Family Fun Tip: Hiking!

 Originally Posted on April 10, 2018 in Free, Fun, Family

Last weekend, we took our first family hike of 2018.  It was later for us to do this than usual, but we’ve taken to doing more family walks around the neighborhood and city parks this year, so I don’t mind.  However, hiking is always one of our favorite forms of entertainment.

My first date with Min was a hike almost exactly 10 years ago (this May).  We climbed a mountain, talked about spiritual beliefs vs. religion, put our bare feet in a mountain stream, stopped to smell the flowers, ate and napped at a mountainside family restaurant, and fell in love (well maybe not on the first date…).  Hiking has been a routine part of our relationship ever since.  We both love the woods and climbing mountains.

When we became parents, we found it challenging to hike as often as we had before.  When the kids were very little, we could strap them in baby carriers and haul them with us, but there is a challenging time between 18 months and 3-4 years old where a kid is a bit large to carry everywhere (and can reasonably walk on their own), but cannot sustain lengthy hikes with much elevation.

Cunningham Falls is one of our favorite local hikes.

Eventually, we found which trails were well-suited to younger hikers (terrain with minimal elevation changes in the 0.75-2.5 mile range), and built up a list of reliable trails in our area.  Most national, state, and local parks have excellent resources online and in the nature/visitor center.  I highly recommend doing the planning/research needed because hiking is one of the greatest forms of family engagement for very low costs.

Young children adore nature.

Sometimes they love it so much you don’t get very far on your planned hike if your two year old wants to touch every leaf and climb every rock (see right).  Nature brings out the best in children–the innocence and wonder and joy.  We see them become mini-explorers, scientists, conservationists, researchers, botanists… everything.

Baby "king of the rocks."

But children also can be temperamental, over-sensitive hiking companions.  You have to plan ahead but be willing to go with the flow.  And you have to be confident in your own physical and emotional skills (carrying a squirming, crying 40-ish pound child for 1/2 mile over rocks and tree roots while everyone else looks at you like you are the worst parent ever might happen to you, too).  Here are some tips to make hiking as a family work out a little better:

1. Bring enough water for everyone. I recommend at least one full water bottle per person.
2. Bring snacks with carbs and protein. Our favorite cheap hiking snacks are fresh fruit (if we’re hiking along the Appalachian Trail, we bring extra fresh fruit for thru-hikers if we encounter them), nuts, dark chocolate, and string cheese sticks.  Everyone is always hungrier in the mountains.
3. Bring the child carrier.  Trust me.  Shove it into the bottom of your backpack if you want to encourage your toddler to walk more, but you will always wish you’d brought it if your children are under 5.
4. Dress in layers and proper foot gear. The mountains are cooler than surrounding areas, but you’ll warm up as you hike.  This is not just for the kids–your own comfort is important, too!
5. Be willing to turn around if your kids are just not having it. Our son wasn’t into the hike we took this weekend, but ended up having a great time exploring the nearby lake with Min while my daughter and I forged ahead.  It’s ok.

I also do a bit more research online before embarking on an unfamiliar trail than I did when I was hiking as an adult.  Blogs and trail guides make this very easy these days.  For example, the Cunningham Falls State Park website helped us decide which trail to try when we went there for the first time, years ago.  Get out there and enjoy the woods!