Hiking With Children

By Kelley Coyner
Web Exclusive

"I am the smallest and the strongest. I am the smallest and the strongest." My four and half year old's mantra as she hiked 1,500 feet in Argentina's Patagonia was as true as it was inspirational. This, her first significant hike out of the backpack and on her own two feet, proved instructive in what makes hiking with young children successful. Like so many things with kids, getting kids to engage in hiking requires persistence, flexibility, and literally walking the walk.

"Parents are their children's first and best teachers when it comes to physical activity," according to leading fitness expert Kelli Callabrese. "Children watch their parents and follow their lead," she adds. Share a great pastime and experience nature by getting out and moving together as a family.

You need not be a botanist or zoologist or an Outward Bound instructor to introduce your child to nature. As Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods notes "Many of us must overcome the belief that something is not worth doing with our kids unless we do it right. If getting our kids into nature is a search for perfection, or is one more chore, then the belief in perfection and the chore defeats the joy." Use your parenting common sense, and enjoy the walk.

There is nothing gained by making children hike before they are ready. A hot, tired, cranky mother-and-child hike is sure to turn your little one against walking anywhere. Rather than pushing children to join you, bill hiking with the grown-ups and the rest of the family as a privilege to be granted when the small trekker is ready in mind, body and spirit. Your young hiker should:

• Be able take long walks right out your front door without crumbling after the first few minutes.
• Understand basic safety concepts like staying on the trail, avoiding wild animals, and sticking with the group.
• Have a positive willingness for the prospect of going on a hike.

When thinking about where to go, remember that kids usually lose interest before they lose energy. Pick a landscape that will interest kids. Our younger daughter's first big outing was through a paleontological park packed with marine fossils. She loved skipping from skeleton to skeleton and was motivated to hit the top when we told her about the "sea wall" of mollusks we'd find up there. We also previewed the hike with our daughter and her seven year old sister before we went by talking about and looking at books on fossils and marine life.

As residents in the Andes Mountains, we are fortunate to have incredible terrain right in our backyard. But children do not need stunning vistas to find the scene fascinating: great hikes are possible everywhere. In fact, long car rides are typically not worth the effort. Instead, look closer to home for places with water, bugs, and rocks. Water, preferably splashing, gurgling water, that you can wade in, is a kid magnet. Don't expect to travel far along the banks of a stream, and bring cozy, dry garb to change into when the splashing is over. Avoid raging rivers, and always be watchful —even round the mellowest waters. Back on dry land, termite hills and chains of ants can be riveting. Be prepared to study parades of insects for a LONG TIME. Rocks are an important collector's item. My kids like to examine, toss, and collect numerous rocks.

Whether you are out for a half day hike or a weekend backpacking trip, proceed at your pint-sized plodder's pace. Take frequent breaks and walk slowly. Adults can just stop and lean on a walking stick and allow young trekkers to amble along. Plan a mile or half mile walk instead of a 5 mile ramble. Let kids run in circles. Or stop to study a bug or pick a flower. Let kids build enthusiasm for hiking one outing at a time. Don't be afraid to stop short of your intended destination.