Nowell Morgan knows adventure is out there

Nowell Morgan may be small, but he is mighty. As just two years old, Morgan enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and exploring with his parents David and Jacqueline. 

Living an active lifestyle has always been at the forefront for the Morgan family, and Jacquelyn said, “David and I both have pretty much always been into living an active lifestyle. That is one of the things that drew us together as a couple. Nowell seems happiest when he is with us and doing what we love to do.”

“It is really an amazing blessing that we all three seem to enjoy the same adventurous things in life. We are fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of traveling together. We have a camper and travel often! Nowell loves being in the mountains and riding green downhill mountain bike trails on his seat that attaches to David’s bike. We started riding the TCMB Ridgeland trails with Nowell about one year ago using the “Kids Ride Shotgun” seat. He also has a strider bike that he loves ripping around on. He loves berms and riding skinnies,” said Jacqueline.

While a mountain bike can seem overwhelming for even an adult, Nowell has a Kids Ride Shotgun seat, which attaches to his parents’ bikes.

“This seat is designed for kids 2-5 years old. We started Nowell a little early, at around 18 months, because we knew he was ready with great grip strength and balance, and also because David is such an experienced rider. The seat is adjustable to fit all mountain bikes, and we highly recommend it! We didn’t really have to train him. He is a sharp kid. He took right to the seat, and neither of us has ever felt nervous or anxious about it. His feet sit on the footpegs, and he just holds on to the handlebars,” said Jacqueline.

David was born and raised in Canton and loves that his son is now going on adventures in his hometown riding the same streets he rode as a child.

“We love riding around Canton. Nowell loves listening to the music on the square and cruising around there. We ride through the bank drive-through at Bank Plus and Regions, and all the girls in the window just adore seeing him on my bike. It’s an easy ride to the Canton playgrounds. He loves passing the fire and police stations to get there,” said David.

“Most of the sidewalks all throughout town are designed nicely for biking. I believe seeing Nowell riding around brings joy to a lot of Cantonians. The town has a lot of fun and scenic areas to explore, and you can get around town quickly and easily,” said David.

The Morgans plan to continue to instill the importance of an active and healthy lifestyle into Nowell. Both of them realize how blessed they are to get to spend so much time outdoors with their son.

“Honestly, I feel like we are just extremely fortunate to live this active lifestyle with him. Most kids don’t get to do this sort of stuff all the time. David and I always talk about how awesome all of it would’ve been when we were kids. I guess we just really want to give him the best life we can. Of course, physical activity and fresh air is great for everyone, but studies have shown that children who are active report fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression and a better overall mood. Exercise helps improve motor coordination and enhances the development of various motor performance skills. The benefits go on and on, but I think the best part about it is that he isn’t just sitting around staring at a screen all day. He is really enjoying life with his parents,” said Jacqueline.

Knowing school will keep him in a classroom and behind a desk for a large portion of the day, the Morgans plan to increase their outdoor adventures.

“Hopefully, our lifestyle will counteract the effects of that. We hope that by being outdoors and spending time in nature often he will learn and see things that will positively impact the way he views the world. It is a stepping stone to physics - being able to experience first-hand the forces of gravity and learn about gravity and momentum and the way those forces affect him relative to his environment,” said Jacqueline.