Thru-hiking with a 3 month old baby?

Strange, how you email one person for advice, who then puts your mail on the net in Dutch and how fast the word then spread worldwide. Anyway, now that the word is out
… lets make the best of it.

I like to thank those with balanced and constructive advice or concerns posted. I expected emotional reactions as well, but I do not wish to react on all of them. I just like to say that I think we are taking very good care of our girl, reading a lot, talking a lot and asking advise from medical professionals…and experienced people like most of you. I do not consider us selfish. Dropping her for 8 hours a day in a "quote-childcare-unquote business" to pursue selfish interests, as Roger Coffin explained, is something to think about. Choosing to take both an extra 1 month unpaid leave to be with our baby 100% is not really selfish I think. And for those of you who think we do not care what the baby thinks: after three weeks we noticed that the very best way to calm her is to carry her in a big sling, like 3 billion other mothers everywhere outside the West know for long. They do it every day. We will not bow 1000 times a day in a rice field with her but after two years in Asia I noticed babies do quite well close to mom the whole day. I discovered that on daddies chest she always relaxes as well and every daywalk we did with her so far was a pleasure for all three of us. Test weekends with tent are planned in May. By the way, ever thought about why there are so many allergies these days? Fresh mountain air will do her good if you see the pollution levels in the region where I live. We are flexible people who are determined to just give it a try and see where we get, as we always do. It has brought us epic Himalayan treks far from the beaten track that also raised eyebrows when we talked on them beforehand. If it turns out to be a week of trekking and a week of camping and again a week of trekking, so be it.

Those who consider the heavy pack should know that backpacklight offers alternatives. The 8 kilo each INCLUDES tent, stove, some food AND babystuff like 24 washable diapers and sunhat and babyoil and other small things that she needs. (1 kg backpack from Osprey, 1,5 kg tent from Vaude, 600gr sleeping bag from mountain hardware, …. and for ourselves: no luxuries) By post we can send small packs to pick up every two weeks with 2 kg of renewable items such as toilet paper, a few baby items and a few high energy snacks hard to find in the small shops. The route seems to be never more away from the world of shops and Doctors then a few hours walking (confirmed by Roger Coffin) and if the GR10 does make a longer distance away from everything, we can always take another route as well. Plenty of options in that area and plenty of medical facilities as well.

I especially appreciated the comments from people with experience (often on the GR10 and/or with trekking with babies), such as Roger Coffin who gave excellent replies to some paranoia claims about bugs (I bet we have more of them here at home) or sleeping (she sleeps more if we walk her the whole day), Doug Johnson who is also an inspiration and the cute description from Bob Bankhead of how the baby will experience all this plus the warm posting from his doughter Mary. Thanks also to Nick Gatel who does not advice us to do it but had some wise words for some of you: “I wouldn't encourage it. But let them make the decision themselves. If they need technical help/information, then advise them if you can.” Thanks to all of you, will keep you posted ok?

Thanks to these them we will also bring a few non renewable diapers for back up and post a few of them to the two-weekly pick up sites. The renewables we will wash every evening and hang them to the two backpacks (she uses about 8 a day and we take 24 of them) We will move back to using sticks (we got rid of them a while ago but for safety of baby we will take them back) and keep the ears dry and clean. Gloves and a hat will also go in the luggage, they complement the mini umbrella for her. Polio is the only vaccination we have to do (many medical professional advice against all others and me myself I also had only polio as a kid and I'm still in good health). We look for a way to take polio on a medically sound way. Concerning the possible attack from one of the 3 bears in the whole range: Ton Joosten who spend 1300 days in the range never saw one and hey, we will not smear honey on our girl and go on a grizzly hugging tour. It is true, nights are short now, if she wakes us only two times we are so happy (happened only once). But the most tiring is getting visits at the times our girls does not want visit, being in the office whole day and having shift number two in the evening and shift three in the night. According to the books, nights usually get better after 3 months so lets hope they do. So far brestfeeding goes well. If that changes, nights become hell or snow breaks out at that low altitude then we take shelter in refuges and if it stays like that we quit. But we have to say to those who advice against starting: no point in trying. Traintickets are in the pocket and starting is the one thing I can guarantee that we will do. Finishing I never promised anyone, not even myself. And for those who are afraid this is a casper and hobbes cartoon with the dad being the camping freak who neglects the signs from mum and casper…..mom also loves trekking, we are both mountain guides and we both had the same idea

Remaining technical advice needed (might think of more later)

+a lightweight inflatable babybed: we have seen some but have no experience. Anybody?
+other specific knowledge from people who did trekking with a baby on health, part from the obvious like taking a thermometer, gloves, hat, vitamins, a cellphone and some specific creams and medicine for babies…

All the best

anonymous (just in case James Kester likes to sue us in advance ;-)

“anonymous (just in case James Kester likes to sue us in advance)”

Paranoid much?

I see "Nick Meynen" as his name…

I forgot my name would automatically be mentionned. Should have adopted other name for this. we are planning to inform some family and friends only step by step while doing it. They usually do not read these forum as far as I know and if some backpacker friends accidently happen to read it: please keep all this for yourself. It is already enough that an email is placed on the net and translated without anybody asking if that is fine with us. Stop translating our emails and posting them on other forums please.

that said and done, any really thoughtfull advice or concern on our plan that is not mentionned already is welcome, but please stick to arguments and keep your personal opinion, emotions and unrelated stories outside the forum. Thanks!

Paranoid, secretive, and not to bright when it comes to concealing his identity. This does not bode well for you and your through hiking plans. :)

Best of luck with your trip, is sincerely hope you have a good time with no issues or problems.

Nick- glad to see you found this thread. When this thread started my first (and still is) thought was- I wish I could have done that 28 years ago when my first born was a baby.
Over the years and 8 children later I've learned that kids are very resilient. The more things kids are exposed to at what ever age, the better off they are.
Your daughter won't remember much of the trip but the closer your family will be because of spending the time together can't be purchased for any price. She will have her own memories because of the pictures and discussions she will hear and see through out her life and they will be with her the rest of her life.
What a great opportunity- be smart, be safe and most of all have fun!

I'd advise being responsible parents and planning your trip in a way that places the health and safety of your child first. You are responsible. You need to make sure you dot the I's and cross the T's. You have to plan this trip. You can not rely on random people from the internet to plan a thru hike for a 3 month old.

paranoid? the Kester remark was a joke, I added ;-) but I thought that was clear from the start.

secretive, well, as I explained before: I was not planning to post it on a forum, somebody who I send an email just did and yes, sometimes it is better to inform people step by step. You see what kind of reactions you get if you just say: "hey i go trekking for two months with my baby, end of conversation." Bad communication I think, too bad someone did just that without our knowledge.

not so clever in concealing my identity: I admit. I forgot how these forums work, long time I used any of them. Should have known better. But I do not think being forum-savvy has something to do with being prepaired for our trek.

can we get back to the real issues please? Being: in-depth advice from experienced peoples without all that personal stuff. Thanks!

Wow – it got a little heated in here.

I am all for taking a three month old backpacking. No question. I have taken my kids out from a very young age and they had a great time. As long as they are with you, the parent, they will be fine. It sounds to me from your post that you are responsible carring parents and you will have all that time with the baby. That can't be beat. I often think about ways to get out of the daily grind and spend more time with my kids. I figure if you incorporate the outdoors now in your life you will, in the long run, have a better relationship with your kids. I know it helps me with my 4 kids.

Note: My parents took me backpacking at 6 weeks old. There was a blizard. They were soked, but they managed to keep me dry and hike out that next morning. My father hiked back for all of the gear later that day. He did about 18 hours of hiking they figure and about 25 miles. He didn't get back to the hotel until around midnight as my mother recollected.

Remember. I was 6 weeks old warm and completely dry. This is what parents do for children. Anything and everything. It is a survival instinct. The parents of this child will do fine and the kid will be better for it.

Nick,
since I was the one who posted it here, I guess it's only decent that I'll post an answer too.
First, my apologies if if it wasn't your intention to post your question everywhere. That wasn't clear from your original mail to Ton Joosten so I didn't think this was an issue.

Apart from that, I don't have any children from my own (yet, I hope) so I can't help you on that issue. Concerning the route to follow, I can only support what Roger Caffin already said and can recommend the GR-10. Last time I was there is already 3 years ago and we then had little issues with snowcover. I do seem to remember that snowfall this year has been more abundant which could be an issue on higher passes. Perhaps it's less of an issue but I guess it could be usefull to be aware of this. On which part of the Pyrenees do you intend to start? The thru-hikers I know, have started at the eastern side so that snow is less of an issue in the earliest weeks. The weather tends to be a bit better of there too (although that could be a reason to start in the wet Basque region and finish with the warm and dry Mediterrenean climate).
Starting from the west, the first month should be OK with villages nearly every day for the first two weeks and nearly every day for weeks 3 to 4. The Ariege region is more remote so perhaps it's a good idea to look for an alternative that stay's closer to civilisation although I must admit I haven't hiked there yet.

BTW, I would like to hear your experience after your return. Any intentions on writing something about it afterwards?

I'm glad to hear from Dad/Nick on this topic. I'm also glad to know that Baby is already with you, so you are already experiencing the considerable changes that she is making in your life style. Many congratulations!

The reason I stated that I personally wouldn't do it is that with each of my four children it took me close to 6 months to recover from childbirth and especially from the months of lack of sleep afterwards (worse with the last three because I couldn't sleep during the day). But each person is different, and your wife will know by the time your trip starts (or soon afterwards) if she's going to be able to cope. I'd also have had to handle all the logistics myself (the husband having been not at all domestic and also with no experience camping or backpacking). I did go camping with a couple of the children by the time they were were 3 months old, so can offer some advice.

I would not recommend an air bed for the baby. A piece of closed-cell foam backpacking pad will be warmer and plenty comfortable. Baby should be sleeping on a firm surface anyway. Most backpacking parents of infants zipper their sleeping bags together and put baby between them, which saves a separate sleeping bag. However, I'd suggest some kind of thin washable bag for baby whether or not she has a separate sleeping bag. (A spare or two would be a good idea.) You can be absolutely sure that baby is going to spit up and/or overflow her diapers! Be warned, though, that after two months of "co-sleeping," you may have problems getting baby to sleep alone after the trip!

You already are aware that you'll have to "hike baby's hike" rather than "hiking your own hike." There are a few things that first-time parents are never told, not because of negligence but because by the time we become grandparents (or authors of baby books), we've forgotten many of the more unpleasant little details.

Traveling babies (whether carried or on wheels) tend to sleep all the time while moving. By the time baby reaches three months, she'll be awake a lot more than she is now. If baby sleeps all day, she's going to be wide awake at night, when you want to sleep. My 4 1/2 year old grandson still does this! When you stop for feedings during the day, plan to spend an hour playing with her each time. Keep her awake as long as you can in the evening.

Keep close track of baby's body temperature (feel her body, not her hands and feet which are normally cool). While hypothermia is a definite hazard and must be watched for, first-time parents often bundle baby up too much, leading to heat rashes or even hyperthermia. Baby skin sunburns extremely easily–you mentioned an umbrella, an excellent idea. If you're on or near snow or light-colored (reflective) ground, though, you'll need frequently-applied sunscreen on bare skin as well as hat and gloves.

Hydration is important. If it's hot, you may want to offer baby a bottle of sterile water between feedings, if she'll drink it (none of my four would, but most of my six grandkids did). If she refuses the water, she'll need to be nursed more often.

Mother: It is vitally important that Mom drink lots more fluids than normally done on a trek, that she eat well and that she not get too tired or stressed. Fatigue, stress and dehydration can reduce the milk supply to almost nothing in a hurry. (I breast-fed all four of my babies for their first year, in the days when hardly any mothers breast-fed, so I have some experience here). If the milk supply does diminish, it becomes a spiral–baby needs to nurse more often, mother gets less and less sleep and both become frantic. If this happens, Mom needs to do absolutely nothing except rest, eat, drink lots of fluids and feed the baby for several days. You (Dad) need to do everything for her, including diaper changes, laundry and all domestic chores, and, especially, make sure she isn't stressed. If you get into this chain reaction, you may need to give baby a supplemental bottle for one feeding just so Mom can get some sleep. Try not to do this more than once, though–the more baby nurses, the sooner the milk supply will come back.

Excellent article on hiking with babies and small children: http://www.backpacking.net/kids.html Click in left column, "Hiking w/children by Penny S." Sorry, couldn't get html to work here.

I really hope you'll write up a report for this forum after your trip! A lot of backpacking parents would like to learn from your experience!

A note on the privacy problem: This is the only forum I've ever encountered (and I've participated in at least a dozen) which insists on putting your real name in the forum section. I really hate this! I have found that after you sign up, you can change your real name in "My Account" to something else (as I have). However, you have to change it back to your real name if you're going to order anything from BPL's store. Any time you change it, it will change your past posts, too. I really wish that BPL would fix this problem so that we could have some privacy here!

(Removed by JGG)

Well here I go typing without thinking- but after reading many of the posts my fingers just have to type.

I'm not going to get into how we are way over coddling our children nowadays, that is a topic for Chaff.
But think for a minute, how did most of this country’s pioneers deal with this? The west was settled by traveling people; yes, and many walked from the Mississippi river to Oregon, Utah and California and everywhere in between. Many children were born before, during and after these treks. It was a normal part of their lives. We have just “progressed” to where we don’t have to (?). Many of the Russian Jews were driven out of Russia in the dead of winter and I know there had to have been at least a couple of infants in the group. They made it through.
Have we progressed so far that we can’t imagine doing anything like doing a thru hike with an infant. Grandma Gatewood, if she hiked during her birthing years probably would have birthed a couple of kids during her AT hikes and still put in 10 miles the same day and only used the shower curtain for privacy during the births while still wearing her Keds!
The equipment we have today is better then 20 years ago and light years better then 150 years ago. I don’t think the cloth diapers in the ld day were anything like this manufactured one today. We still use the ones we bought 28 year ago for rags now and they could still be used for diapers. I’m glad I don’t have to be the guy washing them out in the mountains (it’s a lot easier in the toilet).
My wife nursed 8 children some up to 2 years of age. She said that she never really had a sleep problem, if the child slept next to her- you just hook them up and go back to sleep. I was the only one who had trouble sleeping- to much noise and I worried about rolling over on the baby (never happened). The baby will be sleeping right next to the mother in a sleeping bag, so I don’t see an issue. What a great bonding opportunity!
I guess this trip could be kind of like it was in the olden days when mothers actually nursed and cared for there own children 24 hrs a day instead of dropping them off at daycare with a bottle.
Well I had better get back to work- I’m not going to have time to preview what I just typed so if I have offended anyone, it is not intentional, I just started typing without thinking.

There is some weird romance about this whole idea- I man, his wife and child enjoying nature. Its not like it is some Bear Grylls or Survivor Man kind of thing.

Giardia, salmonella, E. coli, cryptosporidium, hepatitis, pink eye, bowel excrement and diapers. As stated earlier these people plan on carrying 24 reusable diapers, well where do they plan to clean those diapers. I would hate to be drinking from a water source that has been contaminated by baby excrement. Another issue is that ammonia in the urine is extremely difficult to remove from cloth that is why the reusable diapers are meant to be washed in a washer machine and not hand washed. Diaper rash would be a big concern for me. Or do the people plan to clean the diapers in their cooking pot, how yummy rice and bowel excrement. For me I would never eat out of a cooking pot that had excrement of any kind in it without sanitizing it with bleach or alcohol and even then I would not like to eat food from the cooking pot. Just about every way to clean a diaper is disgusting.
Excrement in a stream is not cool. It is one thing to excrement in a cat hole; it is another to excrement in a river. Mt. Whiten requires hikers to carry out all waste and that is what these thru-hikers should do.
Next time anyone thinks about drinking unpurified water from a stream think of the people in discussion and how they washed their diapers in the river.
On another note, while I was backpacking in Yosemite years ago I spotted a deer who was taking a excrement in the middle of the stream where I had just filled up my water from.
I am forced to use the word excrement because the word p–p is concidered possible profanity.

Hi Nick

You're welcome! (But it's Caffin, not Coffin… no worries)

> we are both mountain guides
And therefore already experienced in the mountains and also at looking after clients.

> specific knowledge from people who did trekking with a baby on health
We took our baby (slightly older) across Dartmoor in England for 4-5 days (can't remember exactly). Unbelievably for the UK, it was hot and sunny the whole time. We (my wife and I) still remember that trip. Key things from memory: keep baby warm, dry and in shade, keep baby hydrated, keep MUMMY happy. Apart from that, not much.

> toilet paper, a few baby items and a few high energy snacks hard to find in the small shops
We found that TP always came in enormous packs of 6 or 12 – too big. But you can buy single rolls of soft paper towel, and these can serve both as TP (very well) and also for tidying up baby. Recommended.
The shops usually had a reasonable supply of snack foods, although we preferred fresh bread and cheese!

I would recommend using the Refuges etc as much as possible. Yes, they cost money, but they will also have very good food and will really improve the trip for you.

Good luck, and let us know how you go.

Cheers
Roger

Just one extra thought: take ponchos, not jackets!

The Pyrenees do often get little showers, and we found parkas or jackets to be an absolute PAIN. A poncho can be tossed over yourself and your pack so easily.

But for Mummy, carrying Baby, a poncho is a MUST. With a poncho you can keep Baby dry under quite severe conditions. It won't suffocate – no chance. The ponchos flap around too much for that.

cheers

Tad – you might want to check up on infant mortality rates for folks who made those treks. There is a reason social expectations are high regarding vaccinations and coddling children, especially infants. I agree society has a tendency to police itself entirely too much regarding many topics, but this is regarding a very specific topic (a 3 month old going on a two month thru-hike and whether this is a responsible idea…or at least, how it can be done responsibly). I'm not saying it's not possible, just that my small and rarely functioning brain has a hard time identifying enough protective features built into this event to meet my self-defined levels of "responsibility".

I have nothing to contribute other than sincere appreciation for the opportunity to read this discussion. Thank you to all participants for depth and honesty.

I absolutely love this discussion. Great to hear from you Nick!

A couple of forums that might be useful:

Our first backpack at 11 months

Our first father/son backpack at 2 years

The Torsolite sleeping pad (available on this site) is a great size for kids and is both warm and comfortable. You can see how we built a bed setup with a Vaude toddler sleeping bag on the first post above. What I’d did when Henry was 3 months was used a zipped up down vest and a hooded sleeper. It was great.

I don’t think I’d use a poncho with a front sling. You really want a way to zip up a jacket but still allow some breathing space. Personally, I’d go for a larger sized eVent jacket to assure excellent oxygen transfer when the weather gets bad.

Get binkies or small toys attached to the carrier- they will get dropped.

Again, I love this idea. I’m glad to see you’re putting a lot of thought into it.

Doug

James- thanks for the reminder about infant mortality rates. My family was one of those who made the trek (walk) west- and lost a few along the way. As I recall it was from diseases that we don’t see much of these days and the trek exacerbated the problem, but was not the cause of the problem. According to my research the mortality rate was the same for those who stayed back in the eastern cities as those on the trail. With that reasoning the risk is the same either hiking or at home.
Timothy- you should go out with some of the scout troops I’ve seen in the woods. They are a far greater threat to the environment then a baby. They are much like that deer you saw in Yellowstone, except the deer doesn’t get his hands involved and then cook for his whole patrol, and that is all I have to say about that…
With the diaper issue that some of you have the next thing using you line of reasoning is to look at women issues. I hope you don’t have an issue with women being on her period while hiking. Women seem to handle the situation pretty well. They don’t pollute the streams or water sources. Being a guy I don’t want to compare which is worse to deal with, a diaper or a period, it’s not in my skill set.

I am interested in the whole diaper cleaning thing but from a different angle, I don’t know how I would do it (my youngest is now 13 and don’t think about that stuff anymore) but I’d figure out a way that would make most everyone here happy.
I guess I would look for a biodegradable diaper liner. Liners make p**p cleanup much easier so the only washing would be the front end liquid. You can do the cat hole thing just like you would for yourself. I don’t use the stream for number 2, so why should anyone think that I would clean a diaper out in the stream?
Again, I’m interested on what the plan is for diaper cleaning, I think it would be a good discussion for this poor father to have people help with ideas instead of people telling him he can’t/shouldn’t do it.
I am of the philosophy of WHY NOT, instead of why.

Tad,

You make a lot of good points, but again I caution anyone from making comparisons to earlier nomadic peoples (Western pioneers included). You mention many of the deaths were from diseases that we no longer have. We no longer have them thanks to vaccinations; a 3 month old will not have received many vaccines yet. And can you imagine what giardia would do to a 3 month old? Any weight loss at that age can create significant developmental setbacks. I would at a minimum recommend BOTH chemical treatment followed by 0.2 micron filter treatment for the infant, and boiling water for 15 minutes for use in camp.

But more to the point regarding pioneers: infants would most certainly have been in covered wagons with a mother, or on some kind of pack animal, traveling mostly flat (though rugged) lowlands punctuated by the occasional mountain pass. That's very different than carrying the entire load of a baby the entire time over the crest of an entire mountain range. What pioneer in his or her right mind would have sought out the highest, most difficult, and longest route through a mountain range with a mother and infant in tow and no pack animal? Now, I'm not saying it can't be done, or that it never was done; I'm just saying that what this couple is attempting is unlike anything most humans have done at any point in history–certainly not recreationally, and thus cannot be compared to any previous way of life.

My wife and I had both our boys in our bed for their first 1-2 years, and yes it made breast-feeding easier and kept our babies calmer at night. Yet it is still not the deep REM sleep she will need to complete a long, hilly trek the next day. My wife was in a constant state of exhaustion despite night-feeding in bed. And yes, I remember many nights where I had an awake baby in another room so my wife could get desperately needed sleep.

I think where this couple will have an advantage is that there is only one child, so they can both get some shuteye whenever baby is asleep. When things really got tough for us was with child no. 2, where napping became near impossible.

The May/June 2009 issue of Sierra Magazine has an article about taking their 11 week old on a week long wildernes rafting trip. Not exactly the same, but may be a useful resource.

(typed with my 7 1/2 mo. old sleeping on my lap, so my apologies if this was already noted and I missed it in skimming the posts.)

Given what is known about SIDS, should they carry a thermometer to monitor the baby for changes in core temperature ? If so, how frequently should the baby have its temperature taken ? What type of thermometer have others found best for a thru hike ?

I won't tell you not to take the hike; I assume the baby will be fine and you will make good choices and be flexible and bail out if that is the sensible thing to do. I wouldn't have done (but my partner would never have considered it). A lot of parenting of children is being paranoid about all the things that can go wrong, at home or anywhere else.

Your 3 month baby will be 5 months old at the end of the trip. To me one of the defining experiences of babies is that they change and are unpredicable and vary. Your easy baby one month all of sudden can't sleep. The baby sleeps all day and is up all night. Our two kids, and it seems everyone else's, were quite different from each other. So you can't predict now what they will be like in a few months. They don't come with owners manuals, can't talk, and a lot of the time you are just guessing and what they want and what is wrong.

The significance of all this for this trip is you are on a mountain ridge, hours above treeline, needing to make time because storms are approaching, and the baby is crying. I would push on; most moms will insist on stopping. So you stop and sit there in the cold wind for 45 minutes and nothing works. Maybe this never happens, maybe on this trip you are never more than 15 minutes away from easy, warm, safe shelter. But it doesn't sound like that.

I would also worry a lot about the practical things. I changed a gazillion diapers over the years, and would say I was very good at it, but I had a changing table and stand to work with. With a new born, other than not knowing what you are doing, they are small and relatively easy. But with a 5 month old they can put up quite a fight. Every time, every day, all day long. Sometimes changing a diaper can feel like child abuse, but there is really no other way to get it done. Again, aside from the practical issues of washing and cleaning and keeping you and the baby clean every time, there is going to be a serious grind figuring out how and where to do this every time every day hiking in the mountains.

I forgot to add: I would worry about mom a lot. I think you should bail or change plans at the first sign that she is having trouble.

From the other Nick's posts, sounds like these are good parents and are doing their research. To be honest, what they do is none of our business. But if we have useful advice, based on experience, then we should share.

Here is the reason I would not take the baby on a long trek at the age of 3 months…

Age zero to 3 months – they are… well, a pain in the butt :) They just eat, drink, cry and go potty. There are some good times, but they really don't know what is going on.

3 months – 6 months – these are the wonderful months. Cognizant, developing personalitites, and still dependent. These were some of the best times with my kids, 3-6 months. I spent a lot of time with them. Playing and doing all the new parent kind of things. I wish they would have never gotten older.

6 months and older they start socializing, wanting to talk, walk and it is the phase II of pain in the butt :) which is still going strong at ages 21 & 23. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids and brag about them all them time.

Trekking is somewhat goal oriented and a lot of time focused on walking. I would rather lay around with the kid and play all day. But that is me. Once our kids hit 6 months, then they went on adventures with us. But nothing like a 3 month hike. If I would have had the time; well maybe.

So, other than that, I see no reason not to go. It is a personal decision. If Nick and his wife really want to do this, and they are prepared, then go for it.

And he does make a good point… they will spend several months 24/7 as a family. That is unheard of in "modern" civilization, and I see nothing wrong with it.

I do consider most of the other concerns about diseases, etc. to be paranoia in nature, but then I am best described as a curmudgeon.

Good luck Nick and to your wife and little girl and Godspeed. Let us know how the trip went after you finish.