herding cats

“I am going on a day-hike this week with my wife and another couple. They have one kid, a daughter, and I have my two boys and a girl. So 4 kids ranging from 2 to 11 and 4 adults. It's the exact opposite from the hiking I usually do where I am alone in the woods.

My friend is planning to pack his daughter in a carrier, about 30 lbs he says. I'll be packing most of the shared gear, food, lots of water and essentials. Each kid will pack 1l of water and a few snacks.

Anyway, I would be interested in hearing the experiences, successes, and even failures of hiking with little kids. Any tips would be appreciated. I would like this to be a good experience.”

“Bring hammocks and glow sticks, hot dogs and s'mores. You'll be just fine.”

“My advice pitts, other than what wolfeyes said, is to really make it for/about the kids. When my son was young, 5-6 years old, he hated to "hike" but he loved to go on a "nature walk." Same places and distances, but one was preferred over the other. It's the little things.

Expect that kids will not want to walk when you want them to, and expect that they will want to walk when you don't. Expect them to spill or drink all of their water within the first 15 minutes. Kids get bored easily so be prepared for it. (But even at 10 years old, my son is fascinated by the fact that we can boil water and cook and eat Ramen noodles on a tiny stove out in the woods.) You just need to keep them interested and let them participate.

I think it's a great move to introduce them to this at a young age. Good luck and I hope you all have a great time!
last edited: 8/07/05 5:22:46 PM”

“All of the above and be prepared w/ plastic bags and extra or fast drying polyester clothes. Kids don't always get the hang of catholing right away, have aim issues (esp little girls) and some just don't want to do it and will go in their pants (my nephew did this at age 5 he was so freaked out about pooping in a hole in the ground). Be prepared. I suggest taking little girls pants and panties completely off until they get the hang of it (while bathrooming). I also take a pull-up just for night time in case of accidents. My 4 year old doesn't wear them at home anymore but if she has an accident in her sleeping bag our trip is over.
Bring lots of diaper wipes and hand sanitizer!
Bring whatever entertains your kids the most. For mine it's a note pad and a small set of markers. We have a special set just for backpacking.
Give the older kids a disposable camera.
Have lots of fun!!!
Those glow sticks are priceless.”

“my son is fascinated by the fact that we can boil water and cook and eat Ramen noodles on a tiny stove out in the woods

so am i. whats so weird about that?”

“CB, you also are fascinated with burning down your own tent!”

“Oh hey, btw, get those glowsticks at the dollar store! Dollar Tree has tons of glowstick balls and necklaces, etc right now. Can't beat the price.”

“Thanks everyone. We are off in a few hours. I'll take lots of pictures and report in when the trip is over.

My friend picked a route, but in my normal paranoia I downloaded the topo of the area and discovered the grade (not visible on the park map we downloaded) was way too steep. So we reconfigured the hike to an alternate trail that follows a ridge line and looks like a lot less climbing. We are much more comfortable now.

That said, we kept the maps of the harder trail, extended it a few miles, and are going to make a quick 1/2 day hike of it early AM on the 2nd day (just my friend and I). I love a bust-ass hike like that.

So hopefully the best of both worlds.

We'll be in the Porcupine Mountain State Park in the UP of Michigan. Weather forecast says it will be perfect! 70s in the day, 50s at night and no rain.

Yeah, right. I always get rained on!”

“Sounds awesome! That's one place I haven't been in MI. I can't wait for the trip report.”

“Hey Sass, I'm sure glad you added that "(while bathrooming)" comment, LOL!

Good tip about the glowsticks at Dollar Tree. I never would have thought to look there. I like to hang up a glowstick over my tent just to be sure I can find the dang thing after I have to make a nightime excursion.”

“They don't last as long as the $2.00 ones and they're not as bright but they'll be good enough to help you find your tent.”

“One warning about glowsticks and little kids; the tent will become a rave party for the better part of the night! You'll try to sleep while some little darling keeps swinging a glowstick around like a lightsaber for hours on end.”

“We just got back from the Porcupine Mountain area in Michigan. Thanks all for the tips. I'll do a trip report and upload all the photos next week. I did want to thank all for the tips, the little ones had a great time. It was a different kind of challenge for me.

To give you an idea of HOW good a time they had, we went to a water park for 2 days and then went hiking for 2 days. At the end of the hike they wanted to stay longer in the forest and were saying the "4.3 miler was waaaaay better than the Wisconsin Dells".

That would be the Escarpment Trail in the Porcupine Mountains. Even my 7 year old son was a trooper and did the whole thing without so much as a moan or complaint. I think they were all so mesmerized by the whole experience that they didn't notice the fatigue.

I think the most encouraging bit was my 11 year old son. He “took the point” and walked way ahead of the group, never falling behind and almost totally silent. He is in the scouts, but his troop doesn’t do a lot of hiking. Afterwards he said he liked being out there on his own and found it peaceful … he didn’t know why, just that he liked it and “fit right in”. I couldn’t have said how I feel about being out in the backcountry alone better myself. A chip off the old block!

Is that cool or what...”

“Congrats on a great trip. Great to hear that the kids liked the trail more than the Dells!”

“I posted the pictures and will caption them later this evening. There were two hikes we did and I'll post a trip report for each. All in all a fun family trip!

http://thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/84o6e8eo.php <-- Presque Isle


http://thebackpacker.com/pictures/album/ma7m4m8d.php <-- Escarpment Trail

That said, I am looking forward to my September hike all the more!”

“That's awesome, pitts. Esp about your son. Thank you for sharing.”