6 Great Tips for Trail Mix on a Hike

• Food and water basics for day hiking with children
• Hiking: A great time to snack between meals
• Great snack ideas for your hike with kids
• Gorp recipe
• Kiddie Mix Gorp recipe
• Know your berry before eating it when day hiking with kids

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Lost in the wilds? How to purify water with your pants

Never drink water directly from a stream. Instead, purify it first.
Photo courtesy of David Niblack, Imagebase.net

If lost in the wilds, you may run out of canteen water and need to drink from local sources. Hopefully, you’ve brought along purification tablets or filters. That isn’t likely on a day hike, however, so you may need to improvise. The simple solution: Use your pants leg.

Denim makes for a great bag to create a filter, but really any material will work, whether it be the leg of rain pants or a canvas bag.

The steps for making a water filter with your pants include:
g Cut off a pants leg where it meets the seam for your other pants leg.
g Tie off the end of the pants leg bottom. This will need to be strong enough to hold weight.
g Gather small stones (gravel works fine) and sand, or at least have them near where you’re working.
g Hang the pants legs from a tree. Rope or a belt can be used; poke holes 180 degrees from one another bear the tip of the pants leg for the rope or belt to be tied. The branch and tie-job will have to be strong enough to bear weight.
g Visually divide the tied-off pants leg into six equal horizontal sections.
g Place the small stones in the first horizontal section at the pants leg’s bottom.
g Place sand in the second horizontal section above the stones.
g Place a layer of small stones in the third section.
g Place sand in the fourth section.
g Place stones in the fifth section.
g Slowly pour water into the sixth section of the pants leg.
g Place a cup below the pants legs where water drips from it; you may need to hold the cup in place with rocks so that it doesn’t fall over in the wind.

This filter only removes large contaminants from the water. To kill bacteria and viruses that may be in the water, boil the water in the cup to have drinkable water.

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

Lost hiking in a desert? Here’s how to find water to stay alive

El Mirage Recreation Area, Mojave Desert, Calif.

If lost when hiking in a desert, your most valuable asset – water – likely will soon be in short supply. Your priority then becomes finding a safe supply until you can be rescued. Other than air, water is the most important element you need to survive, and without it in a desert, you will dehydrate and potentially die within a day or two.

While an arid environment, water does exist in the desert. If not, none of the plants or animals around you could survive. The trick them is to find it in the same way that animals or plant roots do.

Here’s a few ways where you can find drinking water in a desert:
g Follow livestock – If you see cattle or sheep grazing on desert grass, follow them when they move. They need even more water than you do and likely will head to a pond or a trough provided by a rancher.
g Locate water pockets – Depressions atop boulders and beneath ledges all can hold water. Before drinking it, however, soak it up with a cloth and purify if possible. If you can’t reach the water, use a hollow reed or other straw to suck in the water and place it in your canteen.
g Dig a seep hole – If there’s no water in a depression but you notice that the ground is damp, dig a hole there. Gradually water will drain and collect in the hole. Patches of green are neon arrows pointing to where such depressions likely exist.
g Find a spring – The lowest levels of a canyon mark the best places to locate a spring. This will be at the mouth of a canyon. From there, work your way upstream, looking for water pockets and damp ground to dig seep holes.

You stand a good chance of becoming sick from drinking any unpurified water in a desert. That can prove even deadlier as any such illness will quickly dehydrate you. Still, sometimes you must gamble that you’ll be rescued before the illness sets in and can suffer through it in the safety of a hospital room.

One last note: Never drink water from a pool in which a dead animal is nearby. The water may have poisoned the animal or the animal before dying may have infected the water puddle.

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

Consider bringing along specific gear for desert hikes with children

Mojave Desert, Calfornia

As a dry, severe environment, deserts offer both incredible scenic wonders and grave dangers. Because of the former, they make for great hiking terrain…because of the latter, specific hiking gear and equipment is essential for a day hike there.

Whenever on a desert hike, be sure to have the following equipment or items:
g Boots – You’ll want footgear with ankle support, that breathes, and that has a soft, flexible sole to ensure traction. To that end, wear lightweight, breathable hiking boots. Sandals will expose your skin to sunburn, thorns and sharp rocks while running shoes lack the ankle support needed for crossing rocky terrain.
g Sun hat – A brim provides the extra protection needed to shade your face, not just to avoid sunburn but to prevent being blinded by the sun. Consider getting a sun hat that includes a flap to keep the sunlight off your neck.
g Lighter colored clothing – White and other light colors will better reflect the sunlight than black and dark clothing, which absorb it, resulting in more heat upon the body.
g Sunscreen – An SPF 50 is essential as the sand reflects sunlight back onto the body, resulting in a burn. Sweat will wash away sunscreen, so you likely will need to reapply it during rest breaks.
g Lip balm – The lips also can be burned or chapped by sunlight as well a wind. An SPF 30 balm will protect them. Reapply the balm after drinking water.
g Extra water – Any arid environment requires that you take in more water than usual. Consider carrying it in collapsible canteens to lessen the weight or in a hydration pack, which kids are more likely to regularly use as they can more easily sip water as walking.
g Insect repellent – Usually dry areas are low on bug count, but don’t be surprised to run into sand flies and midges or when near a wet area into mosquitoes.

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

How to disinfect a wound while day hiking with children

Should day hiking children be wounded from a fall or other accident, you’ll almost certainly have to treat the injury. That almost always requires disinfecting the wound.

A wound typically is any severe cut of the skin. Internal parts of the body may be exposed. Disinfecting this wound is vital, for the real threat beyond blood loss is an infection setting in.

Stop the bleeding
The first step is to stop the bleeding. This should be done by applying a sterile compress (You should have one in your first-aid kit.) directly to the wound. If the compress soaks through with blood, simply apply another compress directly over it.

If the wound is deep and won’t stop bleeding – this usually is the case when stitches are required – don’t worry about disinfecting the wound. Instead, try to at least slow the bleeding and seek immediate medical attention. The hospital staff applying the stitches will disinfect the wound.

Presuming stitches aren’t needed, once the bleeding is under control, gently remove the compress. If the bleeding resumes, reapply sterile compresses, get the bleeding under control again, and seek immediate medical attention.

Should the bleeding not resume, flush the wound with clean water. Your goal is to get out sand, dirt and debris (such as tiny bits of leaves and dirt) from the wound. Hydrogen peroxide is nice but not necessary for flushing a wound.

Antiobiotic and dressing
Next, apply a triple antibiotic ointment (which also should be in your first-aid kit) to the wound.

Finally, apply clean dressing to the wound. This is best done by applying adhesive bandages in a cross-cross pattern over the length of the cut; be sure to push the wound’s edges together. Then place a sterile wrap over the adhesive bandages.

Keep a close eye on the cut as it heals over the next several days. You don’t want it start to bleeding again, and you don’t want it to become infected. Should either occur, have it looked at by medical professionals.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Best snacks for a winter day hike – and why you should pig out on them

Mixing carbs and fats in snacks is a good idea for winter
hiking with kids.

Arguably one of the many fun aspects of a day hike in winter is that you can snack – and not just a little snack, like you might enjoy on a summer walk.

Your body uses more energy on a winter day hike than in summer. First, more exertion is required to move over snow, and secondly your body must generate heat to keep itself warm. Because of this, you can burn around 100 more calories an hour than you would during a summer hike on the same trail.

To keep up your energy, during winter you’ll want to mix carbs and fats in your snacks. If you stick only to carbs, you risk a sugar crash in which you’ll become sluggish and cold. Being tired on a trail is never any fun, but when your body struggles to stay warm during a winter hike, that’s problematic.

Some great snack carb/fat combos for a winter day hike include:
g Nuts and dried fruit – Almonds, walnuts, and pistachios provide the fats while dried fruit work as carbs.
g Nuts and chocolate pieces – The sweets give you carbs while the nuts again offer up the fats.
g Candy with cookie wafers – The frosted or chocolate portions provide the fats while the cookie wafer is the carb.

And don’t worry about eating larger portions of these snacks than you would during summer. You almost certainly won’t gain weight because the body actually needs the extra intake of food.

Finally, don’t forget water with those snacks. You’ll need extra water on a winter day hike not just to help to metabolize the nuts, fruits and candy but also to ward off dehydration. Hikers often don’t realize that dehydrating oneself in cold weather is just as easy to do as it is on an extremely hot day. Due to the freezing temperatures, moisture is locked up in the snow, and so the air is desert dry.

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

How to avoid, treat hyponatremia on hike

Hyponatremia is on the rise among desert hikers, such as
those at Grand Canyon National Park.

If hiking in the desert or on an extremely humid day, beware of suffering from hyponatremia. This ailment – a low sodium blood level – has been on the rise, in fact, at Grand Canyon National Park.

Sodium helps regulate the amount of water in and around your body’s cells; when it becomes too low, your cells swell with water, creating a variety of problems such as muscle spasms/cramps, loss of balance, nausea, confusion, fatigue and even death.

In deserts, this typically occurs because the heat causes people to sweat, resulting in a loss of sodium. When hikers drink water to replace the loss fluid, they aren’t replenishing their bodies with salt and other minerals, causing the sodium to become diluted and hence low.

To prevent hyponatremia, imbibe electrolyte drinks and tablets when hiking (sports drinks don’t contain enough electrolytes and so don’t work). Also bring salty food, such as beef jerky and sodium crackers with you. Continue to drink water, however, as your body still requires it in the dry heat.

If suffering hyponatremia, seek medical attention immediately. You will need intravenous fluids, restricted water intake and monitoring.

Read more about day hiking the Grand Canyon in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Grand Canyon National Park guidebook.

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.

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.

Plan out what to pack for hike with kids

Preparation for the trail doesn’t end with selecting a route and buying some gear. The next step is packing.

Begin with your water supply. Make sure canteens, water bottles and hydration systems are full; fill them up the night before and leave them in the refrigerator so that you have cold water. Just before hitting the road, strap one canteen to each side of the backpack or fanny pack/utility belt so that they’re more balanced.

Inspect - then pack
Next, make a checklist of everything you plan to take. Inspect each item to ensure it is in working order. As you place it in your fanny pack or backpack, mark off the item.

If lugging a backpack, don’t place pointy objects near your back or they’ll find a way to push into you the entire hike. Generally, the heaviest items go in last, at the bag’s top. This will provide you the greatest comfort when walking.

But for some hikers, the packing order is a bit more complicated. “In my backpack, the heaviest items always go to the front, which is nearest your back,” said Tim L., Harrisonburg, Va. “If the trail is smooth, the heaviest items go to the top. If the trail is rough, the heaviest items go in the bag’s middle or halfway up. If the terrain is extremely rugged, the heavy items go to the bottom.”

Don’t let kids overload packs
Place items you’ll need to get to quickly in the backpack’s sidepockets or at top of the fanny pack. These objects probably will include a first-aid kit, toilet paper and sunscreen lotion. Don’t tie lots of stuff to the outside of the backpack as they can snag on branches and come off.

After you’ve taken care of your gear, do all of the children’s daypacks, preferably with their assistance (and if they’re old enough to carry a backpack, they’re old enough to help). Make sure their pack isn’t overloaded. Among the items that should go in it are a safety whistle, emergency snack, rain jacket and probably a small first-aid kit. Teenagers can carry more, and you can entrust to their care some of what you used to carry when they were younger.

The final step is loading your vehicle. Most of the gear can be packed the night before, but any pieces involving canteens or water bottles obviously will have to wait until morning.

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

Food, water basics for day hikes with kids

Always carry food with you on a hike. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Water is a necessity of any hiking trip, and food is a must if you’re heading out with kids. To remain hydrated, adults and children alike need to drink regularly. To keep kids’ energy levels up, they’ll need to enjoy snacks.

Arranging hikes between meal times always is good planning. You don’t want children on the trail when their bodies tell them they should be at the dinner table. Leave for the trail after a meal so that food can settle during the drive, and always head for home to ensure they’ll eat their next meal on time. Maintaining the routines and schedules of home will help prevent a number of attitude problems on the trail.

Also, be sure to carry water and refrigerated food in insulated pouches or containers. This will keep them cool and from spoiling.

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

How to find drinkable water if lost in wilds

Avoid directly drinking water from a stream, pond or lake.

Use spring water; always boil, filter

If you’re lost or forced to stay a night in the wilds, avoid using local sources of drinking water. Still, sometimes you must take a calculated gamble or dehydration will set in.

The first challenge is to find a source of local water. Spring water is the best discovery, as it runs the lowest risk of being contaminated. Your next best bet is finding flowing water from a stream that is high in the mountains or hills, as it’s more likely than not to be clean as it is close to its source, which is melting snow. Flowing water at the bottom of a mountain or hill is your next best choice. Still water on low-lying land is your worst.

Finding water in a desert
If you’re not lost but simply stuck in the wilds for a night due to an injury, check your topo map. Well-known springs often are marked on them.

In a desert, finding water at all can be nearly impossible, but it is out there if you know where to look. On seasonal waterways, the thicker and greener the vegetation the more likely the chance that you’ll find standing water nearby. A grove of cottonwoods and willows almost guarantees that ground water is nearby. If there isn’t any, dig in the cool sand under a willow, and you may find water only a few inches down. Puddles also may exist under large overhangs and in shaded rock crevices, particularly if they are on a hill’s north side.

To collect the water, simply use one of your canteens or water bottles. Don’t dump out good water that you’ve carried in, however, but combine it with water in another partially filled canteen. If the water source is too shallow for a canteen, spread your handkerchief across the water surface. When the handkerchief has absorbed the water, wring it out into your canteen.

Once you’ve collected water, you need to “clean” it before imbibing. There are three options: use water purification tablets, boil it, or use a water filter.

Boil at least 5 minutes
A variety of water purification tablets are available for sale, so follow the instructions on each packet for the best results. Generally, though, tablets have to sit in the water for at least 30 minutes – and if the water is cold, the tablets may need to mix in it overnight. Tablets always will leave a little aftertaste, ranging from iodine-like to a tart flavoring. Be aware that if you or your child has thyroid problems, water purification tablets may contain iodine and probably should not be used.

If boiling, do so for at least 5 minutes. This will kill Giardia and all but the hardiest microscopic bugs. Boiling won’t remove chemical contaminates, however. In addition, if water is cloudy and you can’t see any life such as fish or amphibians in it, boiling probably won’t make it safe. When boiling water, do not do it in your plastic canteen or water bottle. The plastic likely will melt, or you won’t be able to touch it when hot. Given this, you may want to add “cooking pot” to the list of items for your backpack, but I’d only do so if you’re planning a long hike into the backcountry.

A number of water filters exist, all using different filtration systems and coming in different sizes. Whichever one you choose, make sure the filter pores are smaller than 0.2 microns. Anything larger will allow nasty bacteria to get through and remain in the water.

What are the advantages of each filter over the other? One that lacks iodine won’t remove viruses, so you’ll need to use water purification tablets or iodine anyway. A carbon or charcoal filter will remove chemicals that purification tablets and boiling won’t get rid of. Reverse osmosis filters are best of all, removing almost everything bad and even desalinating sea water. Unfortunately, they’re bulky and expensive, and you probably aren’t going to carry one on a day hike let alone a camping trip.

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

How to safely build a campfire when day hiking with children

A fire is central to keeping warm, cooking meals and feeling safe. Only build a fire if necessary, however. They can pose a great danger to children and the surrounding environment.

You’ll first need to select a spot to build the fire. Begin by look for an existing fire ring. If there isn’t one (and even if there is), select a spot protected from the wind as the breeze can carry sparks from the fire. Given this, be sure that the campfire is built several feet away and down-wind from your shelter. Also, don’t build underneath a tree, as you don’t want limbs or the roots to catch fire.

Children of all ages can help you collect the tinder, twigs and branches as they are small enough for them to carry. They’ll have the best luck finding dry wood inside hollow stumps or near a tree trunks’ base. Wet bark can be shaved away from dry wood and then further cut into tinder. As gathering your wood, separate it into piles by size. Keep the branches and dry brush away from the fire ring. You also may need to collect rocks for the fire pit.

Starting a campfire
Presuming there isn’t a prebuilt fire ring, clear a circle of ground and place rocks at its edges. Rocks larger than your fists are best, but avoid using wet stones, especially those from a riverbed, as they can explode when heated. If you can’t find any rocks, dig a trench.

Once a fire ring is made, place tinder in a small pile at its center. Tinder is the building block of your fire and can be anything that quickly ignites, such as dry grass, pine needles, paper, bark and twigs. Build a small teepee of pencil-length twigs around and over the tinder. Leave a space on one side of the teepee so you can reach the tinder with your hand. Now make another teepee, using longer and thicker sticks, but of no more than an inch thick, over the first teepee, again leaving a space in the side so you can reach your hand in. Stack a small ring of at least fist-sized stones around the teepee; this later will keep the fire from spreading to the surrounding ground and can be used as a place to stick a pot to boil water.

Remember those waterproof matches in a waterproof container and the small candle we discussed earlier? Take them out. Light the candle and place the candle beneath the tinder. This is the easiest wait to light a fire – there’s no rubbing sticks together or holding magnifying glasses as shown on cable television survival shows. When the top teepee collapses in flame, you’ve got a good fire started and can add gradually larger branches to keep it going. As you don’t want to get too large of a fire going – they can be difficult to control – keep the branches smaller than your firearm.

While kids can help build the fire ring and teepees, only an adult should start the fire. In addition, never leave a fire unattended.

Keep water nearby
Keep a bucket of water nearby, too. As you’re lost, you probably don’t have a bucket, so designate one of the canteens you’ve carried as the douse bucket. Don’t use good drinking water you’ve carried in or water you’ve purified with tablets to douse the fire. Instead, carefully empty into another canteen water from the canteen that’ll serve as a douse bucket. Then fill your douse canteen with local water from a stream, pond or puddle.

Don’t dry anything around the fire. You’ll find nylon melting, leather cracking, and wool burning. Instead, dry boots in the shade (and never over a campfire) by putting them upside down on a stick that you’ve pushed into the ground. Dry other equipment in the sun and wind.

When you hike out of the area the following morning or are rescued, extinguish the fire completely, dousing it in water, spreading out the coals, and smothering the burning branches and ashes with sand or dirt free of twigs and leaves. Pour on more water until each cinder is extinguished. Don’t drench hot rocks with cold water, though, as the temperature change can cause an explosion. Before leaving, check the fire again to make sure nothing is burning. The pit should be cold to the touch. All of this may take a half-hour or more.

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

Don't forget milk for unweaned children on day hike

If you have an infant or unweaned toddler with you, milk is as necessary as water. Children who only drink breastfed milk but don’t have their mother on the hike require that you have breast-pumped milk in an insulated beverage container (such as a Thermos) that can keep it cool to avoid spoiling. Know how much the child drinks and at what frequency so you can bring enough.

You’ll also need to carry the child’s bottle and feeding nipples. Bring enough extra water in your canteen so you can wash out the bottle after each feeding. A handkerchief can be used to dry bottles between feedings.

Don’t forget the baby’s pacifier. Make sure it has a string and hook on it so it connects to the baby’s outfit and isn’t lost.

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

Don't skimp on water when day hiking

Children need a quart of water
for every two hours of hiking.

As water is the heaviest item you’ll probably carry, there is a temptation to not take as much as one should, especially on a day hike with children. 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've consumed half of your water supply, you should turn around for the vehicle.

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

Pre-hike checklist to ensure successful walk with kids

You’ll get more out of the day hike with children if you plan ahead. It’s not enough to just pull over to the side of the road and hit a trail that you’ve never been on and have no idea where it goes. In fact, doing so invites disaster.

Before leaving on any hike, plan out your trip:
g Print a road map showing how to reach the parking lot near the trailhead. Outline the route with a transparent yellow highlighter and write out the directions.
g Print a satellite photo of the parking area and the trail-head. Mark the trailhead on the photo.
g Print a topo map of the trail. Outline the trail with the yellow highlighter. Note interesting features you want to see along the trail and the destination.
g If carrying GPS, program this information into your device.
g Make a timeline for your trip, listing: when you will leave home; when you will arrive at the trailhead; your turn-back time; when you will return for home in your vehicle; when you will arrive at home.
g Estimate how much water and food you will need to bring based on the amount of time you plan to spend on the trail and in your vehicle. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail.
g Fill out two copies of a hiker’s safety form. Leave one in your vehicle.
g Share all of this information with a responsible person remaining in civilization, leaving a hiker’s safety form with them. If they do not hear from you within an hour of when you plan to leave the trail in your vehicle, they should contact authorities to report you as possibly lost.

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

What to bring on a day hike with kids

A successful hike ensures that you wear the right clothes and
bring the proper gear, navigational tools, first-aid kit and more. 

Knowing the answers to the questions that go into determining where you’ll hike – weather, trail conditions, features you’ll see there – will help you determine what kind of clothing and gear to bring. The age of your children also will play a significant role in making these decisions.

Generally, you want to go as light as possible. The more you carry, the heavier the load and so the greater the physical exertion. A lighter load also decreases the chance of injury and means you can go farther. In addition, the more you bring, the odds increase that you’ll lose or forget something.

Among the items you’ll want to consider bringing:
• Clothes – Unless a warm, sunny day, you’ll want to layer your clothing. Make sure you have hiking boots and wool socks. Headgear and sunglasses are a must on sunny days and during winter.
• Gear – If your child is an infant or toddler, you’ll want a baby carrier and a fanny pack. If you have older children, get yourself a backpack. A trekking pole also is vital.
• Navigational tools – Carry a topographical map of the area as well as a compass, even if you have GPS.
• Food and water – You’ll want to bring canteens that can hold 2 pints of water per person for every hour of hiking. Be sure to bring trail mix as well. If you have an infant, be sure to bring milk formula.
• First-aid kit – At a minimum, a first-aid kit should include adhesive bandages, antibacterial ointment, gauze bandages, medical tape, tweezers and possibly poison ivy cream.
• Sundries – Bring diapers, wet wipes, a pad, and re-sealable plastic bags for carrying the waste if your child isn’t yet potty trained. A camera also is a great idea. A safety whistle also is wise. If carrying an infant, don’t forget the pacifier.

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

Don't overpack on day hike with children

Travel light when day hiking.

Perhaps the biggest mistake beginning hikers make is that they pack too much gear. We live in a culture obsessed with material possessions – not just with the acquisition of them but in our overdependence on them. You’ll be surprised, however, by how little we really need, especially on an outing for a few hours.

Simply put, packing too much gear makes for too heavy of a load that quickly strains your back and shoulders, leaving you to focus more on your pain rather than the beautiful scenery around you. And should you need to carry your young child for part of the hike, you’ll soon find yourself worn out.

The best rule when hiking is to travel light.

You can start by purchasing the lightest of equipment. Day hikes allow you to sacrifice sturdiness for weight, unlike a multi-day backpacking trip or a weekend campout.

Next – and what certainly will yield the most weight loss – is to adjust your attitude toward what you need. Before packing for the hike, make a list of the gear you’ll actually need. Then ask yourself if you’ll really need it. If you didn’t need it the last time you hiked, you probably don’t need it this time around.

That being said, don’t sacrifice water, a first-aid kit, or map and compass; you need those basics for the safety of you and your child.

Perhaps the second biggest mistake beginning hikers make is that they don’t bring the right gear. Hikes with Tykes includes several chapters about clothing, gear and sundries that you’ll need for a day hiking trip. It includes a packing list and recommends what can be cut.

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

Follow planning list when hiking with kids

Before leaving on any hike with children, plan out your trip. Here’s a useful planning checklist:
g Print a road map showing how to reach the parking lot near the trailhead. Outline the route with a transparent yellow highlighter and write out the directions.
g Print a satellite photo of the parking area and the trailhead. Mark the trailhead on the photo.
g Print a topo map of the trail. Outline the trail with the yellow highlighter. Note interesting features you want to see along the trail and the destination.
g If carrying GPS, program this information into your device.
g Make a timeline for your trip, listing: when you will leave home; when you will arrive at the trailhead; your turn-back time; when you will return for home in your vehicle; when you will arrive at home.
g Estimate how much water and food you will need to bring based on the amount of time you plan to spend on the trail and in your vehicle. You’ll need at least 2 pints of water per person for every hour on the trail.
g Fill out two copies of a hiker’s safety form. Leave one in your vehicle.
g Share all of this information with a responsible person remaining in civilization, leaving a hiker’s safety form with them. If they do not hear from you within an hour of when you plan to leave the trail in your vehicle, they should contact authorities to report you as possibly lost.

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

Don't forget bathing suits, towels on hike

If there's a calm pool or slow moving stream on your planned day hike with the kids, consider taking a swim or wading in.

You’ll then want to bring bathing suits, swimming trunks and towels. Wear flip-flops or a shoe (but not the shoes or boots your children hike in) when in the water because sharp rocks or a stick stuck in the mud may sit at the bottom.

Also, always make sure the water actually is clean enough to enter; some waterways are polluted, though generally the higher the elevation the safer the pool or stream.

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