The Pros and Cons of Family Hiking

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

You’re out there on the trails, enjoying the feeling of an early-morning breeze and wondering why you don’t get out more often. When you look back to see the companion(s) you’ve brought with you, what do you see?

If you pictured a friend or a spouse, you may not have thought about how fun it could be to take your entire family hiking. And if you imagined your entire family – spouse, kids, and all – with you, you might have what it takes to be a great family hiker. But should you always bring your family with you on a hike? Here are some pro’s and con’s to help you consider the possibility.

Pros

• Exercise for the entire family – If you can get your kids hooked to physical activity at an early enough age, you won’t have to worry as much about their health and fitness. NOt only is exercising good for you, it’s good for the entire family, and promotes a sense of bonding that you can’t get at home watching television on two separate TV sets. Exercising is good, clean, honest fun – and it’s good for you, too.
• Teaching basic skills – the more hardcore family hikers will be able to relate certain skills to their children – survival skills and principles, the right mental attitude for tackling obstacles, and when they get older, even medical skills. Of course, in order to teach these skills, you have to know them yourself – why not making your childrens’ education a great excuse?

Cons

• Loss of solidarity – If you have a busy job that takes a lot out of you, sometimes a jaunt through the woods is exactly what the doctor ordered. As long as it’s alone. Some people simply need to get away, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing: if you arrive back home re-energized and in a better mood, it will have been worth it. Sometimes you deserve to treat yourself to a good exercise session.
• Whining! Let’s face it: kids aren’t always angels. And when you’re trying to enjoy a camping trip, having two teenagers whine at you isn’t exactly what you envisioned. That’s why you’ll want to make sure you don’t force anyone into doing something they’re violently opposed to.

For many people, the positives of family hiking will far outweigh the negatives. For others, the negatives will outweigh the positives. Ask yourself what kind of experience seems most appealing to you.

Three Essential Survival Tips for the Lost Backpacker

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

So you’re enjoying another fresh summer day in your extended backpacking trip, well used to the sounds of trees whistling in the wind and the sound of leaves and branches under your feet. You’re both a backpacker and a hiker these days, enjoying the feeling of the sun on your neck and having little else to worry about. Until you reach a strange new spot, look at the ground under the feet, and realize that you’ve lost the path.

What do you do now?

Here are three tips to remember if you ever get yourself into a situation in which you feel like you’re lost.

1. Get seen.

It’s tempting to continue on with your backpacking trip like you aren’t lost, as if following the woods you were walking through will somehow lead you back to the path you were on. But you need to get seen, especially if you’re in an area that has a relatively high level of human activity. You want to get seen not only to be seen but to see – many times by getting in a clearing or on a higher elevation, you’ll be able to scope out your exact situation. Sometimes, simply “getting seen” at a good vantage point can give you a reference that leads you back to where you were headed.

2. Don’t panic.

If you’re lost for the first time in your life, you might not be sure how to handle it. So the body reverts to its old fallback option: panicking. You want to avoid this. Why? The more calm, assertive, and relaxed you are, the better you’ll be able to function. As soon as you start playing doomsday scenarios in your head, you’re beginning to find ways to make those scenarios happen. So cut them off right away and ask yourself empowering questions like “okay, what’s my next step? Where can I go?” Just taking that first step can clear your mind and get you feeling calm again.

3. Believe in survival.

Survival experts across the world point to your mental attitude as being one of the most crucial elements to any survival situation. After you’ve stopped yourself from panicking, you need to take an empowering attitude that opens up your mind to the right possibilities. Do you believe you’re going to get home? If you don’t, there won’t be much sense in trying – at least to your mind. But if you do believe it, you’ll work for it, you’ll persist, and you’ll eventually find a way to make it happen. Make sure that you do – and believe that you can.

Photo Credits: andrew.petro