Girls Outside with Ijams: A hike celebrating the best of fall

Last Sunday, nine girls and three women guides explored Ijams together on a lovely fall afternoon with Girls Outside (G.O.) with Ijams. 

After getting to know each other and a quick refresher on the principles of "Leave No Trace," we hit the trail. The girls enjoyed a snack break along the river, sunning like lizards on large boulders, and trying out a little nature obstacle course located along the greenway. While on the boardwalk, the girls spotted a bald eagle soaring over the Tennessee River, its white head and tail gleaming brilliantly in the autumn sunshine.

We were joined on the hike by two members of the Abby Gibson Memorial Foundation, and so we took a few minutes at the end of the hike to honor Abby, a girl who loved animals and the outdoors, by planting milkweed seeds in the meadow near Jo's Grove. The girls knew a lot already about why milkweed is important for monarch butterflies. 

Next summer when the girls return, they can look for the flowers from their scattered seeds and remember their fall hike!

This is G.O. with Ijams second hike since announcing our new partnership. Look for our next G.O. with Ijams hikes starting up again in early 2017!

- Kelly Sturner, Girls Outside with Ijams Founding Partner and Hike Leader