offer! Those adventures are full of hiking, climbing, creek crossing, and finding beauty in the unknown.
We see those from a pup’s view. Atticus, for example, loves views! He will happily stand on a hill with the breeze blowing through his fur taking in the majestic scenery beneath us. It’s quite magical to watch. Laveena, on the other hand, loves her water. Give her a cold creek, waterfalls or a serene lake and she will be in her zone! Magalene is our lazy adventurer. She prefers the slow meandering of following a creek, or a wooded path full of scents to track. She’s a slow, thoughtful adventurer and I couldn’t agree more with her style! Whether it is here, there, or a bit of everything, we agree adventures should be easy, stress free and most of all memorable!
Our system, like us, is simple, and thoughtful. We use this just for the safety of adventuring differently. We take into consideration both wheelchairs and strollers. While we know there is a substantial difference between dog and human wheelchairs, we see there could be benefits for anyone wanting to get outside and explore safely. We give 4 paws for those trails that are ADA and stroller friendly, these are either paved, hard surface or a mixture of both – either way it will be easy to navigate. 3 paws are the iffier trails, these are mostly easy to navigate within reason and we will share our thoughts on where obstacles could potentially be. 2 paws mean the trail would most likely be cut short, there are too many obstacles, or we’ve noticed discrepancies with reviews. 1 paw usually means lack of signage, not hardly paved, several obstacles, and not safe in the slightest.
While our system doesn’t help us so much in the moment, we are able to take notes as we hike for any potential issues, or hazards that could cause problems for those adventuring differently. In each post, we will go into depth about the beauty, fun finds, and other things the trail offers.
As always, please use caution, use your own sense & be careful when adventuring!
Our Fabled Nest 