Friday, February 17, 2012

Why camping isn't covered in 'Hikes with Tykes'

Q: Why isn’t camping covered in your book? – trekgirl87

A: For many, hiking is an extension of camping – that is, it’s something to do between nights of sleeping in a tent. As the scope of this book is limited to day hiking, in which you leave home after the sun has come up and return home before the sun goes down, I deliberately left out camping. Be forewarned that camping involves a whole range of gear, such as tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, stoves, utensils, lanterns and more. It’ll require much heavier loads to carry, or you might simply drive a vehicle full of the gear up to your campsite. You’ll also probably have to pay for a campsite permit. I’d recommend consulting guidebooks about camping to find out about what camping gear is best for children and other particulars of that pastime.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.