I am Pranali, a Mumbai girl at heart and Bay Area mom by soul!
Summers in the village
I grew up in Mumbai, the city of dreams. Exploring what was outside the door of our loving home was what I always yearned for. As a kid, that meant playing outside; as an adolescent, it meant exploring new places with friends; and as an adult, it meant planning trips.
Nature encounters were reserved for summer, when we visited the village where my dad grew up. We spent afternoons under the mango tree collecting mangoes that the breeze dropped, and walked on small hills in flip-flops with my aunts to gather karvanda and jambhul (hyperlocal berries), making small cones from leaves to hold our treasured fruit before we devoured it. We played in the village river trying to catch fish, collected perfectly round rocks for childhood games, made crafts from large jackfruit leaves, found fun plants like "touch me not" or "magic lines," looked for inverted blue flowers that resembled temple bells, and more!
As I grew up, my trips to the village became less frequent, but the memories stayed, and I moved on to exploring the city for its architecture, science and history.
A cautious explorer
When I moved to the U.S. to pursue my master's degree, my then boyfriend (now husband) introduced me to hiking. But having been in cities for a long time, I was a cautious explorer and didn't like bugs and mud! So I planned outings mainly to cities, with an occasional trail visit.
Life had plans for us: autoimmune disease for my husband, cancer for me, losing my work authorization, and eventually the COVID-19 pandemic, which made getting out harder.
Finding my community
But a few months after our daughter was born, I slowly started rediscovering my love for the outdoors. I looked for thrifty outings, and the trails of the Bay became my friend. After a few attempts at exploring by ourselves, I started a hiking group for some company. That is how I met Miranda, who warmly welcomed me into this beautiful community of adventurers.
These families bring itty bitty babies and energetic kids out on the trail and make memories that remind me of a priceless part of my childhood. I want to keep building these memories for our daughter and my family, one outing at a time!
I would love to meet you on a trail, or during our Toddle Dawdle / Forest Explorers program, which I lead with some other amazing guides on our team.
Tell me, what is your favorite childhood memory of being in the outdoors? We'd love to hear it: email Miranda.
— Pranali Lad, Family Adventure Squad member