Stay comfortable, safe during hot weather hikes with children

With summer’s arrival, hikers have to shift their thinking about how they approach their favorite pastime. Hot weather isn’t a reason to avoid the trail, but especially when children are involved hikers should prep for their adventure with as much consideration as they would for a winter hike. Some hot weather guidelines that’ll ensure your comfort and safety include:
g Clothing – Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Avoid cotton and be sure to don a hat with a brim as well as sunglasses with UV protection.
g Sunscreen – Use at least SPF 15 on all exposed areas of the body, even if walking through shaded areas. The sun is more intense during summer than other seasons.
g Repellant – Insects are more likely to be out in summer than early spring or autumn, so make sure you bring repellant to keep them away. A repellant made with oil of lemon eucalyptus is safest for children.
g Water – Drink plenty of it but not much too swiftly or you’ll suffer stomach cramps. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail. Avoid caffeine before hiking as that can lead to dehydration.
g Snacks – Salty snacks are needed to replenish sodium lost while sweating. Sweet snacks most likely will only melt anyway on a hot day.
g Mornings – Mornings almost always are cooler than the afternoon, sometimes by a good 20 degrees, so plan to hike before 10 am. Evening hikes after 6 pm also are a little cooler than afternoons.
g Easy – Stick to a trail that won’t prove too challenging in distance or terrain. The more energy you exert, the more likely you are to overheat.
g Shade – Select shaded routes, such as woodlands, rather than open meadows.
g Breaks – Take more of them, maybe one every 15 minutes. This also will give you time to ensure everyone is drinking water and getting a salty snack.
g Slow – Reduce your pace to avoid overexertion. You may not cover as much ground as you like, but there are plenty of interesting, short day hiking trails to enjoy.

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

How to estimate distances when day hiking

How long a day hike with a child will take depends on a number of factors,
including terrain, how much you're carrying, and how fit you are.

When planning a day hike with children, you’ll likely want to have a good estimate of how long you’ll be on the trail. This is good to know for planning rest stops and snacks. You’ll also want to leave with a responsible party an estimate of when you’ll be back to civilization so that they can report to authorities that you’re missing (If you or a child is injured, having this safety net can be vital to you rescue and survival).

Unfortunately, estimating how far you can walk isn’t an easy answer. It depends on a number of factors. If you’re tall, you’ll take longer steps than someone who is short. If you have a child carrier or backpack on, you’ll need longer to walk the same distance than if you don’t. If the terrain is steep, rocky or otherwise difficult, it’ll take longer than a flat, well-maintained trail. If at a high altitude, you’ll go slower than at a lower elevation.

Generally, if you’re physically fit, expect that you can do a mile in:
g 20 minutes – No pack/carrier, easy trail
g 40 minutes – No pack/carrier, difficult trail OR pack/carrier, easy trail
g 60 minutes – Pack/carrier, difficult trail

The more hikes you do, the greater awareness you’ll have of your pace under varied conditions and will be better able to make an accurate estimate.

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

How to deal with kids who hike at a snail’s pace

"Um, hey bud, this way..."

A hike with children won’t be done at a steady pace from one point to another, so don’t get upset if kids aren’t moving as quickly as you’d like. Instead, adopt this philosophy: Always let children set the pace on the trail.

You simply can’t force them to go as fast as you. They have smaller legs and can’t take as large of steps. Because of that, inclines will be steeper to them than they are to you. Difficult to cross terrain, like rocks or small streams, will be formidable challenges and even barriers to them while you can handle it with a couple of long steps.

In addition, they will stop a lot just to explore and have fun. When kids see a fallen tree, they’re more than happy to climb all over it, meaning you are going to have to either pause or tell them to keep going. If what they wish to explore is dangerous, by all means make them keep going, but if it’s perfectly safe, then stop and relax. After all, among the reasons for the hike is for your kids to enjoy the great outdoors.

And if that’s not enough to slow you down, you’ll also need to take frequent rest stops. A 10-15 minute break every half-hour for kids through third grade is about right.

At the same time, watch for the dawdler, or the child who lags behind the rest of the crew even though keeping up shouldn’t be a problem. As you can’t leave the dawdler behind and don’t want to discourage the other kids from having fun, you need to figure out why the child is lagging.

Their daypack could be too heavy, or their feet may hurt because shoes don’t fit right. They might feel left out and need a little invitation or attention to regain their spirits. Maybe something is bothering them, and they just need you to talk with them a little about it. A hike sounds like the perfect time to lend your child an ear.

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

Don't skimp on water when day hiking with children

As water is the heaviest item you’ll probably carry, there is a temptation to not take as much as one should. Don’t skimp on the amount of water you bring, though; after all, it’s the one thing your body most needs. It’s always better to end up having more water than you needed than returning to your vehicle dehydrated.

How much water should you take? Adults need at least a quart for every two hours hiking. Children need to drink about a quart every two hours of walking and more if the weather is hot, dry or cold and if at a high altitude. To keep kids hydrated, have them drink at every rest stop. Don’t presume there will be water on the hiking trail. Most trails outside of urban areas lack such public amenities. In addition, don’t drink water from local streams, lakes, rivers or ponds. There’s no way to tell if local water is safe or not. As soon as you have consumed half of your water supply, you should turn around for the vehicle.

Adds Walt O., of Bozeman, Mont., “To be safe, keep extra water in the car just in case you underestimate the amount of water needed or if canteen spills leave you short on water during the hike. Water could be frozen in bottles so that when you arrive back at your vehicle, it’s still cold but melted.”

Bottled beverages containing juice or sports drinks are fine, but they also are no replacement for pure water. If your kids bring them, make sure they also drink water on the hike. In addition, don’t let children bring boxed juice, which can easily spill and attract stinging insects.

Finally, remember that when children are young you’ll need to carry their water as well. Accommodate for that in your packing.

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

Be flexible when day hiking with children

To enjoy hiking with children, you need to maintain a high degree of flexibility.

When taking breaks, you may need to rest longer than you planned. You may need to eat lunch earlier or later than scheduled. You may find kids aren't interested in seeing what you think is exciting but instead are entirely taken in by something else that utterly bores you.

You may never reach the end of the trail. But that's all right; "bailing" is okay. When hiking with kids, the point is the journey, not the destination.

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

Bring healthy snacks when hiking with kids

Among the many wonderful things about hiking, at least for the kids, is that snacking between meals isn’t frowned upon. Unless going on an all-day hike in which you’ll picnic along the way, you want to keep them fed, as hungry children can lead to lethargy and whininess. It’ll also keep toddlers from snacking on the local flora or dirt.

Before hitting the trail, you’ll want to repackage as much of the food as possible as products sold at grocery stores tend to come in bulky packages that take up space and add a little weight to your backpack. Place the food in re-sealable plastic bags.

Bring a variety of small snacks for rest stops. You don’t want kids filling up on snacks, but you do need them to maintain their energy levels if they’re walking or to ensure they don’t turn fussy if riding in a child carrier. Go for complex carbohydrates and proteins for maintaining energy. Good options include dried fruits, jerky, nuts, peanut butter, prepared energy bars, candy bars with a high protein content (nuts, peanut butter), crackers, raisins and trail mix (called “gorp”). A number of trail mix recipes are available online; you and your children may want to try them out at home to see which ones you collectively like most.

Salty treats rehydrate better than sweet treats do. Chocolate and other sweets are fine if they’re not all that’s exclusively served, but remember they also tend to lead to thirst and to make sticky messes. Whichever snacks you choose, don’t experiment with food on the trail. Bring what you know kids will like.

Give the first snack within a half-hour of leaving the trailhead or you risk children becoming tired and whiny from low energy levels. If kids start asking for them every few steps even after having something to eat at the last rest stop, consider timing snacks to reaching a visible landmark, such as, “We’ll get out the trail mix when we reach that bend up ahead.”

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

How long will day hike with kids take?

Just how long will your entire day hiking adventure with kids take?

To determine that, add three elements: drive time, walking time, and rest stops. Drive time usually is easy to figure out, though be aware that if heading into mountains, curvy and steep roads will force you to go slower. That means a longer drive time. For walking time, you’ll go much slower than you would if hiking on your own or with other adults. Kids on your back probably will increase your walk time by 25%; kids on foot will increase it by 50% until their late teens, when they’ll probably outpace you. Finally, set aside 10-15 minutes for each rest stop on the hike, stopping every half hour for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary school aged-children and every hour for older children and teens. Of course, you may need to make more frequent stops, but don’t do any less.

This hike now must be positioned during certain hours of the day depending on your children’s habits. Most importantly, consider when your kids eat meals and take naps. You’re trying to squeeze hikes between these major daily events in a child’s life.

For infants, this is not such a big deal as the child can be fed during rest stops, and the rhythm of your walk likely will lull him to sleep. For toddlers eating solid meals and needing the comfort of a mattress, however, it’s a bit more complicated. You don’t want to arrive at the trailhead a half-hour before lunch time. This all becomes less of an issue as the children enter school; if the hike crosses meal time, simply plan a picnic lunch. Regardless of age, make sure kids have eaten a complete meal before heading out on the road.

You also want to get back to you vehicle before darkness falls. Children hiking at night is inadvisable, as the difficulty in seeing increases the chance of falling, of missing a turnoff in the trail and getting lost, and of keeping track of children. Many animals also hunt at night, so there is a greater chance of being bitten.

That being said, group night hikes, led by rangers and park docents, are a lot of fun and very educational – but the trails on such hikes usually are wide and well maintained, and you’re probably with a highly experienced hiker who knows the area extremely well.

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

How to avoid, treat muscle cramps on a hike

To avoid muscle cramps, drink plenty of water. Photo by HckySo/Photoree.

Cramps occur when a muscle is repeatedly stressed, usually because it is not receiving enough oxygen. Because of this, children who are hiking for the first time may suffer from cramps. This problem typically occurs during the first portion of the hike.

Avoid muscle cramps by exercising regularly so you are fit enough to hike. Whether fit or not, don’t overexert yourself by walking too fast. Drink plenty of water but don’t overdo it as too much can give you cramps. Breathe slowly and through your nose when walking. Take frequent rest stops as well.

To treat a cramp, stop to rest, stretch and massage the effected muscle, and drink water.

Related articles:
g How to prevent and treat hypothermia in children
g Avoiding and treating child dehydration on the trail
g How to avoid and treat nosebleeds

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

Best maps to bring on your day hike

What kind of map should you carry on a day hike with children?

For me, the answer always is more than one type.

I like road maps to show me how to get to the trailhead and printed guides to give me an overview of the trail's key points. I like a satellite pic to show me where to park and how to reach the trailhead, as they are not always easy to visually locate. I use topo maps to show me the trail and landmarks on the horizon I can see to help orient myself. With a yellow highlighter I mark the trail and direction of travel on my topo map.

Fortunately, you don't need to spend any money on maps or mapping software. Road maps, topo maps and satellite pictures are all available online for free. If you're going to make a number of hikes in a specific area, such as a national forest or a national park, purchasing a large map of that entire region can be useful in selecting a trail to hike, though.

When carrying paper maps, you'll want to place them in a waterproof bag. You can buy see-through map cases that string around your neck, which I recommend for those walking in rainy climates. Since you're mainly going to walk on sunny days, however, a quart-size re-sealable plastic storage bag (like Ziploc) usually is fine.

During the hike, you'll want to check your topo map regularly to make sure you're still on the right trail. Doing so at rest stops or at any fork in the path is a good idea.

Have your children carry duplicate copies of paper maps in their backpacks. Should yours get lost or wet, they'll then have one. If you have older teens, they even may need to use them in case you are injured. Paper also makes great tinder if you end up spending the night in the wilds and must make a fire; burning a duplicate map won't be a major loss to the expedition.

And don't forget, if your children are old enough, teach them to use the maps by having them help you navigate the trail!

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