Hiking with Children

How can you make backpacking fun for your children and avoid the"how much farther" syndrome? The following are a few suggestions:

1. Revel in nature. Stop to point out interesting flowers, clouds, trees, mushrooms, etc. Enjoy water by throwing pebbles, floating sticks and leaves. Play in sand or mud or snow. Watch frogs hop, squirrels and chipmunks scuttle from tree to tree, insects crawling about, a deer standing stock still, a hawk drifting on air currents . .
   
   
2. Teach your children geologic and natural history—that Indians once hunted in these woods, that they are walking on what was once hot lava, the intricacies of the glacier that molded this valley . . .
   
   
3. Answer your child's questions—Why is the sky blue? Are there still Indians in these woods? Will the volcano erupt on us? . . .
   
   
4. Get out the toys and a treat. Give your child a break with some fruit leather or a muffin and his or her favorite toy.
   
   
5. Promise a celebration when they have attained a certain goal— some juice and a piece of candy or if health-conscious, a fruit-sweetened cookie when you reach the top of the mountain or the next stream.
   
   
6. Play games that keep you moving. On slight inclines play Runaway Train by running wildly to the bottom of the hill (only if your child is capable of doing this without falling on his face); continue the train theme by pretending your family is a train, making the appropriate noises while walking. Try some other vehicle— airplane, ship, racecar, truck.
   
   
7. Tell stories. The parents can tell stories of past but true events, make up stories or even invite the children to tell a story. Asking questions of a child can also prolong their stamina.
   
   
8. Sing songs. Let the child choose or take turns choosing.
   
   
9. Play animals. Pick an animal and tell about it, makes its noises, etc.
   
   
10. Give them gorp. A handful of gorp for every 5, 10, 15, 20 steps (or whatever they're capable of) will keep them going for awhile.
    

At some point or another your child will pull the "I can't take another step without collapsing" trick. When the parent falls for this ploy and the child is carried to your destination, they usually experience a miracle upon arrival. The child's eyes spring open and she's off and running while the poor, exhausted parents later have to beg her to crawl into her sleeping bag.

On the other hand, children do not recognize fatigue and will drop from exhaustion before they show any true signs of tiring. Children are tough but not super-human. Don't push them too hard. Chances are, if you're tired, so are they.

If you want to get your children motivated before they hike, you might want to get a copy of the Appalachian Trail Fun Book. The coloring and activity book introduces four- to nine-year-olds to the A.T. It's published by the Appalachian Trail Conference, and available through them, as well as in bookstores and backpacking shops.

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