A desire to spend more time outdoors as an adult led to Kate Gibson starting to hike and then creating a business from it.
By Ara Jansen
When her son was six weeks old, Kate Gibson could finally get out of the house. She strapped the newborn to her chest and went for a hike in John Forrest National Park. The freedom felt fabulous – and being able to finally stand up straight felt equally special. Bless him, the baby slept the whole way, and Kate was reminded of why she loves the outdoors.
Hiking also helped her mental health when, after the birth, Kate’s new identity as a mother felt a little daunting.
Kate had hiked and walked for much of her pregnancy and soon after the birth, a monthly hike she had been organising turned into The Hike Collective. Like many such endeavours, it started as a casual group of people who wanted to hike. She also discovered that lots of people wanted to hike – even if very gently – but didn’t know how to go about figuring out the logistics. These days the Hike Collective hosts around 20 to 30 hikes a month.
“Growing up in an outdoors lifestyle, I rode horses, did athletics and outdoor sports,” says Kate. “Moving to Germany in my early 20s led to me joining in the country’s most popular outdoor activity – hiking in the forests. When I came back to Perth I qualified as a personal trainer. What I didn’t count on was how much time I would spend inside.”
Kate started training her clients outside to get “more green” into her day. In November 2016, she took a small group hiking – a couple of clients, her brother and her partner, who brought a friend. It was the birth of The Hike Collective.
“We didn’t go too far from the city, but word got around and soon there were 100 people turning up every month.”
Supporting her interest in mental health and a desire for philanthropy, you could join a hike for a gold coin donation which went to Beyond Blue.
The hikes continue to revolve around three ideas – movement has transformative power, connection is hugely important – whether it’s to someone else, self or nature – and that the outdoors and nature must be nurtured.
While she continues to hike, Kate made trail running her main outdoor hobby a few years ago. Living in the Hills, she also spends time out on her bush block, some of which has been tamed into a veggie patch. She walks the dog and also goes on bush scavenger hunts with her son, now six. Anything with a bit of colour he considers magical.
“Being outdoors helps both our mental and physical health,” says Kate. “Being able to get my son outside definitely benefits him if he’s going a bit crazy. It calms him and allows him to focus on using his hands more. I think it has the same power for adults too. It’s one of the main things we love about having a bigger block and living in the Hills.”
Kate takes her own prescription for nature very proactively. Rather than waiting until it’s too late, she makes sure her tank is always full. Her number one go-to is always a walk with the dog but now her son can ride a bike, she can trail run at a speed he can pedal.
“I know people go hiking for physical health and mental wellbeing but honestly I think the calm you get from being outdoors in nature is even more beneficial than anything physical.”
For other opportunities to get more green into your world, check out www.outdoorswa.org.au/places-to-go, www.trailswa.com.au or www.hikewest.org.au