Since June is Great Outdoors Month, this is the perfect time to encourage the girl in your life to get out and explore the great outdoors! Although we live in a city, Indianapolis is blessed with an abundance of beautiful parks with plenty of trails, playground equipment, and swimming pools. Going outside is a great way to get exercise and fresh air, and it can be a chance for girls to take risks and see just what they are capable of accomplishing.

During the first weekend in June, my mom and I took a road trip to Virginia to visit some of our family members who live in the northern part of the state. While we were there, we had the opportunity to visit Shenandoah National Park, which was truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen in the United States. The park includes part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and features Skyline Drive, a 105-mile road which runs the length of the park and features spectacular views, as it is situated along the ridges of the mountains. After driving about midway into the park, we pulled over and started our 4-mile hike. Since our starting point was Skyline Drive, which is at a high elevation, it meant that the first half of our hike was downhill, and the hike back would be uphill. It was a beautiful hike, but my mom and I were really starting to get worn out as we trudged up-up-up on the way back to our car. Along the way, we kept encouraging and pushing one another to keep moving forward. Once we finally reached the end of our hike, we were exhausted but felt the great sense of accomplishment that comes from completing a challenge.

Girls today have so many tempting indoor, couch potato activities that take a lot less energy than going outdoors. It can be hard to get them excited about nature, especially if they don’t have much experience with it. However, once you’ve gotten them outside, I guarantee that each girl can find at least one outdoor activity that she loves and excels at, whether it’s hiking, throwing a Frisbee, playing kickball, kayaking, swimming, playing tennis, climbing trees, or any one of the numerous fun activities that can be done outside. So, let’s get out there and have some fun!

What outdoor activities are you looking forward to doing this summer?