What She Likes

So I asked Boo what she likes about hiking, and these were her answers.

What I like about hiking is:

When we go to the deck (a 3.1 mile loop at our favorite local park. The deck is a good place for a picnic)

When we go to Robinson and pick blackberries 

Helping filter water

Playing with rope

Washing hankie – just the kids

Playing in water

Helping put up the tent

Collecting walnuts while Baba throws up (I got a bad migraine...)

Camping and sleeping in the tent



 What do your kids like best about hiking or camping?

Feeding a Hiking Kid

So you may have noticed that kids eat differently than adults. Sometimes they hoover everything in sight. Sometimes they survive on fresh air and sunshine. Sometimes they eat what is offered, sometimes they will only eat peanut butter sandwiches three times a day.

Even accounting for those things, kids eat more hiking and camping than at home.

Boo will eat constantly while hiking if we let her, but her most common fuels are dried fruit and hard-boiled-eggs. Dried fruits are easy and cheap if you have a dehydrator and buy seasonally, or easy and not cheap if you buy them. She won't eat nuts and has trouble with jerky, but will inhale eggs, so that's our snack protein of choice.

Kid claims to be hungry? Feed her.

Kid flagging? Feed her.

Kid cold? Feed her.

Kid hot? Feed her.



Kid in need of a nap? Feed her.



Kid needs motivation? Feed her.



Kid whiny? Feed her.



Starting a hike? Feed her.



Ending a hike? Feed her.

She fell down and is crying inconsolably? Feed her.

She sees a tasty invasive? Let her eat it.

My kiddo eats on the trail almost as much as she runs.

What do your kids snack on?

Review: The North Face Tigger Sleeping Bag

After her fever night in the sleeping bags with us, she asked if she could have her own sleeping bag so that she could flop without us getting in her way.

We could have gotten a down bag that would last until she’s mostly grown, but she’s not too old for accidents, and has been known to spill water. I’d rather be safe than sorry in that respect.  

Many of the youth bags we found were long enough that Lee could fit them nicely. Which is a bit big for a 41” kid. 

We looked for the shortest synthetic-insulated mummy bag we could find. And came up with  The North Face Tigger.

The zipper goes about half way down, making it harder (not impossible) for her to get loose in the night. I hate trying to stuff a clingy cold kid back into her own sleeping bag once she has escaped, squirmed all around the tent, and ended up trying to worm into my bag. 

The hood is fitted for snugness without elastic or dangling cord bits of doom. When she’s calm or cold at bedtime, she’ll snuggle into the hood. 

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Specs say it’ll fit 60 inches. At 42 inches, she’s got 6-8” at the foot, and probably another couple at the head. She’s skinny, and has enough room to wriggle a little. 

It has a little zipper pocket, which will be nice when she needs glasses.  (This does not show up in the descriptions that I can find right now, so it may no longer be there.)

The zipper pull has a glow-in-the-dark tab.

There are hanging loops all the way around: both sides, head, and foot.

At Weldon Springs this October, it was around 40 F overnight. She was not in socks or a hat. She wiggled off her foam pad. She did not report any discomfort or try to crawl into our bags (until she was awake), but when interrogated reported that she had been “OK, maybe a little chilly.”

Update: May 27, 2013
 The Velcro  kept getting caught in her hair this weekend. Unsure why this is, since it hasn't been a problem before.

What do you look for in a kid’s sleeping bag?

What she Carries

Boo’s 5th birthday is coming up, and we were discussing what she would like. After going through several categories, I asked if she wanted anything for backpacking. “No. I just want to carry more of my stuff.” 

So when we went on an overnight, she carried most of her stuff. 

·        

• Backpack
• ~3/4 L of water
• 2 hankies
• Whistle
• Complete  change of clothes – both for sleeping or in case of complete destruction of what she’s wearing. In a stuff sack that is used as a pillow.
• Z-bar and a bag of trail mix
• Chap stick
• Wildlife ID pamphlet
• Park map
• Cord (to practice knots)
• First Aid kit (a few bandages, sometimes alcohol wipes)
• Squishy bowl and cup, collapsible spork
• Headlamp
• Cut-down blue foam sleeping pad (not pictured)

With the sleeping pad strapped to the pack, she looked so overloaded. We didn’t weigh it, but it felt heavier than I expected her to be comfortable with. I expected to have to lighten her load pretty early down the trail. 

Shows what I know.

I think we checked in with her 4 times in the first 50 yards. “How is your pack? Is it too heavy? Do you want us to carry anything for you?”

She kept insisting, “It’s fine, it’s light!” 

And she carried it. It was only maybe 1.5 miles on a slight downhill. But she carried it. 

.

Packing up in the morning, she added her paperback chapter book, and tried to put the tent stakes in her pack. She carried everything the ~mile back to the car. Then we hit a different trail in the park, and she suggested that we should all carry our packs on that trail, too, to build up our muscles.

Lesson Learned

•  The cord that comes on the backpack  is not long enough to regularly hold the sleeping pad. 

What do your kids carry at what age?