EUGENE, Ore. — As he nears his first birthday, Rowdy Briggs, a brown-eyed, chubby-cheeked towhead from Cottage Grove, is making good progress on all his milestones.
He’s babbling; he’s waving; and he’s standing with support, gearing up to take his first tentative steps.
By his birthday on July 28, Rowdy and his mom, Alivea Binder, will reach another important milestone — one that’s all their own.
They will have hiked to 50 northwest waterfalls, from Cedar Creek Falls, near Dorena Lake, southeast of Cottage Grove, to Palouse Falls in Eastern Washington, which they plan to visit next month.
Rowdy and his mom have averaged at least a hike a week since he was 5 months old, logging more than 150 miles on the trail in wind, rain and even snow.
Binder set the goal of hiking with her son to 50 waterfalls in his first year when she was at a low point in her life.
Rowdy was 3 months old when his dad, Binder’s former partner, Kyle Briggs, left his young family, returning to Washington state, Binder said.
“The hardest thing about all of this was becoming a single mom,” she said. “I was at home so miserable, depressed and sad and lonely.
“I was going to counseling and that didn’t seem to be going anywhere. I needed some motive to do something.”
Hiking to waterfalls provided the incentive Binder needed to get up and going.
“Waterfall hikes are so rewarding,” Binder said, as she carried 22-pound Rowdy in a baby backpack along the forested trail to shimmering South Falls at Silver Falls State Park, east of Salem.
“You have a destination, something to see, so all the sweat and hating it is worth it in the end,” said the trim, energetic 24-year-old.
For Binder, hiking is a way to get outdoors, stay fit, lift her mood and strengthen her bond with her son.
It’s also a positive way to cope with all that life throws your way, the single mom said.
“This has been incredible to get out,” she said “It’s like the second you’re hiking and outdoors, it clears your mind.
“I tell my family, hiking is my therapy. It’s the best therapy ever.”
The oldest of seven children, Binder grew up in the Olympia area.
She and Briggs, her former partner, moved to Oregon from Washington in September 2015 to be closer to her family. Binder’s dad, Steven Vann, lives in Dorena.
Two months later, she found out she was pregnant.
Nearly all new parents struggle to adjust to the routine of night feedings, sleep deprivation and being on call around the clock. But Binder had some additional challenges.
Rowdy was nine pounds at birth, and “I’m a small person,” Binder said, adding that it was an all-natural birth.
Rowdy was born with jaundice. His coloring was so yellow and his hair so platinum blond, that she and Rowdy’s pediatrician, Dr. Todd Huffman, both immediately saw the resemblance to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. They jokingly called Rowdy “Baby Trump” until his jaundice cleared, Binder said.
Then just three months after giving birth, Binder suddenly found herself a single mom.
Now within one hike of her audacious 50 waterfalls goal, Binder advises other new moms who may be struggling with relationships or other troubles, to “get out and hike, and get your mind off things. Get out in nature.”
“Just focus on being a good mom and put all your effort into that.”
Pediatrician Huffman said he found Binder’s story “inspiring from the get-go.”
“It’s young parents like Alivea who give me hope for the future,” he said. “She is energetic and curious and articulate. She is a very involved, loving mom and is very eager to show her child the world and teach her child to live big and love nature and explore everywhere.”
“It’s wonderful that Alivea is teaching her child right from the start that there should be no rain or any other weather to slow you down,” Huffman said.
Setting and sticking to such an ambitious goal is “something kind of new for (Alivea),” said Vann, Binder’s dad.
“We’re really proud of her,” he said. “She packed a lot of miles with a baby in a pack, which isn’t easy, and she did it in the time of year when the weather isn’t all that nice, either.”
Vann said it’s amazing how comfortable and contented Rowdy is on the trail.
“We’ve gone on a few hikes with Alivea and offered to take Rowdy, so she could get a break,” Vann said. “The little guy just sits in the pack with a big smile on his face.
“He’s just like, ‘No problem, let’s go for another hike,’ ” Vann said.
He said the hikes his daughter and grandson have taken together have brought mother and son closer together.
“I think any time you share an experience, regardless of the age, you’re going to build a closer bond with each other. When you share an experience you create a bond.”
