Nikki Bettis, a single mom of 15 biological children, laughs now about the detour. Three days into her family’s 1,175-mile trek across North Carolina’s Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a game warden directed their flotilla of canoes and kayaks off the Neuse River ahead of a fishing tournament packed with fast boats and beer.
The Virginia family—including a 7- and 9-year-old—had just finished 30 rugged miles of remote river, weaving through logjams and bushwhacking around fallen trees. It was one of countless unexpected turns on a 70-day paddling, biking and hiking expedition. For Bettis, detours have become part of the journey. Rebuilding a life rarely follows a straight line.
Have kids, will paddle: Nikki Bettis is rebuilding her family one expedition at a time
“Sometimes things just get messy, plans change, so you just gotta go with the flow,” says Bettis, 50, a domestic abuse survivor turned wilderness traveler. “Whether you’re paddling or hiking, if you don’t remain flexible, you will never finish a trail, especially with kids.”
The messiness included weather changes, a route flip from mountains-to-sea to sea-to-mountains, gear delays, packing chaos, a lost tooth, the support van getting stuck in the mud, and the angling competition.
“It’s been daunting to say the least,” laughs Bettis, “but there’s just no mapping it all out. It’s like assembling puzzle pieces as you’re moving forward, one mile at a time.”
Bettis’ ability to pivot has made for extraordinary expeditions. On November 22, 2025, Bettis and seven of her youngest children, ages 7 to 15, finished paddling the 2,350-mile-long Mississippi River, reaching the Gulf of Mexico in 96 days. In 2023, Bettis and 13 of her children, then ages 4 to 19, thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail’s 2,198 miles in seven-and-a-half months—two more months than originally planned.
Taking on long trails started out as a way to cope after domestic violence, divorce and two failed businesses. There were times they had no power, no water and no phone because bills went unpaid. “We had no income, no vehicle, no credit. We couldn’t go any lower.”
To pull herself up, Bettis started walking toward freedom, reconnection and healing broken hearts. There she also found a new calling in documenting her family’s trailblazing journeys at 32 Feet Up and inspiring other women in distress to find a path forward.
“Fear kept me from freeing myself sooner. Don’t listen to the voices that say you can’t because you can. Don’t be afraid.”
Skepticism abounded around the Mississippi River expedition, and disaster was predicted. “Everyone said you’ll die—from the alligators, the whirlpools, the eddies, the dams, the barges.” Nature wasn’t the hazard though, it was the reckless speedboats in the reservoirs above the locks and dams.
And the heaviest load wasn’t on the river itself, where each kid carried their own pack and averaged 20 miles of paddling a day. It was missing the older kids: “Keeping morale up was tough; we had to dig deep for the fortitude and endurance needed to stay out there to be successful thru-paddlers.”
There were so many days she wanted to pack up and go home. “We paddled in the brutal cold, pushed forward in the wind and rain—there were miserable times. We got homesick.” But doing hard things leads to good things and learning along the way.
Bettis says the wilderness continues to teach her how to be a better mom and how to forgive herself. “Some people on social media said I’m a terrible mom for taking them out in the wilderness, and shamed me for staying in an abusive relationship.”
She’s moved past the haters and is embracing the love from followers, her family’s closeness and the shared memories. Bettis has no plans to stop chasing freedom with more rivers, trails and wild ideas, including cycling the 2,700-mile Great Divide Trail.
“My story is all about resilience and getting back up again because if you stay down, you are done,” says Bettis. “The future is filled with hope and adventures—so get up and get outside. We can absolutely all do this.”
This article was published in Issue 75 of Paddling Magazine. Nikki Bettis (back left) with her flotilla during the Mississippi River expedition. | Feature photo: 32feetup.com
