How We Adventure.. Part 2

Spring 2016 near Spokane Washington

A large part of our traveling and adventures is hiking! It is perhaps my favorite part. Many people feel that if you have kids and love to hike that you need to find a sitter and leave them at home. For some hikes that is true, but for many it is not necessary. I suppose, it just depends on what your ultimate goals are and why you are hiking.

I began hiking and fell in love with it for a multitude of reasons. The fresh air, open space, exercise, and ability to experience places not easily seen by everyone. Through the years more reasons have been added to my list. When I hike with my children they help me slow down and notice the little things. We pick up sticks, find cool rocks, and investigate the leaves. We talk A LOT and about anything and everything. We talk about hiking, how to be safe, how to take care of the trails and nature. We don’t make good time mileage wise, at least not yet, but we make memories that last. I would not trade them for anything.

We started hiking with our kids before they could walk. A quality child hiking pack is important at this stage. As they reached toddler years we started having them walk safe portions of the trails. We let them hold sticks and leaves (not always very pleasant for my head). The older they got, the more they walked and the slower we became. It was a necessary sacrifice to help build their comfort outside as well as their stamina.

Our two oldest children at ages 3 and 1 getting ready for a hike.

Spring 2017 hiking in Northern Alabama.

As they were growing and starting to get harder to hold we needed to help encourage them to push through and continue hiking. At this point we offered each of them a goal. We told them if they successfully hiked three 2+ mile hikes in a row without being carried they would earn their own hiking bag!! This was actually very motivational for them. It also allowed us to give them their own water bladder and to have them begin carrying their own snacks and small toys if they wanted them. Once they earned their bags then if they complained or wanted carried we could simply remind them that they have proven they CAN hike, even when it is hard or they are tired.

Our youngest earned her hiking pack after our Georgia trip! We picked it up at REI in Chattanooga, TN.

Our oldest is turning 10 this summer and is a very confident hiker, and our younger two are also well on their way. We are starting to be able to hike further and a bit faster these days. Speed to me is not the most important thing, I love that they enjoy hiking and nature. I hope this will be something that will carry us through their teen years and help us to continue to feel connected.

Our tips for hiking with kids:

• Find a comfortable Child Carrier.
• Bring lots of snacks. Space them out on the trail (they are great motovation for kids).
• Choose a hike based on the abilities of all in your group, including the children.
• Encourage the child/children to hike as much as possible on their own. This will sometimes feel frustrating but in the long run it is beneficial. They are learning to hike. Try to make it fun for them!
• Familiarize yourself with first aid and other safety measures. Hiking with young kids often means first aid will be necessary.
• Slow down and enjoy nature. Use the slower pace as an opportunity to teach and connect with your child.
• When they are old enough get them a backpack sized correctly for them, and add a water bladder. We LOVE the child sized day packs by REI.

Georgia 2017

Spring 2020 in Lake County, Oregon

I hope you feel inspired to get out and hike and explore with your children. If you don’t have kids of your own, hopefully this information will help if you ever join a family/friends with kids on a hike! Our children love encountering friendly hikers on the trail. Hikers who understand how kids hike and encourage them are immensely inspiring for our children.

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

How We Adventure – Part One

Descending Doherty Slide (1000 ft descent)

Abiqua Falls – Mother’s Day Hike 2015

I have been asked the following questions over and over again throughout the years: Where do you find your adventures? How do you get your kids to happily hike? When should you start taking kids hiking with you?

Exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains – Summer 2018

Wide Open Roads in Lake County, Oregon.

Where do we find our adventures?

This is a question we have been asked for years in almost every state we have lived. We are asked this question by people newer to the area than we are which is not surprising. But then we are just as frequently asked by people who may have lived in the area their whole lives!

The answer though seemingly simple is a rather complex one. First it starts with being prepared. We are ALWAYS overpacked and packed for multiple possibilities. For example we carry recovery gear in our truck even if we are planning to go to a state campground. Our kids hike with backpacks, which each contain their essential supplies, even if we are just going on a one mile hike, as do we. The reasons for this level of preparedness is that we are NEVER quite sure where we will end up or what will happen. We have learned to prepare ahead of time for multiple possibilities. These include the real possibilities of getting stuck, hurt, or stranded. Our number one goal while exploring has always been to be safe and keep our kids safe. There is always, despite that goal, the possibility of getting hurt, so we try to be prepared and to have a plan.

We have talked through and trained our kids in trail safety and ettiquite. Our kids have been taught to fall uphill if we are hiking in a steep area. They have been taught what to do if they get separated from us. They have been taught basic orienteering using trails, trees, creeks, rivers, and hillsides. They are just about old enough now to be taught to make a safe fire, and how to use a map and compass together. That being said, our preparedness has changed throughout the years and with our family member’s ability levels. Use your best judgment and know your limits. If you have to ask yourself multiple times if you are safe, or if you should turn back… better to be cautious and safe, than stranded and in trouble!

Exploring with others is always best! This is with our Buddies @suburbanoverland. Overlooking Summer Lake, OR at Fremont Point.

First thing that happens when we move to an area or when we visit a new area is research. We don’t just look at pamphlets that are handed out, or at the state or local forests website. We search online, we look at maps, we look up the local history, anything we can do to find and get a feel for what we may encounter.

Once we have a good idea of what is around, we will often choose a drive or an area we want to start exploring. These exploration drives involve a lot of stopping, side roads, and diversions. This is how we find a lot of neat adventures that may not be as well known. We make notes about what we want to come back and do later. This is how we begin building our lists of adventures to do around the area.

These drives become adventures in and of themselves because we are never quite sure if our planned route will work out, or what we may find that brings us away from our planned route. This is why we travel prepared for multiple possibilities. We may go out looking for a hike in the desert, but instead find ourselves enjoying a campground in the mountains. We very often encounter closed or impassable roads. Practicing leave no trace for us also involves trying to avoid tearing up roads, so sometimes we turn around or change course to avoid muddy roads.

The kids have mixed feelings some days about our driving adventures. They don’t always find them exciting, so we try to do a few things to help make them more fun. We stop, get out of the truck and let them explore when we find an interesting area. We let them get wet, muddy, and dirty if that is what comes up! We generally pack a picnic lunch and find somewhere fun to eat. We also talk to them about our plan and our route and we give them choices about where we go explore. When they have more ownership and choice about what we do they become more invested in it and have a lot more fun.

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Always exploring

We use the following mapping programs most often:

• Avenza Maps (a lot of free USGS Maps – can purchase other maps for various fees)
• Gaia Maps (free version)
• US Topo Maps Pro (single app purchase, no subscription, but maps are a little outdated)
• Google maps (sometimes, not very reliable on Forest Service roads, cannot be counted on as the only mapping source).

That is a quick summary of how we find some of our adventures and places to explore. It is a fun process that is often unpredictable. Honestly I greatly enjoy the unpredictability of these drives! It is a good reminder that even the best laid plans don’t always work, and most importantly that plans can be adjusted and often our unexpected turns have led to our greatest discoveries and adventures!

Stay tuned for part 2! I will talk about hiking with kids and how our children have changed and grown as hikers through the years. I will include some of our favorite tips, as well as some harder lessons we have learned.

Happy Adventuring,

Stephanie

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Noni’s Trails Grand Opening Celebration!

The Outback Adventure Trails Committee has been working for close to a year to officially map, mark, and dedicate their first trail project to a local community member who touched many lives and many hearts during her time in Lakeview.

I did not have the opportunity to meet Noni but I can feel how loved she is by this community. She has left a lasting legacy and one that will continue to live on through this wonderful trail, as well as the Color Run for Noni Vanderberg hosted annually by the Lakeview High School National Honor Society.

Sunday June 2nd will be a big day for both the Outback Adventure Trails and LHS National Honor Society. It will start with the 5k color run for Noni which will end at the Lions Pool Park. At 11:30 the Outback Adventure Trails Group will do a short presentation (at Lions Pool Park) and then a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open and dedicate their first trail project.

An immense amount of work and planning has gone into this project and the group is excited to provide this trail to the community as well as to those who visit the area. It is a beautiful trail that is now well marked and is a wonderful addition to Lakeview and Lake County. The committee was able to secure grants and funding from the following businesses and organizations: Travel Southern Oregon, Travel Oregon, Anderson Engineering & Surveying, Town of Lakeview Lodging Tax, and the Noni Vandenberg Memorial Fund. Countless hours of work were also donated by committee members, and other volunteers throughout the community.

In celebration of this work the trails group is hosting a community celebration after the official dedication with games and a BBQ in the Lions Park. Rumor has it there may even be some swag to be given out with the new Outback Adventure Trails Logo! It is sure to be a great day here in Lakeview!!

Quick reference details:

What: Noni Trails Grand Opening Celebration.

When: Sunday June 2nd 2019 at approximately 11:30am (after the Color Run for Noni).

Where: Lions Pool Park – downtown Lakeview

Activities: Presentation & Ribbon Cutting, Picnic, and Games.

Donations are welcomed but not required.