Yosemite August trip with kids 9 and 11 years old

A. I suspect your kids will adapt better than you but everyone is different and some people may have significant issues that you won't know until you get to altitude for a while. I wasn't sure how well my 7 year old son would do at altitude (coming from 600') so we slept at the trailhead (9300') and the first couple days was not much different (9500-10000). This was in the Wind River Range. I personally would not waste time at the start in the valley since you need to be above 6000' to have any real benefit of acclimating.

B. They should be fine with 5-7 miles. It will likely take longer than you're used to but that is fine. Try to make it fun if possible. If your kids are really goal oriented that helps a lot. My son feeds off of people other than me so while he may comment that his legs are tired as soon as someone would pass us he'd keep up with them (sometimes for quite a while) so he could chat their ears off. :)

D. It was a road trip for my older son and I so we left our car in the valley and took the YARTS bus back to Mammoth that evening to start our hike (JMT back to the valley). Worked out great though you get to Mammoth pretty late so need to set up camp across from McDonalds in the dark. Then if you want the earliest bus up to Agnew Meadow (or further) you'll need to walk the mile or so to the stop. Otherwise you can take a bus up there.

Unless it has changed again (since 2013), two advantages to starting at Agnew are it's easier to get a permit to start in Inyo rather than Yosemite AND you didn't need a separate permit for Half Dome. I had confirmed that with the Yosemite rangers again shortly before the trip. The downside for you is you'd have to wait for the ranger station in Mammoth to open to get your permit before you could start (but maybe you aren't early risers). I had picked mine up in Bishop before heading into the valley since we were coming from Death Valley. If you do go that way, you check check out my videos on Youtube (see my profile) for Agnew to Tuolumne to get a feel for the JMT route.

Great advice, thanks Michael, I'll check out the videos!

My understanding is most people don't feel altitude till about 8000ft. That is when I start to notice it a bit. I don't think a night at 4000 ft. would help much but your basic plan of spending a day or two acclimatizing is a solid one. It is what my family used when I was a kid and we never had serious altitude issues.

Bring lots of snacks. Everyone is different but if altitude is bothering me a bit I lose my appetite. That is when I like to eat milk chocolate, its easy to get down when I'm feeling gross. Only issue is it might melt in warm weather.

M&Ms FTW! Melt in your mouth, not in your hand. :)

It's true some people have little appetite at altitude for hikes less than a week. I'm one of them. I only use 1.2 pounds per day for a week long trek. While I have some "reserves" I don't mind burning off, my youngest is a stick and it was sometimes a challenge to get him to eat what I thought would be enough to keep him going. But again, he may claim to be "tired" yet once we stopped for camp he'd be running all over the place so you have to know your kids, too. :P

And, yes, the adverse effects of altitude (headaches, nausea, etc) won't start until about 8,000'. That was one reason I choose to start at such a high TH so I could see before we started if we may need to bail rather than after we were already miles in.

I'd also encourage the whole family to train beforehand. We did stairs (3000 up and 3000 down) at the high school stadium many days a week. We should have done them quicker though – legs were strong enough but not enough cardio!

I used to read that pre-adolescent kids are more susceptible to altitude problems than adults are. I think that they just do not pace themselves like an adult should.

Hardly anybody has any altitude problems up to 4000 feet. The exceptions might be elderly people in poor health. Between 4000 feet and 8000 feet, I don't see many people with altitude problems unless they are stressed by lack of sleep, dehydration, and ordinary stuff like that. If they spend the first night up higher, like at 10,000 feet, that is where I begin to see problems in other people. They get the sleep loss and dehydration started, and then they feel like crap the next day. Above 10,000 feet, it gets worse and more prevalent.

I used to lead group backpacking trips, and I found a good system that worked. We would drive up to Yosemite and spend the first night sleeping at 6000 feet. That seemed to be low enough that nobody had any problems with altitude. Yet 6000 feet was just high enough to get your body thinking about thinner air and start to adapt.

Kids typically do not have much experience adapting to higher altitudes, so they don't understand what works for them.

–B.G.–

If you take the pace slowly, your kids should be able to hike 6 or 7 miles per day. But that means you have to give them time off to rest at some point.

The route you have suggested works fine. The first day would be relatively flat—you're going up Lyell Canyon, and that's a gentle climb, so it will help with acclimatization. And once you get to Vogelsang, the rest of that hike is downhill, which is always easier for kids. (when you get to my age, not so much!)

So day one in Lyell, two to camp somewhere near Vogelsang, and then the next day Merced Lake, Little Yosemite Valley, and Happy Isles. Piece of cake. I've done that hike with a group of 12 year olds in three days.

My one concern for you is food. Kids need to eat more, and more often, on the trail than adults. And you have to fit all your food into a bear can or two. That's going to be a tight fit for a family of four for five days. And while you idea of a meal or two at a High Sierra Camp is a good one—that will take some planning and reservations. That's not always an option, and you'll have to get those organized early.

While others here may disagree, my wife finds that even spending at night at 4,000 at our cabin before a hike prepares here for higher altitudes.

If you CAN'T get a permit for this hike, drop me a PM and I will give you a tip about how to work that out with more success…

.

More great advice from all. Thank you I really appreciate it!

I think my son was 10, maybe 11, when we did a similar hike in July. We spent 1 night in the Valley, then 2 nights at Tuolumne Lodge before the hike. On the full day at TM, we hiked Lembert's Dome in the morning and then took a drive out Tioga Road. By mid-afternoon, my son had a headache, lost his appetite and got a bloody nose. I was a little worried about the hike the next day but he was fine by the morning.

We did a 5-day hike with camps at Vogelsang (which hadn't opened for the season yet), Beatrice Lake, Merced HSC, LYV. At Merced, we camped in the backpacker's campground (you can't just camp at large around the HSC) but had our meals at the HSC, which my son really enjoyed. We also climbed Half Dome from LYV before descending to Happy Isle.

I think most of our days were 6-8 miles and that worked out really well for us. We had time to set up camp and explore each area. At Merced, we were allowed the use of their showers as dinner guests. Overall, it was a really fun hike with beautiful scenery. Climbing Half Dome was a bonus, especially early morning before all the dayhikers had arrived.

Can't comment on the transportation aspects since we had a car that my non-hiking husband shuttled while we were hiking.

"By mid-afternoon, my son had a headache, lost his appetite and got a bloody nose."

That is not unusual in a child.

A big part of the headache might be from dehydration, and then a big part of the appetite loss came from the headache. The bloody nose came from the extra-dry air up there. About a half-speck of Vaseline might have prevented that.

–B.G.–

My kids are 10 yr old boy and 8 yr old girl. They are fine with 6-7 miles a day. Even if they were capable I would not do more. Kids will find entertainment at almost any place out there, and I think it's important that they enjoy the time. Plus us mom and dad get to take it easy and relax too (I assume you will be the family mule). My wife is great in engaging in conversation with my daughter when the trail becomes a little tough (it works well with our kids).

With altitude sickness, I saw something weird in my kids. My son used to have them pretty badly even at 6-7000 ft on the first day. It would go away after a day. Now he is fine even at 9000+ without any acclimation. Now my daughter has it on the first couple of days at 7-8000 ft. On two trips last year, she vomited a few times in the beginning of our backpacking trip, so we had to stop and assess her and our trip altogether. Both times, extended rest, hydration and her motivation kept us going and she was fine after a couple of hours.

More I think about it, I think it has more to do with proper pre-hydration than the age. With your plan, I think your kids will do fine. Just remember to have them drink a lot.

Another obstacle might be the mosquitoes. Depending on the snowpack, it might still be pretty bad at higher elevation.

Ahwahnee! We stayed there many times, never in the rooms but as a brief stop in the lobby by the fireplace to get warmed up a little…lol!

Have fun!!

A) I like your plan. 4,000 feet might do as much for acclimatizing, but it helps. And at no risk. Adjustment to altitude is individual and varies more from person to person than by age. However, kids sometimes don't report their symptoms easily or understandable (for any disorder) so you need to be more cued in to their mental state (first sign of many issues).

B) your distances seem fine. We, too, have tired to keep it fun and not turn them off to hiking and BPing. With some conditioning and minimal weight, our kids easily "hiked their age" – 7 miles at 7 years and you're not being that ambitious. Two datapoints: At 7 and 12, our kids did Half Dome in a day (no weight on the younger) – 5,000 up, 5,000 down, 18 miles total. The 12 year old could have done more (he'd hiked to the Colorado River and back in 9 hours at 11). This month, at 10 and 14 with a 9- and 11- year old also along, we did 7-10 mile days, everyone with a backpack, on 4- and 5- day trips in NZ. But our kids ski and do karate and think nothing of wind, rain, snow, or 5F, which is unusual.

C) Buying dinners is a great idea. And maybe the kids meet other kids. I've done that in NZ, Italy and Germany – hike, let someone serve you a meal in a lodge, then hike some more. Keep your menu kid friendly. But include fiber. Really. Include fiber. Especially with kids along. And snacks. A wide variety. Plan to eat what they pass on.

Bring small games. "Spot it" is a great, recent, compact, all-ages card game. Books if they are big readers like our kids. Factor in that a river with sticks and rocks will be a great attraction. Don't ruin those moments by trying to stick to some schedule.

I really like stairs for conditioning for all ages. Not the Stairclimber at the gym, but the stairs in your house. Going up AND DOWN. Even 10 minutes each day can make a big difference on the trail if you are otherwise flatland creatures.

I think some of the advice given so far at least somewhat misses the mark. In particular, based on both my own experience and what I have read:
1. People can and do feel the effects at different levels. Sometimes well below 8000 feet. 8000 feet is commonly the altitude many folks feel it, but some can have problems a good bit lower.
2. Being younger is a risk factor, not being older. This is one of the few areas where being over 50 is considered an advantage :)
3. Fitness is not a major factor or at least being fit does not make you less likely to feel the effects.
4. Big differences in air temperature are also a factor (hotter is worse in this regard). In addition to the air being thinner it is also harder to stay hydrated when it is hot.
5. Having had AMS, HACE, or HAPE means you are more likely to have problems again, but individuals will often not react the same on different trips.

I think it wise to be conservative in your acclimatization when possible.