Family Adventure: Hiking With Kids – If your child squeals with delight and grabs their favorite hiking shoes, by all means do a little happy dance inside and enjoy supporting their enthusiasm with some rewarding trail time! But if, let’s say, that enthusiasm isn’t expressed in any way, especially when they enter the pre-teen/teen stage (just saying), all is not lost. It may require getting a little creative and upping your breakfast game.
“We keep it short to enjoy the way we hike. We also expect a lot of stops there. We often talk about looking for signs to see if there are animals nearby or looking for wildflowers. “
Family Adventure: Hiking With Kids
Here’s the thing: In our experience, once kids get out on the trail, they love being out on the trail. So what can you do to get from the front door to the trailhead? We asked the parents here at KEEN, and we’ve got some tricks under our socks for you.
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“When my kids complain about getting home from school, I pull out my stopwatch and see how fast we can make it home. Or see who can find the most mushrooms. The same idea works when walking anywhere!” – Keen parent Ginny
• Match the paint swatches. (If you have some paint swatches left around the house, bring them with you and see who can match them to the ones seen on the first trail.)
“I can’t keep them off the creeks along the trails, and yesterday I made the rookie move of not bringing extra clothes.” – Eager parent David
• Early morning and late night hikes give you the best chance of spotting wildlife (except lizards … they bask in the midday sun)
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“Lately we’ve been taking a small bucket with us to pick blackberries. We also take binoculars to see what things we can find.” – Eager parents Christina
• GORP (good ole raisins and peanuts) but let them help make their own mix, of course including chocolate
• Something to warm the stomach. KEEN Mom packs a small burner and pan for making hot dogs or quesadillas on the Christie Trail or as a parking-lot picnic. Or cook it ahead of time, like KEEN mom Ora does.
We hope these tips help you get your crew of fun hikers out and on the trail. KEEN mom Angela has one more tip once you’re out: “The way we hike is to have fun, we keep it short. Our daughter is almost 4, so the maximum increase we use is half her age rule. One and a half to two miles is perfect. We also expect there to be a lot of stops. We often talk about looking for clues to see if there are animals nearby or looking for wildflowers.”
Tips For Hiking With Kids
What works for you? We’d love to hear it and see you along on your hiking adventures. Share them and tag @keen.kids so we have some new tricks for the trail. In 2002 I met my wife Alyssa while hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT). A family of four hiked the trail with us that year. We both dreamed of hiking the AT as a family as well. As we got closer to planning the trail attempt, when our older children, Charlie and Ruth, were 8 and 6, respectively, we found out that Alyssa was pregnant with our third child, Joe.
Fast forward to early 2021. Global pandemic uncertainty was in full swing. Charlie was 16, busy with high school sports, and I knew this might be our last chance to take a family hiking adventure. Due to scheduling, Alyssa was unable to join the hike that summer, but offered to be our support team.
So, we sat down as a family to talk about whether long trail thru-hiking was an option. The kids knew it would involve sacrifice, but I wasn’t surprised to hear they were game. Alyssa and I have always prioritized getting outside and being active with the kids. Every adventure had two rules:
We didn’t want to force our kids into activities they didn’t want to join. This is the most important reason why our long trail hike was successful.
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We planned food testing, gear checks, physical training and logistics for the next five months before departing in mid-July – one of the rainiest months on record.
Even though our kids have done a lot of backpacking, this will be their longest trip ever. Charlie and Ruth (14) were in good shape from sports training. However, Joe (8) and I (48) needed to prepare for the physical rigors of the trial. I didn’t know if Joe would be able to keep up the pace of about 10 miles a day for four weeks. Joe and I hiked it in the spring and early summer, talking about how the trail would be physically and mentally tough, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t do it. Our favorite saying was “How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time.”
The mental challenge of long trail hiking can sometimes be more difficult than the physical. This made planning our trip the hardest part for me. I had different concerns for each child. I thought the longevity of the trip might be challenging for Joe, the monotony of the same routine day after day might be difficult for Ruth, and I wasn’t sure the trip would be physically challenging enough for Charlie.
After all the planning, an important fact of long distance hiking immediately presented itself. You never know what will happen once you step on the trail. For us, it started with a night hike on our first day, magic on the second day and heavy rain on the third day. While we were hiking in the rain, Ruth was upset that we were missing out on the trail experience. It was at this point that children began to understand that a long-distance hike is not just a moment, but a culmination of experiences together over time.
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I wanted to give my children a chance to experience life differently through this hike. To experience the hardships and triumphs that the trail brings to all of us and to know that they can overcome life’s challenges just as they did trail hiking. And hopefully, have the confidence to take chances to make their dreams come true.
This post was written by GMC Operations Manager Matt Krebs. It appeared in the Spring 2022 edition
Start small and keep it interesting. Try to avoid forcing your children to move around. For younger children, choose day hikes with lots of distractions, such as bridges, water features, or stairs. Keep them busy by asking if they can find the next glitter or cool leaf.
Always pack plenty of snacks. As you can see in every Krabs baby’s reflection, food is the motivator for any increase! Have a special snack or treat for the ride down the mountain or to the car. On longer hikes, make sure your kids eat enough to match their energy output.
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Once your kids are ready for an overnight stay, make sure they aren’t carrying too much. 10 to 20 percent of their body weight is the recommended maximum. Eight-year-old Joe’s pack weighed about 10 pounds, while Ruth and Charlie carried 30 pounds.
Be flexible and have a back-up plan (or three). Krebs deals with damp blistered feet and ankle pain. Learn about options for your first overnight, nearby campsites or bail out.
The Green Mountain Club’s mission is to make Vermont’s mountains play a bigger role in people’s lives. We are committed to ensuring that GMC and the Long Trail System are places that are inviting, safe and open, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status.
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Hiking with kids can be a memorable way to spend quality time in nature, but it’s not always a walk in the park. Whether your family is new to hiking or you consider yourself an accomplished hiker, there’s a lot to consider before taking your kids along for an adventure.
That extra effort is worth it, though. Research shows that spending time in nature has positive effects on physical, mental and emotional health – from improving mood to reducing stress and increasing feelings of happiness. For children, exposure to nature can have lasting effects. Some studies have found that children with regular access to green spaces such as roads and parks have a lower risk of mental disorders as adults. Outdoor play has also been shown to improve attention and cognitive function, inspire creativity, and help children learn about the world.
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