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Re: [at-l] A small logistics problem
DaRedhead wrote:
"For planning purposes, about how old do kids need to be before they are
productive on the trail?"
I have met a few people who started their kids hiking as soon as they
could walk, and backpacking almost as soon. Todd and Cindy Ross have
taken their kids out trekking on the Colorado Trail and the CDT for two
months at a time starting when the kids were about 1 1/2 and 2 1/2.
(They were both in diapers.) They did it by borrowing, then buying,
llamas to carry the gear. The kids rode or walked according to mood.
The kids seem to love it. This year they are hiking in Colorado and
bicycling through New Mexico. The kids are about 5 and 6 now, I think.
Cindy said that she couldn't give up the long distance hiking she loved,
so she had to figure out how to adapt in order to include the kids.
Cindy wrote a book two years ago about hiking with kids. She said during
one of her slide shows that it requires a lot of flexibility by the
adults, but is generally worth the effort. She said that small kids
attention span is shorter, and they can't handle the all day walking
that an adult can, so they would basically walk for 1/2 hour and play
for 1/2 hour when the kids were younger. The tents came out when the
kids got tired, and they soon learned to look at the little tents as a
safe play house.
I heard in another discussion that there is some danger in overloading
kids (growing bones), so you have to be prepared to carry everything
except possibly a few snacks and water when they are young, and they
probably don't really become self-sufficient until they are about 10 or
12, and even then, you'll carry the brunt.
I have twice met 5 or 6 year olds out backpacking. One was really happy
and running around playing with the butterflies. The other (same area,
different trip) was utterly exhausted and miserable, and her mother was
too tired and miserable herself to help her. The mother of the one who
was happy said that she started taking her on hikes as soon as she could
walk (sooner actually, she was carried on hikes for her first two
years.) They began slowly, and the length of the hike was totally
determined by the abilities and desires of the daughter, not a
preconceived "plan" by her parents. It worked. At 5 she was able to
hike about 6 miles a day on overnight trips. One problem was that the
trail was overgrown with manzanita, and what was a knee scratcher for
the adults, was a painful slap in the face for the little girl. On the
AT that would rarely be a problem though.
Good luck.
Ginny Owen
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