https://app.mavenbuilt.com/
Spend a little extra and get her a customized set of Maven B3's in 8x30. You can select custom colors and get custom engraving on the eyepiece ring. Performs as well as binos that cost 3x as much.
I live in Garnett, which is at the halfway point on the Prairie Spirit trail. There's pretty good camping at Lake Garnett, which is along the trail, and is in walking distance from food. You could do approx 25 miles on day 1, camp at Lake Garnett, then do 25 miles on day 2. It's a rail trail...
Alternate idea, you could go out to the Flint Hills near Emporia or Council Grove and hike a loop on minimum maintenance roads. That area is really beautiful in early May after it greens up. Lots elevation gain and loss, and no ticks to worry about.
Scarcity for one thing. Less than 70,000 of them out there, vs about 400,000 elk and 4 million mule deer. Scarcity creates economic and cultural incentives for people to poach them, which justifies a higher level of legal deterrence. $11,000 and a 2 year break from hunting isn't going to ruin...