Tails from the trail and tips on training your human

While some people think they need to hold their hiking adventures once they become parents, that is not just the case!

If you are a hiking enthusiast with young kids, you can still continue your hobbies. Hiking offers so many opportunities for family vacations and outings. It will help your family grow closer by making new memories while teaching them the importance of.

One of the essential things to keep in mind about hiking is that it is not about going from one point to another but exploring the trail with your kids.

We’ve shortlisted the ten important tips for hiking with kids.

10 Tips for Hiking With Kids

Here are ten essential tips to remember when hiking with kids:

1. Select an Interesting Hiking Destination

Walking on a flat dirt road is boring, while walking a winding trail is intriguing. It makes your hiking experience even better if the trail you’ve chosen has trees for kids to climb on. You should also consider hiking near rivers or lakes so kids can have fun skipping rocks on the water. If allowed, you can bring fishing rods and spend a day trying to catch fish with your little ones. They can also dip their toes in the water and splash around to cool off after hiking for hours.

2. Dress in Layers

Make sure you take a change of clothes if your child gets wet while on the trail. You should also bring rain clothes and windbreakers if the predicts rain. Always bring gloves and hats for everyone since mornings can be chilly even in summer. Moreover, make sure your kids have proper hiking shoes so they can trek easily. Lastly, leave a pack of clothes for each kid in the car for the time you’re returning from the hike.

3. Let Someone Know Where You’re Going

Always tell someone about your plans, including where you are going and when you will be back. Leave a trail map with your route highlighted to let others know where you’re headed. Once you reach the trailhead, make sure to sign the trail register if it is available.

4. Bring First Aid Kit

You must bring a first aid kit and ensure it’s kid-friendly. Some first aid kits have sunscreens and insect repellents that are too harsh for children’s skin. Your first aid kid should have the following items:

• Children’s sunscreen
• Children’s ibuprofen and tylenol
• Liquid antihistamine
• Plenty of different-sized bandages
• Lotion to cure bug bites
• Needles, ticks, and tweezers
• A sufficient amount of anti-bacterial wipes
• Moleskin for blisters
• An epipen if you or your children have serious allergies

5. Be Prepared For Sudden Weather Changes

If you’re trekking in the mountains, make sure every individual in the group has an additional jacket and a stocking cap. You should also bring rain gear, even if it’s highly unlikely to rain. For young kids, it’s a great idea to have a complete set of clothing and extra pairs of socks to combat severe weather conditions.

6. Take Your Friends With You

Hiking with friends is a great idea to make it a memorable and fun experience. However, make sure the friends accompanying you on the hike possess a similar skill level as your family. Otherwise, your plan may backfire, and your kids will get frustrated.

However, kids often distract and amuse themselves while trekking. You will see your children run ahead with their buddies, requiring no encouragement from your side at all. That’s why Outdoor Families Magazine claims that “teenagers love to hang out with friends, and hiking together is a great way to strengthen the bond and have fun with your buddies.”

7. Bring Drinks and Snacks

Bringing a sufficient amount of drinks and snacks is essential for hiking. Make sure to take breaks and drink water frequently to energize your body. Kids may be busy having fun that they often don’t realize how thirsty they are. Plenty of water and high-energy foods will be essential to keep them active and hydrated.

8. Make Your Hiking Journey Fun

The key to a successful hike is allowing your kids to have fun and stay motivated. You can do this by playing your children’s favorite games on the trail. Look for signs of wildlife like bird holes in trees or count wildflower species. Discuss how long the trek is, how to read a map and use a compass, look for signs of impending weather, and identify plants and animals.

9. Give Your Kids Some Control

Allow your kids to set the pace along the journey. Let them decide where to stop for drinks and a lunch break. The kids naturally want to explore the new environment and search for birds, spider webs, and bugs. You should also bring some toys for them to play with on the trek – just make sure the toys don’t harm any wildlife or plants on the trail. Besides that, see if they can develop their own ideas and inventions using things like leaves, rocks, etc.

10. Plan Hiking Trips Regularly

You should start a family tradition of hiking one or two times a month. Your children may love these adventures and outdoor activities when you make a day of it and incorporate activities they like to do on the trails as well. There are numerous terrain, trails, and sights children will surely love. While they spend a significant portion of their time indoors throughout the week, hiking is the perfect way to get some fresh air and exercise while bonding with your little ones.

Have Fun Hiking With Your Kids!

Hiking with kids means doing everything you can to make it work in the beginning. Then over time, your kids get used to it and start enjoying it. If you follow these tips and finish the hike on their pace, you’re sure to have loads of fun. And always keep in mind to go easy with your children, be safe, and have fun with them.

Happy hiking!

by Maria A Davidson

We are in business to provide great products for the outdoorsy hikers, campers and their dogs; and to help clean our parks, rivers and oceans for a better planet earth for hikers and their dogs.

Parks Clean

Parks are high-traffic areas in most cities. This means that trash is bound to show up in and around your park and playground.

When discussing ways your family can help clean your local park, don’t overlook a literal cleanup! Picking up trash will make a huge difference in the appearance and vibe of your park. A clean area will encourage others to keep the park pristine. When picking up trash and debris, make sure to wear gloves to protect yourself, and put trash in appropriate receptacles or lawn bags. You can also contact your local trash company to schedule a pickup when you are finished.

Rivers Clean

The storm drain on your street collects the water from your roof, driveway, and sidewalk and funnels it directly in your local lake or river. Nutrients from grass and leaves, pet waste, and fertilizers “enrich” our lakes and streams — feeding algae blooms and harming fish. Chemicals from washing your car in the drive and household chemical spills add up, taking a nasty toll on our favorite swimming areas and fishing spots. Soil can also be picked up by runoff, reducing the clarity of water and hurting fish.

So as you prepare your lawn and garden, here are a few helpful tips to keep our lakes and rivers beautiful and safe for all of us.

Use mulch and vegetation to keep soil from washing away.
Sweep or rake grass and leaves away from street curbs.
Mulch and compost grass clippings and leaves.
Keep paved surfaces to a minimum.
Capture water runoff with a rain garden and rain barrels.
Wash your car on the grass, where the water will get filtered.
Keep chemicals away from storm drains.
Collect your pet’s waste.
Aim your rain-gutter downspouts onto grass.

Beaches Clean (do it for the ocean)

In 2007, the United States Senate and House of Representatives passed the National Clean Beaches Week Resolution to recognize the value of beaches to the American way of life and the important contributions of beaches to the economy, recreation, and natural environment of the United States.

Clean Beaches Week, celebrated annually July 1-7, offers the perfect opportunity to encourage stewardship and volunteerism along our coastlines. But where do you even begin? Follow these tips to get started.

Identify a clean-up site. Choose a place that needs some TLC, making sure that volunteers can safely access the site. Get permission, if needed, for your clean-up event, perhaps from the local parks agency.
Choose a site coordinator. (That might be you!) A beach clean-up takes a lot of work and needs an organized person to keep everything on track before, during, and after the event.
Visit the site in advance. The coordinator will need to know where to set up a volunteer check-in station, where to leave trash and recyclables, and what area(s) volunteers will clean.
Gather supplies. Depending on your location, you’ll need supplies such as trash bags, a first aid kit, hand sanitizer, wipes, and large coolers of water. You should also provide (or ask volunteers to bring) items such as reusable work/garden gloves, reusable water bottles, sunscreen, and bug spray.
Plan how to handle the recyclables. Reach out to recyclers in your area (and perhaps your community’s solid waste departments) to make arrangements for accepting any glass, plastic, and aluminum that you collect.
Line up event partners. Contact local businesses for donations of drinks, food, and supplies. Ask a local solid waste hauler to donate their services for trash removal.
Plan for handling hazardous waste. Determine how you’ll dispose of any medical and sewage waste you might find. One solution: A wide-mouth container with a tight-fitting lid, such as an empty laundry detergent bottle. Clearly label that it contains hazardous waste.
Get volunteers to help. Recruit friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors. Create an event on Facebook and ask volunteers to sign up online. This will give you an idea of how many people to expect and will help communicate event details.
Stay safe. Be prepared for a variety of health emergencies, from minor cuts and scrapes to heat stroke.
Take photos! Post pics online to share the success of your event and recognize volunteers for their hard work.