hiking with children

hiking in Palo Duro Canyon

Fall is our favorite time to hike.  After spending the latter half of the summer cooped up to escape the heat, the reprieve of autumn has us outside pretty much constantly.  Hiking is one of our most favorite things to do as a family.  We have hiked with the kids since they were babies, carrying them on our backs or up on daddy's shoulders.  We have hiked on city trails, up mountain sides, and down to the creek.  If a day isn't quite going the way we'd like, all it takes are the words "let's go for a hike" to cheer everyone up!

Hiking with children is different than hiking with a group of friends.  I prefer to hike with children because the pace is nice and slow and gives me lots of time to check out the surroundings.  Children are such keen observers and are happy to stand quietly to hear the rabbit rustling in the brush or to get down low to check out a tiny troop of ants busy at work.  In order for us to have the best time we can, we have taught our children some hiking rules to follow.  This gives us all a peace of mind and allows us to enjoy our time together even more so.

1.  Whistles
The one thing we always give our children when we set out for some day hiking, or the minute we get to a camp ground for a weekend stay, is a set of whistles.  We let them try out the whistle while we are setting up camp, getting all of their whistles out.  After they have had some fun time with the whistle we remind them of the purpose.  If they wander away, see a snake or feel lost, we tell them to blow out 3 short whistles.  We practice a couple of times together so they know the drill.  We have found that when they are playing with their whistles (who can resist?), they tend to blow long whistles.  The shorter blows take more effort and concentration.

2.  Stay with the group!
We are sticklers on this.  While we are out hiking we want them to stay close by and on the marked trail. The time will come when they are older and can venture out a bit on their own, but for now, we prefer them close by.

3.  Hug a tree!
Even though we try to keep everyone close, the time comes when one will run up ahead of us and shoot around a bend out of our eyesight.  We have taught our children that if they get away from us to stop where they are and hug a tree!  They are to stay put hugging on that tree and blowing on their whistle until we find them.  This is something we practice before we start out, and when we get to the trail head.  "Quick!  Hug a tree!".

4.  Everyone carries their own water and snack.
This is difficult for smaller children, but it can be done.  We want our children to carry their own water and snack just in case they get lost and are apart from us for a long time.  While we would never anticipate them truly getting lost, it DOES happen.  It is better to be safe.  Currently we use water bottles and small backpacks, but I would love to invest in a small CamelBak for each member of our family.  (note:  I don't always do this for short hikes.  But if we are going out for a few miles, I do try to have everyone carry their own pack.)

vine swings!

5.  Explore!
Remember that hiking is about the experience!  It is not about getting to the destination.  If the area is safe, take time to go off trail a bit as a family.  See what's at the top of that hill- together.

6.  Rest!
If you want happy hikers, be prepared to take lots of stops along the way.  And be sure that they know that you don't mind the break!  Sighing or rushing can make them feel guilty and not enjoy the moment.  Push and encourage to go on when necessary: "Let's see if we can make it to that waterfall!", but know when enough is enough.  Trust me!

I think this list could go on.  There are ways to make hikes fun for those they may be a bit reluctant (like letter boxing), and there are ways to challenge your family to press on farther.  But this is a good beginning.  Because really, hiking should be about being together experiencing the beauty of nature.  If things seem too "ruley" it's not going to be any fun- for anybody.  Up front training and gentle reminders can keep everyone in good spirits along the trail and make for a memorable hike.


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If you are new to hiking and would like more details about what to pack in your own backpack, or the gear to carry along, please ask away!


If you are experienced in hiking with children, what are some tips you'd like to add?

letterboxing

Earlier this week we picked up a buddy and went letterboxing.

We headed over to Washington on the Brazos (the birthplace of Texas) because it is close, free, and there are tons of letterboxes hidden all over the park grounds.

I learned of letterboxing this summer from a couple of friends that had been doing it for a while.  They told us about it before we left for our road trip up to Pennsylvania.  Unfortunately, we were only able to hunt for one letterbox on that trip and hadn't picked up our journal since.

Moonpie putting our first stamp in our journal.  She found a compass on the trail
and was pretty excited about that treasure!

Letterboxing is a nation wide scavenger hunt!  People hide boxes all over and then leave the clues to find the box on the letterbox website.  The letterboxes are small containers containing a journal and a stamp.  We have our journal, stamp and stamp pad.  When we follow the clues and find the box, we open it up and stamp our family stamp into the journal they have left behind in the box.  We also put our name and the date we found it.  Then, we take their stamp and stamp it into our family journal, including the location and the date.

stopping for a snack break.  yes, he's wearing a pajama shirt.

This week we found a letterboxer that left 4 boxes.  Her boxes had handmade stamps in them and followed along with the book The Legend of the Bluebonnet by Tomie DePaola.  She even put excerpts from the story on her clue sheet so I could read them aloud at each stopping point.  Her boxes were somewhat of a challenge to find.  I had to climb under a low-lying cypress for one.  I have the scratches to prove it.

Moonpie and her friend  looking over the Brazos River

Interested in letterboxing?  Here's how it's done:

• find a journal for your family to use
• find a "family stamp"- one that represents your family.  Our stamp has four owls on it.
• get a stamp pad and pen
• keep it all together in a letterbox bag
• throw in a couple of zip-lock baggies just in case the ones in the boxes you find are trashed
• go to the letterbox website and type in the area you want to hunt.  You can even search for specific parks (like I did this week).  If you find a match, clue titles will pop up.  You click on one and then you will receive directions.

sweet friends.  i love this picture!

The fun of letterboxing is the adventure of it.  The clues we have followed have led us to places in parks that we never would have gone to without it.  It is age appropriate for everyone in the family and really just a fun, free way to spend a good time with each other.

***have older kids?  try geocaching!

resolution

Remember the big ol' road trip we took this summer?  All the way to Pennsylvania and back?  There was so much beauty to behold on that trip.  From the people we met to the waterfall we slid down- it was all so lovely.

While we were in Western North Carolina (my mistress state, as my friend calls it), I made a resolution.  I resolved that when I returned home I would try my hardest not to pine for the mountains, the rivers, and waterfalls that this area abounds in.  I resolved that I would find the wonder and the beauty in that which surrounds me at home.

Moonpie relaxing in a tree.

A few weeks ago a friend invited us out to her new home.  Her  home is very close to a campground on a lake- about 15 miles from me.  She suggested that we go out there and check out some of the nature trails- and I'm so glad we did!  It was beautiful- and just what I needed.
The next weekend we loaded up and went out again as a family.  This time we explored the lake front, and of course, the lake.

We did a little hiking and found this amazing tree covered in Spanish moss.  It was like a dream.  I wish you could have seen it with me.  It was so huge and welcoming.  I've been thinking about that tree this week, ready to go back and sit under it again.

I  must confess that this morning when John rolled over to check the weather for the day, my heart dropped a little when he said "high of 92 degrees".  I may have mentioned to him how I wish we were back in our little cabin, high in the Blue Ridge mountains.  But that thought doesn't make me any less thankful or amazed at what I have here.