Lessons from My Family’s Trail Quest Odyssey: Growing Up in Virginia’s State Parks

In 2015, before we had kids, my husband and I set off on what we thought was a straightforward challenge: visit every single Virginia State Park and complete the Trail Quest program. Unburdened by nap schedules, diaper bags, or snack rations, we logged parks quickly. Without backseat passengers, casual day trip drives to remote state parks were opportunities to have deep, engaging conversations. Pushing our physical limits across sweeping landscapes felt boundless and thrilling.

Then our first daughter arrived in 2018—and like any true epic, our path took an unexpected turn. We decided we wanted to complete the program with her, so we hit reset on our Trail Quest.

Then, when our second daughter arrived in 2020, we hit reset again.

“You’re a beekeeper? Do you make honey?”

This is a common question we get when someone first discovers we’re beekeepers. And it’s one we’ve been answering for twelve years!

My husband and I first started our beekeeping journey in 2013. We attended a class put on by our local beekeepers’ association and were assigned a mentor who gave us just enough hands-on training in his bee yards to get us started on our own.