How to cross rough terrain when hiking

Though most of the terrain you’ll cross with walking kids will be fairly flat, as they age you’ll start tackling rougher country. In addition, if carrying an infant or toddler in a carrier, there’s no need to limit yourself to flat trails, so long as you know how to traverse slopes, scree and other hindrances. Not knowing how to cross such ground can cause you and your children to fall.

The more you and your kids hike, the easier traversing difficult terrain will become. After a while, it’ll become second nature.

Some difficult terrain you may encounter includes:
g Up a slope - When heading up an incline, slow your pace, take short steps, and keep body upright. This will ensure you keep your balance.
g Down a slope - Ironically, going down a slope can be as exhausting as going up one, particularly on a steep trail. Don’t let gravity take you down too fast or you’ll slip; at best, your feet, ankles and knees will ache by the time you reach bottom. Your trekking pole really can help you stay upright when going downhill. You can maximize your trekking pole’s effectiveness by holding it securely with your arms bent at the elbow in a 90 degrees angle in front of you. In addition, test each stone with your pole before stepping on it.
g Scree - Scree is small, loose rock often found on slopes, especially in mountainous areas. It can slide beneath your step, causing you to slip, which in turn can cut up your hands as the rocks often are sharp. Walk across scree by stepping sideways so the long side of your feet have more contact with the slope. If climbing up a slope with scree, take small steps with your feet spread-eagled or splayed. This puts your weight on each boot’s instep, reducing both strain on your legs and the odds of slipping.

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

How to handle nuisances on trail when day hiking with kids

While the trail may be a different place than the living room, kids still will be kids. That means you’re going to run into some of the same problems that you do at home – noisiness, sibling rivalry, complaining. In addition, the trail offers its own unique opportunities for behavior problems.

Once kids understand the rules of the trail, however, behavior usually isn’t an issue. Typically, there are enough sights along the way to grab their interest, and they’ll enjoy the freedom that being in the great outdoors offers. Should they misbehave, though, keep an even temper. You don’t want to become a behavioral problem yourself on the trail, or you’ll just turn them off to hiking.

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

How to walk with slow-walking children

Slow your pace when day hiking with children.

Perhaps one aspect of childhood we adults tend to forget about is that kids have shorter legs than us. Because of that, they can’t easily keep pace with us. Indeed, for every step we take, they may need to make two or three. The result is they often have to run just to keep up with our walk. Regardless of children’s boundless energy, they’ll quickly tire if forced to run a mile or more. That means whining, you carrying them if they’re young, and probably that they’ll come to dislike hiking.

The solution is for you to slow your pace. That sounds easy, but if you’re long legged like me, it quickly becomes tiring to force oneself to go slow!

The solution is to use the rest step. It’s usually reserved for climbing steep slopes, but you can use it on level surfaces just as well to slow your pace.

In the rest step, you take a half-step, then bring the other foot up to it, lightly planting it and then moving that planted foot forward again it. The rest step ensures that you can keep moving forward without getting worn out.

Give it a try – your kids will appreciate it!

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

Don't force tired children to go on day hike

Sometimes younger children exhaust themselves by running as soon as they hit the trail. You then end up carrying them most of the way back or quitting the trail early. Encourage them to pace themselves.

Don’t hike on days when the child clearly needs sleep. If a child obviously is tired, don’t force them on a death march.

Should they tire on the trail, you’ll need to carry their gear. Presuming they’re young, you might want to place them in the baby carrier for the rest of the trip.

Kids’ energy levels also vary from day to day. Maybe last week your child walked three miles with no problem, but today after a half-mile he’s dragging. Whenever you notice a sharp decline in energy in your children, it’s time to turn around. Tired kids are more likely wander off, to fall, or otherwise make bad decisions leading to injuries.

Depending on their age and size, they will have to hike back to the vehicle, of course.

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

What to do if your child fears the outdoors

Sometimes, young children don’t walk to hike with you because they’re afraid of being in a unfamiliar place … especially one that seems alien, given how many children spend most of their time indoors these days.

Generally, however, if a parent feels safe and comfortable about a hike, so will your kids.

Those children experiencing fear in the wilds often don’t become frightened until in the woods. Darkness, strange noises, lack of people and heights all may trigger their fears.

To help kids overcome their fear of being in the wilds, pair up so everyone has a “hiking partner.” Partners will encourage one another through the rough parts of the hike and watch each other so they don’t get hurt. Finally, never push children into doing something they don’t want to do, such as climbing a rock, walking along a cliff edge, or wading into water. There’s no need to raise their anxiety levels.

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

Watch for kids who are ‘risk-takers’ on hikes

Risk-takers are the kind of kids who climb up rocks from which they could readily fall or drown. Risk-taking shouldn’t be allowed. If an injury occurs, the hike could then very well be over. Sometimes, rescuing such a child means putting yourself at risk, and that’s a very dangerous situation indeed. There’s a lot of fun to be had without children deliberately putting themselves in danger.

The best way to deal with a risk-taker is to head him off before he gets to the pass. As Robert O., Wheeling, W.Va., says, “Risk-takers are mostly show-offs looking for attention. If your kid has a tendency to do dangerous things and say ‘Look at me!’ then in-stead give him some extra attention on the trail and divert his thinking away from doing things to ‘impress’ you or the other children.”

Related articles:
g Sibling rivalry on the hiking trail
g It’s OK for kids to get dirty on the trail!
g How to keep kids from being noisy on the trail
g Watch for kids who are ‘risk-takers’ on day hikes

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

How to keep kids from being noisy on trail

Children naturally will be noisy compared to adults. If they’re laughing and talking loudly to one another, they’re having a great time, and that’s a good thing in the wilds. At the same time, constant shouting and blowing on safety whistles is really irritating – not just for you but for other hikers and campers. You’ll then have to remind children to quiet down.

A strategy that often works for older children is to talk about their voices in terms of the numbers zero through five. Zero would not be talking at all, one would be whispering, and five would screaming at the top of their lungs when cheering their favorite sports team. When they get a little loud, ask them to “Use voice level No. 3, please.” This tells them to tone it down and gives them a reference in their minds for how loud they are.

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

It’s OK for kids to get dirty on the trail!

Photo courtesy of Great Sand Dune NPS.

Expect kids to get dirty on a day hike. It probably means they’re having fun. Avoid the problem in part by dressing them in clothes that you don’t mind they get dirty.

To keep them “cleaner,” watch so they don’t lean against tress with pitch or sap in them during rest stops. To prevent them from spreading their mud and sand to your vehicle, bring a complete change of clothes that they can slip into when the hike is done.

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

How to deal with sibling rivalry on the trail

Prevent sibling rivalry on the trail by giving each child an important duty to
do, so that you work together as a team. Photo by Ken Wilcox / Photoree.

Sibling rivalries generally arise out of competition and jealousy of one another, usually because one child is perceived as getting more attention or a favored status. In the wilds, there can’t be anything more than a friendly rivalry. Getting along helps make the experience more pleasant for all, and should an emergency arise, it may be vital for your survival.

While you may not be able to stop the bickering, you certainly can minimize it on the trail. You can begin by trying to prevent the problem from even arising. For example, as a parent don’t play favorites or compare children to one another, especially about their hiking skills. Doing so also is a good way to turn off the criticized children to hiking. When children do start arguing, ask each one involved in the conflict to identify why they’re upset. Then ask them to each come up with some solutions for re-solving the disagreement. If they can’t or won’t come up with solutions, suggest a few of your own. Have them agree to a solution and follow through. When doing this, be careful to not take sides.

Here’s another strategy that parent Jeff N., of Sevierville, Tenn., recommends, “If there’s more than one kid on the hike, rotate leaders who will be the point man and set the pace. Agree in advance when the leadership role will change to a sibling.”

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

How to handle kids' tantrums on hikes

Image courtesy of David Castillo
Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A tantrum is simply the child showing anger and frustration in what for them is a stressful situation. As a parent, you want to first get the child to learn that an angry outburst is not the appropriate way to behave.

Given this, treat the tantrum on the hiking trail exactly as you would at home. This probably means a time out. Once heads are calmer, try to determine what is the source of frustration and resolve it, ideally teaching the children in the process some skill that will help them resolve the problem on their own in the future.

Related articles:
g Trail etiquette all children show learn
g How to handle nuisances on trail when day hiking with kids

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

How to keep hiking kids from getting bored

Children usually get bored more quickly than adults, so if you're bored, there's a good chance the kids are, too. If they're having a blast and you're not, though, you may want to start hiking like a kid.

When children moan about how bored they are, engage in some group activities. Other entries on this blog provide a number of games and other activities that can be done with children on the trail.

If kids are older, allow them to bring a friend. It'll give you more time to spend with the younger children who may accompany you or at least give you more quiet moments to commune with nature.

Here's another clever solution, offered by Jim M., of Eureka, Calif., "Get them to talk about something they really like. This will require a little research on your part, so read up on their favorite video game, movie, rock band or television show, and ask some open-ended question about it. You're likely to get either a long monologue or if there are kids of similar age an impassioned debate about the matter at hand."

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

How to keep kids from whining on the trail

Kids lack the emotional control of adults. The result is they will whine and complain. It’s up to you to sort through these complaints and figure out if these are warning signs of bigger problems.

All too often a kid isn’t really complaining about what’s upsetting him. Is he hungry? Cold? Hot? Needs to go potty? Are you going too fast? Do the new shoes hurt his feet? Is he tired? Once you figure out what’s bothering him, then you can fix it, and nine times out of ten, all will be fine from there on out.

If your children are whining and look tired, there’s no need to keep pushing them onward. It’s time to turn back. If your own body is starting to feel sore, you can bet your child already has been suffering quite a bit longer.

Teenagers simply may need to be kidded out of complaining. Be gentle, not critical, though. If your teens can’t laugh at themselves, don’t push it, or they’ll think everyone is picking on them.

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