Hope Is an Action: Raising Kids to Care for Wild Places with Ultrarunner Mike Foote

• The freedom Mike experienced growing up in rural Ohio—and how it shaped his creativity, confidence and connection to the outdoors
• Why giving children independence can feel more complicated for parents today
• Letting children lead outside, even when the outing looks very different from what the adult planned
• The value of unstructured play, manageable risk and simply leaving the house without a destination
• How achievement-oriented adults can learn to experience the outdoors at a child’s pace
• Climate anxiety and Mike’s belief that hope is something we practice through action
• Inviting children into conservation, stewardship and communities that care for the land
• The story behind Shining Mountains and what historical photographs reveal about Glacier National Park’s changing landscape
• How The Rut Mountain Runs is working to support access, community and care for wild places
• Mike’s experience with chronic pericarditis and nearly two years away from running
• What Mike began to notice when he could no longer move quickly through the outdoors
• The relationship between nature, movement, connection and mental health
• Redefining a meaningful life outside beyond speed, distance and achievement
• Protecting unscheduled time to be more fully present with our children

A few moments from the conversation

Mike remembers a childhood spent roaming the woods of rural Ohio, digging holes, building forts and climbing trees. There was little structure and plenty of freedom—an experience he now recognizes as foundational to his creativity, confidence and lifelong connection to the outdoors.

Now raising two energetic boys of his own, Mike is trying to preserve some of that freedom while navigating a world that feels busier, more congested and more safety-conscious. He and Ashley talk honestly about the tension between allowing children to take meaningful risks and wanting to protect them from dangers that feel different from those they encountered as kids.

Mike often heads outside with his children without a destination or organized activity in mind. The goal is simply to leave the house and let them lead—riding bikes, walking to the creek, throwing rocks in the water or hitting sticks against trees. What can look like a lack of planning may actually create the space children need for genuine play.

The conversation also turns toward climate change and the fear many parents carry about the future their children will inherit. Mike offers a powerful framework: Hope is an action. Joining a trail-work day, supporting a conservation organization or involving children in stewardship can transform despair into connection and purpose.

After a post-viral heart condition prevented Mike from running—and sometimes even walking—for nearly two years, he began noticing details he had previously passed at speed: bear-claw marks on a ponderosa pine, the locations of bird nests, plants beneath the forest canopy and seasonal changes close to home.

When Mike finally returned to the summit of Missoula’s Mount Sentinel, he hiked every step and stayed at the top to take in views he had passed hundreds of times before. The mountain was familiar, but his experience of it had changed. He was no longer measuring the outing through speed or distance, but through gratitude, attention and connection.

Ultimately, Mike wants to be present with his children not only physically, but mentally. He is learning to protect open space in his schedule so there is room to read on the couch, kick a ball in the backyard or wander down to the creek. Those moments may appear small, but they are often where connection takes root.