**CONTEST CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO MERRY REASONS GARZA!**

After childbirth, new mothers deal with their catapult into parenthood in many different ways. Some ease into it without a problem (a recent study showed there were three women worldwide who fit this profile). For the rest of us, our coping mechanisms may include denial, bewilderment, tears or Prozac.

For me, it was Colorado Mountain Mamas.

When my colicky firstborn was six weeks old, I discovered this hiking group for moms. Before long, I was hitting the trail with everyone from the gal who had never hiked before to the triathlete. I formed lasting friendships, got into shape and shared my great love of the outdoors with my daughter.

Colorado Mountain Mamas was founded by Joy Opp (and her daughter Amanda) in the spring of 2003 when Amanda was about 4 months old. Joy is a native of Colorado and naturally thought that hiking with her new baby would be easy but it wasn’t – it was lonely and intimidating! So Joy quickly gathered as many moms as she could for some hikes and the idea was formulated. Nine years later, CMM has had over 2,400 members trekking the trails with their seven hike leaders.

CMM offers hikes for moms with babies newborn to 2 years in a pack (with three different levels of difficulty), hikes for toddlers ages 2 to 6 and recently introduced hikes for school-aged kids (ages 7-11) that start in June. They also have stroller walks or runs, and casual bike rides with the baby trailer. Go here for a schedule of events. Membership is $65 for unlimited hiking for one year. Mountain Mamas also has a Colorado Springs chapter that opened two years ago.

Contest

We are thrilled to offer one lucky mama and her kids a one-year membership to Colorado Mountain Mamas. Simply go here to enter. Contest deadline is June 16, 2012.