Adapting Our Adventure Style with Each Military Move
As a military family, we face our fair share of challenges. We have never lived close to family in the 14+ years of my husband’s career, which means no dropping the kids off with the grandparents so we can get things done or go on a date. Moving every 3 years or so can make it difficult to create strong bonds with the people around us. The solo-parenting through deployments and TDY’s can take a toll and leave you feeling downright exhausted and frazzled. This life can be tough.
I wouldn’t change it though. It may sound crazy, but I really wouldn’t. Yes, it’s hard. Sometimes ridiculously so. However, we have created, cultivated, and grown our roots with strong family bonds, and we can thrive through the chaos. We look at the positives at each duty station and create our “duty station bucket list” at each new location. We get to explore different portions of the country and go on epic cross-country road trips each time we move. We make this crazy, chaotic life work. We adapt and flourish no matter where we end up. As we tell our boys, home is not a place, it’s wherever we’re together. They are our resilient little dandelions, thriving wherever we happen to land (there’s a reason military children are often compared to dandelions!).
Welcoming Daddy Home From Another Deployment
Adapting to the Nature Around Us
One thing that has kept us sane and grounded is our love of the outdoors. No matter where we go, we get to explore new aspects of nature that we wouldn’t get to see if we stayed in one spot. New plants and animals. New rock formations. New seasonal changes. New trails. New adventures everywhere we go. And at each new location, we try out new ways to enjoy the fresh air and landscape we find ourselves in. Here is how we have adapted to our duty stations throughout the years:
Southeast Georgia
Georgia was my first duty station with my husband. When we met, he had already been in the Navy for a few years. I was living in Colorado and working as a high school science teacher. We met through his sister (who was a close friend of mine), and the rest is history! I moved to be with him about a year and a half after we met, and oh boy was Georgia an adjustment for me!
Weekend Getaways to St. Augustine, FL
I was used to the mountains of Colorado and hiked frequently along the front range. Georgia is about as opposite as you can get, with its flat terrain, abundance of monstrous bugs, and high humidity. However, we enjoyed exploring the swamps and occasionally getting to the beach. We camped at places like Cumberland Island (where you have to catch a ferry to the island and no vehicles are allowed) and Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary (where lions keep you up all night with their boisterous roars).
We lived in Georgia before we had our kids, so life was definitely different! We had lots of dates and weekends away. We enjoyed being a couple, but were ecstatic when I found out we were going to have a little one! The only trouble was, he was due right when we were supposed to move to our next duty station. I decided to make the move early (with my mom helping me drive) so I could settle in before our first was born. Too bad my impatient little nugget had other plans for me…
Camping on Cumberland Island
Upstate New York
Our first kiddo was born as soon as we got to New York (two months early… before our rental was even ready!). Being a first-time mom with a preemie, I was pretty reluctant to do a whole lot during the first 9 months or so of his life. However, I was getting so stir-crazy and my husband's schedule was so nuts (rotating shift work… one of the worst schedules there is!) that I started taking our baby on long walks and short hikes.
Then I heard about Hike it Baby, and once we attended our first hike I knew we had finally found our Upstate New York tribe. That’s the thing about military life. You have to find a new tribe each time you move and it can be a little nerve-wracking trying to find the right fit. Thankfully, it gets easier with each new move adventure, and you learn to recognize which groups will make you feel the most welcome.
Enjoying the Lake George 12ster Challenge
Our Hike it Baby friends introduced us to some amazing hikes that took us longer distances than I thought were possible with a baby in tow (that didn’t involve camping). We were hooked and managed to complete the Lake George 12ster Challenge with our 1-year-old riding in the hiking pack (you can read more about that in this post). We enjoyed camping in various locations, and we took up creek and waterfall exploration when the intense summer heat and humidity made hiking for miles impractical. These were a favorite for our little explorer who loves all things water!
I fell in love with snowshoeing while stationed here. With multiple feet of snow present for 4+ months of the year, we had to find something that would allow us to continue adventuring outdoors when regular hiking wasn’t practical. I loved the feel of powering through a majestically snowy landscape without fear of sinking into the snow or slipping down the icy mounds. I still yearn to live in a destination where we can pull out the snowshoes again!
Moving from One End of the Country to the Other: New York to Washington State
Upstate New York was one of my favorite duty stations because it helped grow my love of the outdoors and helped us create the foundation of a nature-loving life for our kiddos. We knew that our next adventure would be very different when we got orders for Washington State. As we contemplated this, we decided to make the most of our cross-country move with an epic road trip.
We managed to visit family and friends in Kentucky, Missouri, and Colorado while slowly making our way across the country. We visited various National Park lands including Mammoth Cave National Park, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Grand Teton National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. We also got to see some pretty cool museums, such as the City Museum in St. Louis and the Dinosaur Resource Center in Colorado. It was a lot to see in three weeks, but it was amazing!
Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State
By the time we got to Washington, we were exhausted and ready to settle into our new home. I also happened to be around 3 months pregnant with our youngest, so I was ready to not be in the car anymore! We started exploring our new surroundings right away by visiting the nearby trail systems.
We quickly discovered that hiking in the Pacific North West was VERY different from hiking in Upstate New York. For one thing, everything was pretty flat. Also, it was constantly rainy and overcast, so I had to adjust to the new climate. Thankfully, I joined the local Hike it Baby chapter, and quickly found a new tribe of like-minded families that we enjoyed exploring with.
We focused on seeking out the most epic puddles we could find. My oldest basically lived in his Oakiwear rain suit (though he still got wet underneath since he preferred to swim in all the puddles). We also visited the coast and Olympic National Park multiple times during the first year we lived there. It's still one of my favorite places in the U.S. since it offers so many different ecosystems to explore within one park. It also provided some of the best tidepools I have ever seen.
We definitely adapted our adventure style while in Washington. We continued to hike but chose to seek out puddle-stomping adventures rather than elevation. Also, tide-pooling and berry picking became two of our favorite outdoor activities. We weren’t able to explore and travel the area as much as I would have liked since COVID hit about 15 months after we moved here. We made the most of it though and have fond memories of this duty station.
Moving Across the Country Again: Washington State to Virginia
When we received orders to move back across the country again, we were all pretty excited. We planned another epic road trip, but this one was different. Rather than focusing on visiting National Park Lands, we decided to visit and explore nature with as much family as possible. We started by visiting my grandmother in California, followed by my husband’s grandmother in Arizona. With COVID restrictions starting to lift, we were able to see our loved ones, but we spent as much time outside with them as we could to reduce the possibility of exposure.
Reactions to the Grinch in Downtown St. Louis, MO
We also visited our families in Colorado (and did tons of hiking at our favorite places) along with friends in Missouri and family in Kentucky. We hadn’t seen any of this family in years due to the pandemic (and military) restrictions, and it filled out hearts to be able to visit, even if we did have to mask up. We made it to Virginia rejuvenated and ready for a new chapter in our lives.
Quick Stop in Las Vegas with Family
Southeast Virginia
After being so shut in while living in Washington, I was so ready to start exploring! We got to Virginia about a week before Christmas and started adjusting to the new climate (so much more sun!). Since we had decided to homeschool our kiddos while living in Washington, we were able to focus on adventuring rather than stressing about school restrictions and schedules. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a very active homeschooling community here. We quickly found groups that fit our nature-loving mindset and found our tribe once again.
Adventuring with our Nature Explorers Co-Op
Our adventure style changed quite a bit when we moved here. We still hiked, of course. However, there wasn’t much tide-pooling, puddle stomping, or snowshoeing to be found. Instead, we discovered a love of kayaking, paddleboarding, and all things water. We are within 30 minutes of numerous beaches, so we get to enjoy the sand and waves whenever we want. My youngest is happiest when he gets to be near water, so this has been an incredible experience for our family so far!
Our next adventure will involve camping our way around the east coast and visiting as many historical sites as possible before the military takes us on our next adventure. Will we move back across the country? Will we stay here for another duty assignment? We won’t know for a while, but regardless of where we end up, we know that our adventure style will likely adapt again, and I’m excited to see what happens next!
Paddleboarding at our Favorite Beach
Nature is Our Constant
Through all of our moves and all our adventures, our love of exploring and appreciating nature has stayed constant. Each place comes with the need for flexibility to adapt to the new norm, but our basis has always been nature. We strive to raise our boys to respect, honor, and enjoy nature, no matter where they are. Because you can always find joy and comfort in nature as long as you take the time to look.