My blog, The Adventures of a Day Hiker, has been nominated for another award! I was nominated by Emma & Nathan’s Travels. First off, I’d like to thank Emma and Nathan for the nomination. They have a great blog that is definitely worth checking out. It chronicles their adventures all over the world. They have traveled a lot! They’ve been to some of my favorite National Parks and all over South America.
I have previously been nominated for the Liebster Award (twice) and the Sunshine Blogger Award. It’s always great to be recognized and nominated. I know it’s not quite like winning an Oscar, but it’s probably around the same level as an Emmy right? The great thing about these community blog awards are that they are given out by your peers. Then if you get nominated you can go and nominate some of your favorite blogs in return. It’s a fun way to network and discover new blogs.
Anyway, here are the rules of the Versatile Blogger Award:
1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Share 7 facts about yourself
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers of your choice
4. Link your nominees and let them know you nominated them
7 Facts about me:
1. First and foremost I am a family man. I have been married for five years. My wife, Ashley, and I have two amazing children. Noah just turned four and Charlotte is two. If I’m not at work I’m almost always with my family. We do everything together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
2. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English, but didn’t really use it for several years. I rarely use my degree at my job, but I have started writing a lot over the last five or six years. I published my first book, The Adventures of a Day Hiker, in 2015. This blog, which goes by the same name, is unsurprisingly based on my book. I also have another blog, Just an Ordinary Man Trying to be an Extraordinary Dad, which I started last December. That blog focuses on fatherhood and stories about my kids. My second book, And Then There Were Two: A New Father’s Perspective, is due out this fall.
3. I love to travel. If you’ve read this blog you know I’ve spent a lot of time exploring National Parks. I have gone on seven road trips concentrated on National Parks of the American West. I have hiked and camped a lot out there. Frankly, I’m running out of things to write about from my western travels, because I haven’t made it out there in years. Once my kids are a little older we’ll start taking them across the country to visit the great parks, too. We haven’t entirely shied away from traveling, just because we have two kids under five. We have taken them on cruises, gone to Disney World, and visited family in Florida.
4. I am a big Buffalo Bills fan. I know, I know, it’s quite painful. I can’t help it though; I was born and raised in the suburbs of Buffalo. I had season tickets for a few years, but have wizened up a bit since then.
5. I am very interested in outdoor photography. That’s another thing you could probably figure out from following my blog. I have a decent camera (Canon Rebel Xs), but it’s fairly outdated by today’s standards. I’d like to upgrade before I head back to the National Parks. One of my favorite things to do when exploring the parks has been taking photos and documenting my time there. I could spend hours photographing my favorite landscapes (although that’s probably not especially fun for anyone traveling with me at the time).
6. I know how to juggle. I can only juggle three things at a time though, and have not (and will not) try swords, knives, or anything else dangerous.
7. I read a lot. I almost exclusively read non-fiction. I feel like reading helps me improve my writing and as long as I’m reading I’m always learning more. I mostly read about things that I am most interested in; hiking, National Parks, travel, and more.
My 10 nominees:
2. 4 Radical Roadschoolers and a Fat Cat
4. Handstands Around the World
6. My Time Too
7. John and Katie’s RV Honeymoon
10. Bound to Explore
The Adventures of a Day Hiker 
Thank you, Matthew, for the nomination. I have always loved visiting and hiking in national parks. So it’s no surprise that I thoroughly enjoy following along on your adventure. Your writing took me back to the places I have fond memories of and inspired me to explore new places. You’ll have to come out to the West again soon before running out of writing materials. 😉
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You’re welcome and thank you for what you wrote about my blog. That’s exactly what I’m trying to do. And you’re right I do have to make it back out west soon. I don’t think the kids are ready for the long drive or flight quite yet though.
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Congratulations to you and thanks for the nomination! I’ve enjoyed following along on your blog. So much useful info and beautiful pics to go along with your well written narrative. Keep up the good work 🙂
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Thanks so much!
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Thanks so much for the nomination and congrats on another blogging award!! I agree with Keng that your posts take us back to places we’ve been in a way that makes us feel as though we are in your shoes, and get us excited to check out new places! Still remember your post about Bryce getting us so psyched to go! So grateful for the National Parks System in the US and in other countries so that we may all enjoy the most beautiful places on earth! Really hope you make it up to Alaska sometime soon, too! It’s a magical place that you would absolutely love!
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Thank you! I obviously love the National Parks too like you guys and am thankful we have them here. I promise one day I’ll make it to Alaska, but my kids are 2 and 4 so Alaska will probably have to wait a little longer than I’d prefer.
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Ah, yeah I’m sure they’d appreciate it a little more when they’re older. It’ll just make it that much sweeter!
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Thank you so much for the nomination! I love reading your blog. I’ve learned about some great hikes since I started following you.
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Thanks!
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