Amanda Schmidt

Amanda, her husband, Josh, and their children, Colby and Lua, live in Oberlin, OH where Amanda is a Geosciences professor at Oberlin College. Amanda's parents live in New Hampshire and so they spend a lot of time there as well. They take advantage of homeschooling to maximize outdoors time for everyone. Amanda grew up in Hong Kong and spent summers in New Hampshire, where she found her love for nature. Pursuing a PhD in geosciences to study why Earth looks the way it does and how people change those processes was a natural outgrowth of her love for being outside. Their outdoor sports sort of follow seasons: the winter they love to ski, in the fall they race cyclocross, in the spring they ride bikes on day trips, and in the summer they rock climb, bike tour, take overnight canoe trips, and backpack.

Gear for a Family Thru-Hike

Dad and two children wearing backpacking packs looking into the distance from a trail overlook.

If you are going to take kids on a thru-hike (or really any long-distance backpacking trip), you need to think a bit more carefully about gear than if you were just taking them in a mile or so to basecamp at a lake for your backpacking trip. If you get nothing else from this post, … Read more

Best Sleeping Bags for Kids 2026

Kids in REI and Marmot Sleeping Bags

When people think about taking kids camping, their biggest concern is almost always how are people going to sleep (and WILL sleep actually happen???). And with good reason – it’s hard for kids to do change sometimes…and even more so when they’re suddenly in a sleeping bag instead of a bed. Because of this we … Read more

Helpful Tips for Adventuring with Neurodiverse Kids

Kids playing at a playground

Who is this post for? This post is for everyone, but… we are really focusing on parents of neurodiverse kids! Whether your child is formally identified/diagnosed or not, if you think your child experiences the world differently, this post is for you. Neurodiversity is a broad term. We have personal experience with ADHD, anxiety, and … Read more

Best Hiking Shoes for Kids 2026

best hiking shoes for kids

Spending the money on pint-sized hiking shoes for kids can feel like a waste, especially when your child is going to grow out of them so quickly. Can your child just get away with wearing their basic kids running shoes or sandals on a hike? Well, yes, but mostly no. If your hikes are mainly … Read more

Sleeping Pads for Families 2026

None of us like the feeling of waking up on a flat air mattress in the middle of the night. We can tough it out, but it still makes for a cruddy night. Sleep is universally accepted to be important, right? Many folks’ number one fear of camping is being unable to sleep. They have … Read more