I started packing with my kids when they were about 2. Some started at 3 and my last is starting this tear at 5. All trips with the youngest ones have been less than 4 miles. I have even "stealth camped" when they didn't want to make it the 4 miles. These trips seem to have taken all of the different personalities of my 4 kids to different roads and choices.
My 8 year old (known as Mountain Goat) will hike fast. He and I just did a 11K with 1900 feet elevation gain day hike/run event and he loved it. He beat me to the 1/2 way mark by 20 minutes. On the actual backpacking trips he is always at the lead and will give me and my 12 year olds the nastiest looks when we fall behind. He thinks the idea of hiking the PCT is cool. But now with me. I would hold him up.
Where my 12 year old with do 20-30 milers by bike and camp but hates any more than 6-8 mile trips by foot. Multi days are not his thing. The 11 year old daughter prefers showers and established camp sights but has day hiked 8-10 miles with the same umph of the 8 year old.
I will cover the gear for the 8 year old.
He uses a GoLite Breeze in size medium. We run the hip belt over the shoulder straps (rap them as many times as needed to shorten it) as I learned on this web site. We use a 3/4 length Ridgerest as the frame. He stuffs his sleeping bag into the bottom of this. We have been using an REI youth mummy bag that we bought from the rental department for $10 (I have 4 of these). This is pretty heavy and takes a lot of space. But it is good for the colder weather. For Christmas I gave the boys Lafuma 600 sleeping bags for this California weather. 20 ouces (45F) and packs small. We fold the bottom of the bag under his feet and then I stuff my smallest in my GoLite jam or Pinnacle pack. This usually gets a whole lot of chuckles from him. We also carry wool balaclavas for sleep along with full polypro and/or fleece. Call me paranoid. But it seems during the drought we were hitting every rain storm we had last year :) He also carries his own poncho and rain pants.
I carry all food. We carry each "meal period" in a seperate Zip-Lock bag. It makes the kids feel better to see the food broken down like this and they know where the trash goes. Here is the example:
Breakfast (for two):
—Single serving of cold or hot cereal in bag (x2). Just add hot or cold water (Cocoa Pebbles gets powdered milk).
—Two Power 'type' bars or granola bars for their pockets.
—2 singles packets of Kool-Aid or Gatorade for their Nalgene bottle (every one carries one of these). One for breakfast and one to keep them drinking so we make it to lunch.
Lunch:
— Warm = Easy Mac, Bear Creek Soup or for the Cold food we have Peanut Butter and Jelly singles packets with crackers (Rye or MRE Crackers or Bread – This will fill any person up).
—Again 2 each of Bars, Trail Mix for the pockets or Fruit Snacks or Real Fruit Roll ups (prefered).
—2 singles packets of Kool-Aid or Gatorade. Keep them hydrated.
Dinner:
—Short mileage, especially hiking in at night, we may go for the MRE the first night. they love these things. I open them first because there is two much packaging.
—They love the Mountain House Spaghetti (we add summer sausage sometimes – usually day 2 or 3 for the fat), Lasagna, Turkey Tetrazzini, and beef stew. Soups are a real big hit and we tend to use the Bear Creek from the grocery store because it thickens up so nicely and I can add other things to is like dehydrated meet, carrots, and tomatoes.
—Hot Cocoa, Spiced Apple Cider and marshmallows are all hits. We have also tried the dehydrated ice cream and ice cream sandwiches and other desserts.
For games to fill the time on short hikes we take miniture dice and cards. We play Yatzee a lot. If we have a lot of time they will find pebbles and or rocks and dig a Mancala game out of the ground. We have taken sticks, reeds or Ivy and made hoops. We pound some sticks into the ground and played a version or ring toss or horse shoes with these rings (sometimes we add the bear bell to verify a 'swish' or fix them to the sticks in the ground for a 'hit'). We have even hung hoops from the trees and played modified versions of horse and basketball. A rock in a stuff sack works great for long toss games like target practice (tossed under hand) at a tree or in a circle scratched in the ground with a stick in the middle a good distance away. Find the right stick and you can play baseball or golf if you bring a wiffle golf ball or baseball.
Crafts and nature art has been the big thing lately. You may have seen one of our miniture rafts or sailing boats traveling down the river? Or one of our reed dolls on the side of the trail? Crowns and necklaces are a favorite on the trail. Many people have asked why we aren't in Togas. Bead making is the new thing but we aren't very good at this yet.
These all make the shorter length trips or the 'base camp'(hike in and find your base) backpacking trips a lot of fun. Base Camp trips allow for some bushwacking too. All who bushwack where bells for the bears and such. Or have them fixed to their hiking sticks. We got use to the noise.
The kids do the cooking (monitored), filtering or treatment, and map reading (especially the 8 year old boy). Established sites that allow fires are the charge of the children (yes I watch too). Horse play gets the fire an early drowning with water. You should see the respect they usually have for the fire.
Use the leashes. We have seen many beautiful overlooks I wouldn't have ever brought my kids by (1000+ foot drops) if I didn't feel comfortable with them tied to me. Plus for crossing granite crevices it allows the kid to make it on their own (more than less) and gives them a lot of confidence.
We do soemtimes cook in shifts and allow more time for eating. Though our new use of alcohol stoves has made it less needed with their low weight.
I want to Thank BPL for making 2007 a year to really remember with my kids. Lightweight made it right!!!
