Hiking is a family affair for guidebook author Craig Romano

By Jessi Loerch

Washington Trails Association

Craig Romano took his son, Giovanni, on his first hike on Christmas morning two years ago. Giovanni was 11 days old and they took a 1-mile stroll at Little Mountain in Mount Vernon.

Romano is a prolific guidebook author. Since having his son, he’s still hiking more than 1,200 miles a year. Having a child hasn’t changed that, but it has added a new dimension to his love for the outdoors and his dedication to living an active life. He’s raising Giovanni to have that same love and deep connection to the outdoors.

Now, when he hikes with Giovanni, Craig has a new focus. Twenty-mile days are no longer the goal — it’s more important to ensure his son has a good time.

“It’s funny,” Craig said. “My hiking life hasn’t changed much since he was born. Where it has changed is that I’ve taken more time to incorporate taking my boy out.”

Recently, Craig has been able to incorporate Giovanni into more of his hiking research than he would normally be able to. He’s working on a series of urban trail guidebooks, and bringing Giovanni on those trails is much easier than taking him into the backcountry.

“The urban trails have been great,” Craig said. “It’s been ideal that this whole series launched right when I had him. It’s perfect. I can work with him on this book. It was one of those things where everything fell into place.”

Since the birth of their son, Craig and his wife, Heather, have been careful to look out for each other’s need to get outside. For Craig, that’s time to get in those 20-mile days or trips on trails too rough for Giovanni. For Heather, it’s time for long bike rides.

With a toddler, Craig and Heather aren’t able to take epic hikes together. But they’ve been creative to get out as a family. They recently took a 52-mile family bike trip on the Chehalis Western Trail while Craig did research for the “Urban Trails: Olympia” book.

Finding time to write has also required creativity. Craig writes at home, and he has learned that an active toddler expecting his attention isn’t great for his productivity. For a recent deadline, Heather took Giovanni to the Oregon Coast so Craig could put his head down and write furiously.

And when Craig’s out in the field, researching, Giovanni and Heather come along whenever possible.

“This is his normal,” Craig said. “It’s the only life he knows. We’ve been doing this from the get-go. We’re definitely raising him with experiences, not things. We want him to really appreciate the natural world and get the most out of it. And, of course, we want him giving back to it, too.”

Since that first hike on Christmas morning two years ago, Giovanni has been on more than 100 hikes. Giovanni seems to enjoy being in the trailer or on Craig’s back in a backpack. Craig makes sure to pause and give Giovanni time to wander around and really engage with the outdoor places they explore. Sometimes, Craig said, that means shifting his mindset.

“The scenery doesn’t matter. Just being out in the woods and seeing squirrels and running water and anything small. Those types of things are going to be more important than vistas. Vistas don’t matter to [small children],” he said. “For someone who likes to do 20-mile days, I have to realize when I’m taking him out that it’s going to be all day for 6 miles.”

The Washington Trails Association is the nation’s largest state-based hiking nonprofit organization. The WTA protects hiking trails and wildlands, takes volunteers out to maintain trails and promotes hiking as a healthy, fun way to explore the outdoors. For more information, go to www.wta.org.

If you go

Craig Romano is scheduled to speak at these events:

Marysville Opera House speakers series: 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 28, Marysville Opera House, 1225 Third St., Marysville. Q&A, book sales and signing. Cost is $3. For more, call 360-363-8408.

Everett branch of The Mountaineers gear grab and and potluck dinner: 6:30 p.m. March 1, Everett United Church of Christ, 2624 Rockefeller Ave. Bring in that gear that has been sitting in your garage for decades. You can sell or trade it and buy more from others.

Molbak’s Garden: 2 to 3 p.m. March 4, NE 175th St., Woodinville. Free. Learn more at www.molbaks.com.