On location with Ellie on the Appalachian Trail: Part 1
Ever wonder what it’d be like to bring your baby on an overnight hiking trip? How about hiking 2,180 miles?
gBaby Ellie is super happy whenever she’s outside.
Meet Ellie: the first baby that’s planning to hike the entire Appalachian Trail with her parents, Derrick and Bekah this spring!
This little love is also a gBaby, which means she’ll be wearing gDiapers and taking us along for the ride. We sat down with this adventurous family to find out how they’re planning a trip of a lifetime. Naturally, our first thought was: how do you manage diapers on a long distance hike?
“We wanted a sustainable yet easy option for the trail. We didn't want to worry about cloth diapers getting moldy in the humid Southeast, but we also didn't want to contribute to plastic diapers to landfills. That's when we discovered gDiapers. We get the best of both worlds! The gPants save space but don't get real messy frequently. And the Disposable Inserts are super absorbent and free of chlorine, perfumes, and dyes. Plus they don't have all the plastic layers that the other disposable diapers have. It was exactly what we were looking for.”
Space is a huge deal when you’re backpacking, so how exactly would you handle all those dirty diapers while you’re on the move? We asked Derrick and Bekah for answers:
“We will be following Leave No Trace principles in all areas of our trek, including diapers. This means that we will need to pack out all of our inserts to town where we can flush them or dispose of the waste properly. While it seems easier to bury them along the way, the hundreds and hundreds of diapers we will go through could make a negative impact on the precious public lands of the AT. Nobody wants to see a bunch of dug up diapers along the trail from a curious animal!”
Ellie helping to pack their meals in preparation for their trip.
From diapers to daily meals, Ellie and her family are meticulously planning their trip to make it a success. But that’s not all they’re working towards.
“We are looking forward to intentional time together as a family and meeting the community of people we will meet on the trail. We want to use this incredible opportunity to invest in each other and the friends we will make by serving them in any way possible. And of course we're looking forward to watching Ellie grow up on the trail in a unique way we wouldn't be able to see otherwise.”
Bekah, Derrick, and Ellie proudly holding their Appalachian Trail passes.
We can’t wait to get an update from Ellie and her family in a few months to see how their trip is going! In the meantime, you can check out their progress on their blog and Instagram account. Happy Trails, Ellie!
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