kids

Out on the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula you’ll find a beautiful and untamed coastline just perfect for hiking with kids. It’s a 9 mile loop that is divided into 3 equal distances. Both camps are on the ocean and the second day is a breathtaking beach hike offering amazing ocean vistas, petroglyphs and countless opportunities to explore.

About six months ago we started planning our adventure with our four kids. That many pairs of legs everything requires more preparation, especially to keep it easy and fun for the kids. To that end my wife spent hours planning and preparing dehydrated meals and energy bars as I worked out the gear requirements and focused on lowering pack weight. This was our first endeavor as a full 6-person group and it presented many challenges. One of these challenges was that two of the kids wouldn’t be walking.

Gear had to be kept to a minimum, especially our own clothes. Originally I tried to fit all our gear inside my Gossamer Gear Mariposa (a 70 liter pack) and my Gossamer Gear Gorilla (a 39 liter pack). If it hadn’t been for the bear Canister (park regulations) I think we could have done it. As it was, the bulky canister that would hold food for six for three days took up half the backpack and I was forced to use my older and much larger internal frame pack as a second pack.

In the end, my wife carried all the sleeping bags, sleeping pads, snacks for the day and the amazingly light 5 lb family tent. I carried all the clothes, the bear canister, cooking supplies and eventually all the dirty diapers. We both had a child on the front, her with the 8 month old and myself with the two year old.

I knew the biggest challenge would be sleeping arrangements, so I took all the footprint dimensions, weight and internal height of all the 4-6 person tents on the market and then went to work. I marked out dimensions on the living room floor and organized our sleeping bags to see if they would fit. In the end I chose the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 Not only would 5 bags fit inside, there would be space for all our clothes and room to change almost standing up. Coming in at around 5 lbs there was nothing with bug protection that came close and that offered two vestibules for gear.

Our other big challenge was figuring out how to carry the two youngest. Carrying a child in the front is quite the challenge with a backpack… let alone a heavier backpack. Mostly it’s getting both the pack and the carrier on. We had two separate carriers and each had to be loaded differently. The Onya was put on first, then the child and then the backpack. The Boba Air had to have the bottom strap attached, then the backpack, and finally the child and shoulder straps last. Neither was problem free, but by the end of day two we could get packs on an off with little confusion or complaint. That said, with food, gear and clothes for 6 PLUS a child/toddler, you can really feel the weight!

The kids carried their Deuter packs with just their sleeping bags, water, headlamps and small survival kits. The general rule of thumb is 1 pound per year of age. That meant our eldest carried about 7 lbs and the next eldest about 5. They were troops about it and we took plenty of breaks for snacks and water. It meant that we were on the trail for three to five hours a day, but we had plenty of distractions and activities to keep it fun.

We were really happy with the results and more importantly the kids had a great time in a beautiful area. Check out day one down below in the video. Stay tuned for a detailed trip report and part 2 of the video.

Have you hiked with kids? What were your best/worst memories?

“Daddy, let’s go hiking!” It’s an awesome feeling when your 5 year-old wants to go out for an adventure and it shouldn’t be missed. That’s how we found ourselves on the Washing Trail Association’s website looking for an easy 2-3 mile hike that I could take my boys on that day. We settled on Lunds Gulch in Lynnwood as it promised shade, a creek and a beach destination.

I loaded up the car with my son’s new Deuter Fox 30 backpack and Black Diamond First Strike trekking poles (birthday presents) and after filling up the soft bottles with water and picking out some snack food we were on the way down various roads to get to this little park.

Even though it was a Thursday morning, the parking lot was almost full, but despite that it wasn’t overly busy or noisy. It’s a well maintained trail that descends through Northern Forest, down steps until it arrives at the creek. From there it’s fairly level and meanders along until one arrives at the ranger’s station.

Along the way old and tired signs indicating plant types can be found, but my kids were most interested in the abundance of Salmon Berries that can be found along the majority of the trail. They helped keep spirits high and gave my son enough motivation to push on to the destination.

As part of training for our family backpacking trip, I carried our 2.5 year old in our Onya carrier on the front while sporting my Gossamer Gear backpacking on the back. It was a very effective setup that my son enjoyed (in part because of the copious amounts of berries I was feeding him!).

The trail reports warned of Mosquitos and, although there weren’t too many, we were quite happy to being wearing Mosquito resistant clothing.

After crossing a bridge, the trail opened up into a day use picnic area with a shelter and restrooms. We pushed by, crossed under the train tracks and headed out to the real fun: the beach.

Very quickly the backpacks were shed and after some more treats of Larabars and beef jerky they were off exploring the wonders of the beach. I chose to relax and take in the views of Whidbey Island and passing boats. The kids stopped long enough to wave to the passing train before going back to startling themselves with baby crabs darting under rocks.

We took the 1.25 miles back very slowly with lots of rest breaks and many more berries. We arrived at the car tired and content and zipped home already planning for the next adventure.

Check out the short video below:

As I’ve mentioned previously, our family has some ambitious adventure plans this summer. On various outings we’ll be taking some or all of our kids with us into the backcountry. I’m not talking parks, I’m talking areas out of cellphone range with lions (mountain) and bears (not teddys). What makes me feel comfortable is that we do all we can to prepare our kids and ourselves for potential problems.

Every year, I take the kids through a mixture of survival skills and bear safety instructions. They have it droned into them what it means to be safe and what to do if they’re lost. Each of them has a kid specific safety kit to keep them safe for 24 hours, too.

As a parent we feel it our responsibility to be prepared to help too. My wife knows first aid and this year I’ll be taking a wilderness first aid course to make sure I know what to do in serious situations.

In the end, no situation is 100% safe, but my wife and I have decided to do our research and prepared our kids so that we’re at least better prepared for what may come.

As parents or grandparents what do you do to prepare yourselves and your kids for adventure?

A summer is not complete without a fun family trip. This year, you’re looking to do something more exciting and outdoorsy than previous years. Maybe you have always wanted to experience whitewater rafting, but are unsure if your kids can handle the trip. Here are some things you should know about whitewater rafting and if you should bring your kids on the trip.

Before you plan your trip, ask the whitewater rafting outfitter of your choice what the age restrictions are for whitewater rafting. Typically, children as young as four years old can enjoy a whitewater rafting trip, but outfitters will generally suggest six years or older for their trips. You can always go for a half-day rafting trip to ensure that the young child does not get too tired or too scared for the duration of the rafting.

Taking kids out on a first rafting trip requires a slower, gentler rafting time. Plan a trip where there are plenty of stops so you can reassure your child that they are safe and make them comfortable if they seem to be uptight and worried. Class 1 and class 2 are the perfect levels of rafting for children of all ages, giving them little engagement but still the thrill of whitewater rafting. Remember that tiny waves to you might feel like giant rapids to a child.

Safety is always the most important to all rafters, but it comes a bit differently with younger rafters aboard a raft. They must have a certified life jacket that fits them perfectly, according to their age and weight. They also need a helmet that fits them and is proper for them in order for the helmet to keep them safe.

Keeping a child comfortable is the most important part to make rafting enjoyable for them. They might be scared and nervous about the idea, so you will want to inform them of what they can expect well beforehand, and keep them by your side during the trip. It is easy for a little kid to get scared while whitewater rafting.

All in all, you can take your child on a whitewater rafting trip as long as they fit the rafting outfitter’s criteria. If the company does not have strict rules, keep in mind how old your child is and how well they will be able to handle rafting a river. Taking a newborn baby along for rafting is not the best idea, whereas your five year old might have a blast during the whole trip.

About the Author

American Adventure Expeditions is pleased to bring you this article on can I bring my child on a rafting trip. American Adventure does river rafting in Colorado, and primarily do Arkansas River rafting trips. If you are interested, check out their website today.

Have you climbed a tree? Eaten an apple freshly picked? What about built a raft? or how about caught a crab? The UK National Trust has put out a website and list of 50 things every kid should do before they’re 11 and three quarters. It’s a fun, simple plan to get kids outside and having fun in the outdoors.

While some of these ideas are obvious they’ll bring back memories of your childhood and give great ideas of activities that you can take your own kids or nephews and nieces on this Summer. Hats off to the UK National Trust for putting together a great site and great checklist.

Something I really liked about the list is how it is divided up into different types of kids. No two kids are the same, but if you find your kid likes one of the activities, they’ll almost certainly enjoy the other ones in the same category. The categories are, “Adventurer”, “Discoverer”, “Ranger”, “Tracker” and “Explorer”.

Here’s a copy of the list. Which ones do you remember most from when you were a kid and which ones do you want to share with your own kids/nephews and nieces?

Adventurer

1. Climb a tree
2. Roll down a really big hill
3. Camp out in the wild
4. Build a den
5. Skim a stone
6. Run around in the rain
7. Fly a kite
8. Catch a fish with a net
9. Eat an apple straight from a tree
10. Play conkers

Discoverer

11. Go on a really long bike ride
12. Make a trail with sticks
13. Make a mud pie
14. Dam a stream
15. Play in the snow
16. Make a daisy chain
17. Set up a snail race
18. Create some wild art
19. Play pooh sticks
20. Jump over waves

Ranger

21. Pick blackberries growing in the wild
22. Explore inside a tree
23. Visit a farm
24. Go on a walk barefoot
25. Make a grass trumpet
26. Hunt for fossils and bones
27. Go star gazing
28. Climb a huge hill
29. Explore a cave
30. Hold a scary beast

Tracker

31. Hunt for bugs
32. Find some frogspawn
33. Catch a falling leaf
34. Track wild animals
35. Discover what’s in a pond
36. Make a home for a wild animal
37. Check out the crazy creatures
in a rockpool
38. Bring up a butterfly
39. Catch a crab
40. Go on a nature walk at night

Explorer

41. Plant it, grow it, eat it
42. Go swimming in the sea
43. Build a raft
44. Go bird watching
45. Find your way with a map and compass
46. Try rock climbing
47. Cook on a campfire
48. Learn to ride a horse
49. Find a geocache
50. Canoe down a river

Check out the site and sign up for more fun and tips.

As I posted on our Outdoor Adventures for 2013 page, this summer we’re planning something that some might seem a bit crazy. We’re taking along our 4 kids on a 3-day, 2-night family backpacking trip in Washington. This is going to take a lot of planning and a lot of carefulness on our part. We’re no strangers to backpacking with kids, but this will be the first trip with all 4 kids- We have to choose light gear for us (my wife and I) so that we can make room for the kids’ stuff. It’ll also be an opportunity to try out our Gossamer Gear packs.

Our two oldest kids have wanted backpacks so we’ve picked up some gear for them. They’ll carry only their packs and sleeping bags (plus a little water). I also picked up trekking poles for them. My kids love trekking poles and it’s amazing to see the difference in the level of confidence that they have when using them. One big question is what baby carriers we’ll use on the front while we carry our packs.

Gear planned so far for the kids:

• 2x Deuter Fox 30 backpacks (1 blue, 1 red) – 2 lbs 10 oz
• Outbound Kitimat Jr. 20+ Sleeping bag – 3 lbs 14 oz
• Kelty Extender 30 Sleeping bag – 2 lbs 8 oz
• Marmot Jr. Sorcerer 20 Sleeping Bag – 2 lbs 9 oz
• 2x – sets Black Diamond First Strike kids trekking poles – 14.1 oz a pair
• 3x Custom cut closed cell foam sleeping pads – avg 4 oz each

We have our cooking system, but don’t have bowls or cups line up yet. For the area we have to bring bear canisters so that’ll add to the weight.

• Jetboil Helios system – 1 lb 12 oz
• Oilcamp Vector Stove – 3.5 oz
• Primus ETAPower pot 2.1 liter – 9.1 oz
• 2x BearVault 500 – 2 lb 9 oz each

I’m about to pull the trigger on a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 tent. At 5lbs 14 oz it’s the best free standing tent I’ve found for the space it offers. It may even fit our whole family in it. If not I’ll pull along my Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 too.

Sleep systems for the adults are not fully planned. I might have  surprise to share on Thursday, but you’ll have to wait for that.

So, what do you think? What key items do you always bring with you when backpacking with kids?

Well, we went out to a remote mountain area as a family to have a bit of fun and maybe to some fishing. It was a great trip but ended early with an injury that sent us to hospital. Everyone is fine, but it was a huge reminder of the importance of first aid skills when you have kids.

I figure I’d share the photos of our trip, rather than writing all about it in depth.

We stopped at this small stream and decided that this would provide fun for all.

These rocks and that boy will feature later below.

The kids spent most of the time scampering back and forth finding rocks to throw in the river. “This way it will scare all the fish to daddy”, was the excuse of my daughter.

The backdrop was just stunning, we came here in part to take a family photo.

In the background you can see a half sunken boat on the edge of the lake.

Our youngest had a blast in the fresh mountain air (15500 feet or so) before he dozed off under a bundle of blankets.

My Tyvek ground cloth was put to good use when the wind picked up. Note the chocolate covered faces.

Lunch was a quinua dish made up by my wife and cooked on our Jetboil Helios.

We took a stroll around the lake and spotted this handsome feller in the grass.

After lunch came the accident. Our 3rd child tripped on some rocks and went headlong into a sharp one leaving a cut on his head. With a bit of team work we got our first aid kit and fixed him up. We had to hold the wound shut to reduce scarring and then place a big old piece of Leukotape on it to keep him from picking at it.

Here’s the little trooper all ready to zip to the hospital. He had a couple scrapes and because of my crazy driving thrw up on the way (which made us pretty worried).

He was given a Cat scan at the hospital and he was cleared with no long lasting problems. We got him home and he was as bubbly as ever.

This could have happened anywhere and although we feel incredibly blessed that we had what knowledge we did to tidy him up and get him checked out, we are definitely going to be taking wilderness first aid courses this summer. Now that we’re taking the whole family on bigger adventures we want to be equipped for whatever potential problem that may occur.

I was reminiscing about some of the fun family trips we’ve done over the past few years and I came across a video that I never ended uploading. It was a trip to Valle de la Luna just outside of La Paz, in Bolivia.

Do you have any great family memories or videos? Please post them or links to them below.

The Outdoor Adventure was recently given the opportunity to let one of our younger adventurers put the Strider No-Pedal Balance Bike to the test! As this is a long-term testing process, we’ll be sharing the testing progress in segments for your viewing pleasure. So sit back and enjoy the ride, or go out and let your little adventurer take a Strider for a whirl!

I first heard about the Strider bike from a friend and her active 2-year old. He cruised around on his Strider with such confidence I knew I had to research them more! Once I watched some videos online, and browsed their website on www.StriderLife.com I knew I wanted to let Ayalah try one out. Strider graciously sent The Outdoor Adventure a beautiful green Strider and at 22-Months Ayalah was more than ready to try it out! They have plenty of information and a variety of colors to choose from on their website www.StriderBikes.com (video below)

I found the set-up to be very user friendly, and the instruction manual to be clear and concise with its wording. Of course, I still overlooked the bold lettering at the top of the page about taking the plastic wheel nut covers off after set up. I realized they weren’t just sweet pegs about halfway through the first ride, and removed them at that point without any harm done. Ayalah enjoys taking the Strider on our daily neighborhood walks, clutching the steering post close to her chest the whole way. We encourage her to scoot back on to the seat, but will let her decide when she feels comfortable enough to make this adjustment on her own. In the meantime we cheer on her every stride!

When Ayalah isn’t out on her Strider, she enjoys watching YouTube videos of other children on theirs. In fact, if we dare bring out a smartphone near her at any given time she will demand in true toddler fashion to watch videos of “bikes!” We are pleased that she too will be adding a few more videos to the mix!

Do you have a Strider for your little one? We would love to hear your thoughts and any tips you have to encourage her confidence to take it to the next level!

A Big Thanks to Strider for this awesome opportunity. You’ll be hearing more from us again soon!

Reviewed By:
Tabea B
The Outdoor Adventure Team

Starting today, the Hydration Summit kicks off over at HydrationSummit.com… and you don’t want to miss it.

The Hydration Summit is all about keeping your body working at its most optimal condition by keeping it hydrated. Hydration is essential for regulating body temperature and keeping everything functioning inside correctly.

But the hydration summit is a chance to participate in discussions, share your experience, ask questions and share your stories from the trail. There are already a good number of shared stories that you should check out! It’s going to be a great, month long event.

You’ll probably be hearing about a product called the GeigerRig, the sponsor of this event. Don’t worry, It’s not all going to be Geigerrig, Our first articles are a look at all the major brands and you can feel free to chime in and bash or support whatever system you prefer!

There are a lot of great outdoors bloggers participating in the hydration summit and they’ll be giving you lots of opportunities to learn and share tips to make our Outdoors Adventures safe.

Want another reason to visit? For everyone who signs up, Bob of Geigerrig is offering 50% off one order during the Hydration summit. Sign up! It’s free!

So, head on over and take a look at the posts. Today’s Outdoor Adventure post is over there and it’s a comparison of the nozzles of 6 of the most well known systems out there today.

Ok, so this isn’t a how-to of tee-pees, but rather a recollection of a fun trip we had with our kids a few years ago, in the middle of winter, on a mountain, in the snow, on a frozen lake, in a tee-pee. I had been talking to a friend about going ice-fishing (something I had done once as a kid), and making it a family experience (he with his wife and I with my wife and 2 kids). He was in charge of the tee-pee designs (what we thought would provide the most space for us, the fishing holes and cooking dinner.

The tee-pee was the right choice as it had fairly vertical sides to stand up in and shed the snow, large floor space, and a ventilation hole for fumes for the planed cooking experience. My friend pulled some 16 foot 2x4s and a large tarp out and with a rope, we were set.

That was the easy part. The lake we chose was in an area rarely travelled in winter and then normally only by snow machines. His Durango made short work of it though and before too long we were at the trail head and read to pack in our gear.

Note my old-school backpack!

To add to our theme of things that you don’t normally see in winter, I had brought a small inflatable boat. Why? It was to be an improvised pulk for the trail. It did the trick.

We hauled the gear and kids out there and went to work clearing the lake for the tee-pee. The tee-pee worked surprisingly well and we had it up in no time. Lunch was smokies and chocolate (and no fish).

 There was plenty of space for the kids to play around, but my daughter chose to sit on the cool new seats instead.

We did fish, but with no success!

The kids had a blast, we had a blast and now my friend is sold on Tee-pees for shelters!

The days are getting shorter and all those parents out there have probably already been reminded to read to their children. If you’re into the outdoors, survival, primitive skills or even simple just a history buff then I strongly recommend the Little House Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Somehow I missed this series as a kid, but I’m having a blast reading it to my kids now, and they have a blast listening and staring at the pictures. They love to learn about the tough pioneer days and the difficulties that seem so far removed from this day and age. Whether it’s the bad case of malaria that plagued the growing community on the prairie (and that was attributed to eating watermelons), or the chimney fires in the little log cabin to the very dangerous river crossings, there was a ton of experience and danger that accompanied daily life that the kids can learn about and learn to appreciate in this age of modern convenience.

For the first little while I was stopping whenever I encountered something that my five year old daughter wouldn’t have understood, like what’s a bobsled, or a yoke or dozens of other situations, but after pausing and explaining and then having to read Laura Ingalls Wilder explaining it in the next paragraph I realized how much attention was put into making this a teaching tool about pioneer times.

For me, my favorite part besides the story itself is definitely the skills that were used regularly and that have been lost. From building and notching a log cabin to making doors with leather hinges to smoking foods in a hollowed out chicory stump to cutting and storing ice for summer, to Almonzo’s experience trying to train his calves and more. It was a busier time and a harder one. Making a trip to town to trade firs was a 2 to 3 day trip and left your family to fend for themselves. But it was a full life. I still refer to my survival books to learn new things, but this series shows that many of these skills were not hobbies, their lives depended on them.

The books have just the right amount of drawings to keep the kids interested. My daughter attentively examines the art and absorbs what the author is saying. I only realized how much when she was leafing through one of the previous novels and recounted all the details of what was happening, the names of Mrs. Scott (let’s be honest, who remembers the few pages and which novel in which Mrs. Scott makes a appearance?).

To make it even more entertaining, we’ve started a few projects. We’re making a one room log cabin (a small one) and plan to put together a wagon, small furniture, etc. We made a Tee-pee after watching some videos about how they were made and we’re going to try to do some of the food projects (a.k.a. dinner) that they did. Nothing says Saturday morning like a heaping stack of pancakes!

Currently we’re on book 3 of the series and look at the wealthier Wilder family that Laura marries into later, but even in the second book (little house on the prairie) the kids started to call us “ma and pa” and take on the names of Laura, Mary and Baby Carrie. Unfortunately for my 2 sons, he got stuck with being mery an baby carrie. I doubt it will have lasting effects… at least until my daughter starts dressing them up in velvet for going to church on Sunday!

It’s a great series to read with your kids and is rich in history and experience, good times and hard times. It can teach us about the importance of a simple life. When your worldly possessions fit into a wagon and TVs and electronic toys don’t exist you don’t get bored, you actually have more fun, more exercise and learn more practical life lessons.

If you’re looking to buy this series, look at your local second hand store or borrow from a friend. These books are everywhere and cheap. Try to stick to the original series, and not the expanded set added to by other authors.