Finding Freedom + Connection in Wild Places

She Who Wanders

Mar 14

A Convo with Stephanie from The Backpacking Mom

Meet Stephanie. She is a wife, a nurse, and badass mom who never says no to adventure, even when it means climbing a 12,000 technical mountain 6 months pregnant with a 12 year old (what?!). An adventurer to her core, she feels most alive in the wilderness, far away from civilization. Unwilling to compromise on her passions, she finds a way to balance nursing, working toward her Masters degree + having kids in school, sports, and activities with getting outside as often as possible for epic adventures as a family - not an easy feat! She is proof that doing what makes you feel most alive and bringing those you love most along with you is worth the mess + hustle. She inspires thousands of women as she authentically shares the highs and lows of her adventure lifestyle through tips, tricks, gear recs and itineraries in Idaho, the PNW and beyond.

Tell us a little about you and your family like where you’re from, where you live now, how old are your kids and anything interesting or unique you’d like people to know.

I'm Stephanie. I live in Boise with my husband and 4 kids. I have a 15 year old boy, a "bonus" 15 year old boy who is staying with us, an 11 year old daughter and a 2 year old son. We straddle the line between a traditional family - our kids are in public schools and very involved in sports (football and soccer), but we also seek out adventure almost every weekend.

mom in beanie holds baby in front of mountain lake

Between nursing, student life, creating content, being a wife + mom, and just keeping up with life, some would assume you simply MUST be super woman. Life is messy and things are never as easy as they appear online, but to be juggling everything on your plate and still making time for outdoor adventures, you must have routines/systems/habits you rely on to show up in all these ways. Share with us some behind the scenes of how you make it all work.

To be honest, sometimes I don't make it all work and I drop the ball here and there. I have an EXTREMELY supportive husband and none of this would be possible without him. He does the majority of the cooking for our family and is a very hands on Dad. We also have a cleaning company that deep cleans for us every 2 weeks. So, I really don't do any of this on my own. I stay up way too late to get homework and content done, and I get up way too early to shuttle kids to and/from early practices and school. My garage is a disaster and I try not to sweat the small stuff.

The Great Wanderlust is all about women stepping outside of the box and diving deeper in both travel and in life! The mission is to inspire moms + families to feel fully alive through adventure and exploration! What is your great wanderlust? What most makes you come to life?? Take us back to a moment when you felt that.

I feel most alive when I am in wild places: miles away from civilization with no cell service. I am free to be my truest self when we backpack into the mountains or climb tough peaks. The simplicity of hiking for miles, setting up camp, eat, sleep, and repeat is comforting for my busy mind. Disconnecting from the pressures of everyday life is often when I find the most connections with my husband, friends, and kids.

One moment that comes to mind is on the Salkantay trek in Peru. My daughter overcame some true hardships in those mountains. Watching her do hard things, form relationships with the people around her, and appreciate the beauty of our surroundings was incredibly rewarding.

You are such a strong woman. What is something you’ve experienced in your life that could have broken you, but actually ended up making you even stronger? How did you turn that experience into something you could use for good in your life?

I was an extremely young mom - I had my oldest at just 18. My first marriage ended badly, and I thought I had found true love 5 years later. I was engaged to a man that I was ready to spend the rest of my life with. We had planned a lovely mountain wedding. 3 weeks before our big day, he left unexpectedly. He packed his things, removed all his possessions from our home and was simply...gone. It was like he had never been there. I remember in the throes of sorrow and pain, determining that I was never going to put my kids through that ever again. He could leave ME broken, but to leave my kids broken was a risk I could never take again.

I took the time I had off for our wedding and did a solo backpacking trip into the Wallowa mountains of Oregon. I climbed 4 peaks in 2 days, had a bear encounter, witnessed a bull elk gallop into my campground under a full moon, and made myself a crown of wild flowers. I came back full of life, full of hope, and secure in the fact that I was going to be just fine. It was at that moment my now husband sent his first text to me: "How are you going to save the world?" "One person at a time" I replied.

What is your favorite outdoor adventure activity to do solo? What about with your kids? Tell us how you got started doing it and why you love it so much?

My favorite outdoor adventure to do solo or with kids is backpacking! I lived in Washington state as a young mom and I could see the olympic mountains every day on my drive to/from school and work and during my morning jogs. They called to me. Finally I planned a trip to the peninsula for our first backpacking trip. I was 21 and my son was 3. We didn't have a backpacking pack, or even a matching tent and fly - but we just went for it. I was hooked right then and there and haven't stopped chasing mountains since.

As a working mom with older kids who are in public school and activities, how do you carve out time to still have family adventures? What values are most important in your life that drive you to make family adventures, taking risks and living an unconventional life a priority?

I used to take my kids out of school frequently for adventures and travels. As they have gotten older and their classes have gotten more demanding we often have to rely on the weekends or school breaks. I have always stood by the motto of "experiences over things" so we constantly pursue quality time together in lieu of new material objects. We also live by the principles of "we can do hard things" and "nothing worth doing is ever easy." I find that backpacking, peak bagging, and traveling to remote places to be the perfect way to demonstrate and practice these principles. I also have a terrible case of FOMO so that keeps me on the move quite a bit - I just want to see and experience ALL the things.

How has your passion for backpacking changed since becoming a parent? What’s your biggest tip or advice for parents who want to get out for epic adventures with their toddlers, but feel overwhelmed with all the logistics and everything that might go wrong? How can they get started and confidently push their limits?

I have never experienced backpacking without kids, haha. I started as a parent with my kids and my advice is to do what I did and just GO! Start small, 1-2 miles, so you can bail if needed and just experience it. Learn as you go, and build up to bigger adventures slowly. Prepare for what you are most afraid of: Worried about getting lost? Carry a map and compass and learn how to use it. Worried about injuries? Take a wilderness first aid course, carry a first aid kit, and borrow or buy a satellite communicator. Wildlife? Stay away from those areas or bring bear spray. Other humans? Go in a large group. Find out what is holding you back and prepare for it.

Where are you off to next and what are you most looking forward to about it?

We are off to my absolute DREAM trip: PATAGONIA!!! I am looking forward to the beautiful mountains and as always - disconnecting with my family.

Is there a question you wish I would have asked or anything else you’d like to share with other mamas relating to travel or life?

No one is pulling this off flawlessly. An adventurous lifestyle is busy, messy, and usually requires a ton of gear. Kids whine everywhere and nothing ever goes as planned. If adventure is a priority - those things will quickly be outweighed by the incredible family experiences (both the good and bad).

Who inspires you to dig deeper in travel and life?

Nia from @bornabackpacker is amazing.