I’ll tell ya what. Comin in late to the game you gotta play catch-up pretty quick. Bio moms out there get that gradual learning curve (no one is saying it’s not hard, just saying you learn as you go). With the step-relationship you’ve got a pre-packaged family and you better get up to speed fast! Perfect example of this: the Gold Mine Trail hike of 2022. This trail was a tip from a friend who has done lots of family hiking so we loaded up the car with great intentions and a confident ignorance. In the end, we got everything from laughter to tears and we didn’t hike again for over a year. Here’s some things I learned a long the way that have made a big difference, a list I’m sure I’ll add to continually for the rest of our lives!
Food
Feed ‘em before you go, pack a mid point snack, and then find a bomb reward snack that is reserved only for hiking.
- For their mid point snacks we like to bring: Z-bars, Bobo’s PB+J, and Apple Sauces
- The Salted Caramel Stingers “Waffles” are so good. We all love them. By saving these for an after hike treat it’s a little carb boost after the physical activity but it’s super special because we don’t have them any other time.
Water
Michael and I don’t share our water with the kids. I’m sure every parent who has watched their kid slobber all over a water bottle and hand it back like this is totally acceptable drinking etiquette will agree, ew. So I carry one kid bottle and one adult bottle. We all have our individual water in the car and I bring several extra bottles of water to refill everybody but for the sake of weight we divvy up kids vs adults. This year Caed will start to carry their own water in a hydration pack. Although the boys are the same size, there’s a 3 year age difference and I think Caed is old enough now to be able to handle the added weight of a hydro pack and the mental fortitude to work hard. We got him a kids sized pack so that he’ll be comfortable and ready to rock.
Gear
We utilize discount stores like Sierra Trading Post or REI Outlet to get quality kids gear cheap. We used to just hike in whatever kicks they usually wear but if I can keep them comfortable they stay in better moods as they get more and more tired. This year we invested in good quality boots at a super discount price from Sierra.
Reasonable Expectations
Know you’re distance, know your elevation, know your conditions. Expecting them to be able to climb a mountain the first day is just going to make everyone miserable. Short, successful hikes to start builds the enthusiasm, gives you the opportunity to have conversations about accomplishing hard things, and builds their endurance for those killer views you’ll be hiking to someday. When they’re ready.
Distrations
One of the greatest gifts my dad gave our family is the “Troll Hunt”. I love this legacy of his. It’s been passed from him to my sister and I, to our kids, obvious progression right? But also to our cousin’s, and our cousin’s kids! Every kid in the family will have the memory of a “Troll Hunt”! “Look at this over here, this looks like there was some troll activity here!” “Wow you know what this is? This looks like the entrance to a troll house!” “Oh wow, do you think these could be troll bones?!” It’s silly, and feels dumb, but a long walk can be broken up with silly jokes about trolls, gets them exploring their surroundings looking for “evidence”, and brings joy to the trip.
Dry Gear
First lesson was always bring a spare pair of socks and towels for the inevitable wet foot. Next lesson was bring wet wipes for a number two episode in the middle of tide-pooling. Then there was the faceplant in the waterfall experience and we now have to consider additional drying strategies! Shae is so accident prone, it’s not a question of if it’s 100% when is he gonna run into something or fall off something or knock over something. I say with so much love and humor but also we gotta be prepared. So spare socks, several towel options, a back up top and bottom. This may seem excessive but a wet kid is an unhappy kid. We also started wearing our kicks in the car and changing to boots at the trailhead. Not only does this keep the muddy hiking boots out of my backseat but also gives us two sets of shoes. When Shae’s gotten really wet we’ve been able to put him back in his kicks while his boots dry.
Know When to Stop
This is a tip from a family friend, sometimes you have to give up on the end point to make sure the experience is positive. The Gold Mine Trail experience for example, we reached the mine but we didn’t actually reach the end of the trail. When we pulled off the trail to explore the mine both kids stepped in the water, got wet feet, and their unprepared step mother didn’t have any back up socks for them. So we had to make the choice to give up the rest of the hike, dry up as much as we could (feet and tears) and head back to the car. Most of the way back Shae was on my shoulders, refusing to walk in his wet shoes. But having an emergency exit in the back of your mind can save a day from disaster. Prepare as much as you can with socks and towels and whatevers, but sometimes you have to forfeit the plan and try again another day.
Journey vs. Destination
I always think with kids it’s best to have a destination. A pretty view at the top may be worth the exertion for an adult but a kid probably doesn’t care very much. We’ve been doing a lot of waterfalls for this reason. A great big “wow” and then a walk back to the car, makes for a great hike! That being said, don’t ignore the journey. We look for any wildlife we can (even the robins that we see every day are very exciting), we search for different types of fungus, we talk about the way the forest all works together and grows with one another. We talk about how old a tree must have been whenever there’s an exposed stump with rings to count. We notice the way one tree will spread its roots around another to grow and benefit from its nutrients. We all learn something on the journey!
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