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February 11, 2007
Tips for taking your Teen backpacking!
Father and daughter begin a 30 mile hike on the
Appalachian Trail in North Carolina on 7/3/2005
As a parent, hiker, and employee of American Hiking Society, it was always my desire to go for an extended hiking trip with one or more of my daughters. My annual hiking trips take me to beautiful remote places, where I hike for a week or two at a time. Finally, in 2005 I persuaded my youngest daughter Martha to join me for a 60-mile backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail.
In order to prepare for this trip, we took several shorter trips. The first was an overnighter on the Appalachian Trail. We walked 14 miles in the Roan Highlands and spent the night in the Overmountain Shelter, which is an old barn transformed into a place where hikers can spend the night. The view from the shelter is incredible, and its spacious enough to hold more than 20 hikers in inclement weather, which is often the case in this remote area.
Day two on the Appalachian Trail begins in the fog
Our first trip was pretty cut and dry, and seemed to whet my daughter’s appetite for a longer hike. That came the following month when we walked 30 miles over three days on the Appalachian Trail from I-40 near Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Hot Springs, North Carolina. This trip required two overnights. One was spent in a tent, and the other in the Walnut Mountain Shelter.
Finally, the time came to travel to Colorado for our big hike on the Colorado Trail. After spending 6 days with family at about 8500' above sea level, where we took it was time to start our backpacking trip. In the 6 days before our hike, we took a couple of day hikes and did some other activities to help us acclimate to the thin air in the Rocky Mountains.
Our 60-mile hike along the Continental Divide begins at Copper Mountain
Hiking in the Colorado Rockies is an entirely different proposition than hiking on the Appalachian Trail, so our level of preparedness was different. We wore sunglasses, floppy hats and constantly applied sunscreen and lip gloss to protect ourselves from the sun's harmful rays. We also had to be very aware of the cloud cover, because of the prevalence of electrical storms that hit the Continental Divide like clockwork in the summer.
My daughter journaling on day 1 on the Colorado Trail
The trip was an amazing one, with many highlights including sleeping under the stars and waking to a herd of elk about 200 yards away. It wasn't all fun and games however. I made a mistake on day 2 by pushing us too hard, and that caused some stress for both of us.
Since then, we have hiked 50 miles on the Northville-Placid Trail in New York State's Adirondacks, and we're thinking about our trip for the summer 2007. Maine is looking like our likely destination. Here are my tips for taking your teen on a backpacking trip;
- Involve your teen in planning the hike. This means all aspects of the hike including where you'll hike, food selection, where you'll camp, and when & where you'll take breaks.
- Make it fun! If your trip isn't fun, your teen won't want to hike with you again. Bring a deck of cards. Let your teen bring a friend. And don't forget to pack your sense of humor!
- Deal with sanitary issues before hand. I bought my daughter the book "How to Shit in the Woods" before our hike. Don’t be put off by the title. This book covers a variety of important topics that everyone spending an overnight in the woods should be familiar with.
- Stay within your limits! Prepare yourselves physically for the hike, and stay within your limits. Start with short day hikes and work your way up to an overnight. Remember, the journey is the destination! If you push your teen or yourself too hard, hiking can stop being fun, and you're daughter or son won't want to hike with you any more.
- Keep the pack weight down When I take my daughter backpacking, I try and keep her pack weight down to about 17 pounds, or less. She carries all her clothes and toiletries, some of our food including all her snacks, several items of shared gear (maps), and any personal items like a book or journal.
- Carry the 10 Essentials! Download the attached PDF document containing a hike checklist. While it was created primarily for day hikes, it is a solid list that also provides additional resources for more information.
- Take lots of breaks Stop often. Take lots of pictures. Smell the flowers. Lay in a field or on a bed of pine needles in the forest. Cherish the time you spend on the trail with your teen. It will create memories that will last a lifetime for both of you.
- Reward yourselves when the hike is over
- Take turns taking the lead
- Join American Hiking Society!
A Marmot came into camp one morning and provided some entertainment
When I hike with my daughter, we usually have a reward that we treat ourselves to at the end of our trip. Whether it's a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, or a meal at a restaurant, make sure to do something fun together to bring the hike to closure.
One of the great aspects of taking your teen out on the trail, is that it helps them to build their self confidence. By setting goals and accomplishing them, your teen will become more self assured. As you hike with your teen, take turns leading as you hike along the trail. It's a good idea to stay within sight of one another, but allowing your teen to blaze the way will instill a level of confidence that is so important in life.
Trails don't just happen. They need to be built and maintained, and the special places that they pass through need a strong group of advocates. American Hiking Society has served as the Voice for America's Hikers for more than 30 years. Please join American Hiking Society today, so that your children's children can have the same opportunities to hike as you.
If you have any stories about hiking with your teen, please share them here with us by using the comment form.
Happy Trails!
My daughter taking the lead on the beautiful Colorado Trail
Nothing but smiles after 60 miles on the Colorado Trail
Hiking Stories | By Jeffrey Hunter | 09:41 AM
