Hiking With Kids: Five Things To Know

 I have been a father for seven years now, and my notions of adventure have changed and changed again. There truly is no telling what might happen on any given hike or outing with the kids in tow, and no two are alike. In this post I am going to be writing about a few ideas that have helped me make it out alive and with my sanity mostly intact.

Ideas of time and distance and objectives are phantoms with no grasp of reality.

When you go adventuring with the kids, lets not fool ourselves, we are on their time. This concept took me a long time to get my head around. When Kate was born, I would plan hikes or outings for us that seemed to me short and easy. When she got bored or mad or hungry and cranky these little adventures would be cut short. It took me a long time to puzzle the why of this out. The reality is that no matter what we plan, kids have their own ideas. I had to realize that if I didn’t make getting outside fun for her…if I didn’t change my expectations…it wouldn’t take long for her to not want to go with me anymore. Adventures with kids go at a far different pace. I have to go into the day with the objective being fun rather than a certain distance or pace or destination. A mile hike on a flat trail, stopping to turn over every rock and leaf, is way better than dragging your kids up a mountain kicking and screaming. My girls have helped me to remember that there is magic in the softness of moss on a tree. Through them I have rediscovered the wonder of finding crabs in a tide pool. It’s the act of getting out that is important.

Snacks!!!

Snacks are an important part of even the shortest outing. Our adventure could last all of 15 minutes, but my daughters might have consumed 4 granola bars, a pound of cheerios, two bottles of water, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, three applesauce pouches, and had to pee three times each. Such is the nature of hiking with kids. That said, they could also not eat a bite and hike strong for miles up hill both ways through the rain, Lila in the backpack of course, sleeping all the way. The important thing is to be ready for all of it. If they get it in their heads that they are hungry or thirsty and I have nothing to offer…game over. Snacks can make or break even the best-planned adventure.

A strong pretend game is essential.

I have discovered with my kids that beautiful scenery and fresh air will only get you so far. There comes a point in our hikes when my seven year old just gets bored, and is in need of a little more than the simple act of walking to keep her in engaged. Playing pretend in the woods or mountains rarely fails. We have been famous photographers and knights and goats and eagles and fierce warriors and explorers and anything else that her imaginative mind could possibly come up with. I like to pretend we are something that notices or uses the different plants and animals and landscapes surrounding us. It is a way to bring nature into her thoughts creatively. This has yet to come into focus for my one year old, but Kate would play pretend from the moment she opens her eyes in the morning all the way to bedtime and fall asleep talking about how she was a puppy or baby squirrel or Hermione Granger. Pretending as we hike adds even more adventure and mystery and fun to getting outside.

It takes so much longer to get out the door.

When I was younger I use to snowboard. A lot. Packing for the mountain was automatic. It literally took me longer to brush my teeth in the morning than to get my gear together for a day of riding. Day hikes and fly-fishing trips and backpacking, I was pretty well ready to go with little notice. That all changed with children. Packing the kids up and food and gear and stuffed animals and various kid carrying contraptions takes time and thought and when you are out of the driveway six times out of ten you have to turn around to grab something that you forgot. It gets easier the more you do it, but the little monsters always add a complex dimension to getting on the road. Kate will pack a stuffed animal and a notebook and a rock and a compass and binoculars and a photo album and a bouncy ball but only have on one shoe. That is just how it is. I have learned to take deep breaths go potty even if I don’t have too…just in case my body is tricking me, and roll with it. It is always worth the effort.

Worth every misstep and false start and potty break.

Hiking with kids is hard. You can never really get in the zone. You never hit that meditative pace where the miles melt away. You stop and start and take breaks and a mile feels like three or four. Most of the time the kids end up in arms or on shoulders even if the didn’t start there. I love it. I love to see their faces as they notice some tiny little leaf or stick or puddle and think it is the coolest thing in the world. It’s all worth it when you look back on the drive home and you see those tired little faces passed out and dirty. It’s all worth it when their favorite memories are tucked away beaches and icy cold lakes and falling in a mountain stream because they didn’t need any help to jump across those rocks. Hiking with kids is the best.

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