Hiking with Kids (or attempting to)

"Children have a natural affinity towards nature. Dirt, water, plants, and small animals attract and hold children's attention for hours, days, even a lifetime." -Robin C Moore and Herb H Wong

Never have truer words been uttered. Unless, of course, that child has not napped enough. Or is hungry.

Or is just two years old and does not necessarily need a reason to just suddenly be in the worst mood ever, even if he was perfectly loving hiking just moments earlier. 

And, that my friends, is the joy and excitement of hiking with young children.

My sister and I decided to take advantage of one of the beautiful fall days a week or so ago and take her two children, PX (now 2.5 years) and B (10 mo) hiking. This was not the first time, by any means. In fact, PX has been camping with us even. He loves nature, he love playing in dirt, he loves adventures. But not this time. 

Let me paint a picture. 

We arrive at the Chubb Trail, near Lone Elk Park and as we get out of the car, PX requested to be carried. Okay, sure. We will carry you across the parking lot and to the trailhead. No big deal. B is already strapped to my sister in the Ergo baby carrier as content as can be. We also had the cloth Moby wrap shoved into my backpack in case PX decided he needed to be carried more during the hike.

Well, PX decided pretty darn fast that walking was not going to happen. At first, it was okay. Slow, but okay. He would take a few steps while holding my hand and then stop to pick up a leaf. He would take a few more steps and then stop to pick up an acorn. And then an even bigger acorn. And then just wanted to sit and play in dirt. We had many miles to accomplish and this was a snails pace. However, my sister was torn, saying that she did not want to discourage him from exploring the space around him. 

But then the amount of sitting was starting to out number the amount of walking he was doing, and it got to the point where he wasn't going to do it. And then he requested to be carried. I said, no problem! I was happy to take the Ergo and strap PX to my back, so my sister got B set up in the Moby wrap instead. 

PX and I were perfectly happy and comfortable as the hike went on. My sister and B, who is no small baby, were not so great. This beautiful Fall day turned into super sunny and nearly 90 degrees, and a good chunk of the trail had us going through prairie fields. No shade. Giant baby who was pressing into my sister's stomach. So much discomfort. 

We finally made it to shade and chugged some water. PX had his own bottle and I had brought my own bottle, but my sister did not have her own, so we shared. This would not have been an issue had the temperatures been less intense. To be fair, she had brought a bottle but had expected the trailhead to have some sort of facilities, and it does not. So be warned. Come prepared. 

My sister started feeling less overheated with the water and shade, but she needed to carry B in a different way. So, we switched carriers again and told PX he needed to do some walking.

(Let me interject at this point to say just a few weeks earlier we were at a farm area in Illinois and PX had done a 2 mile hike without being carried once, and that hike even had a few steep grades). 

So, he took a few steps. And then stopped. "Come on, take my hand, let's keep walking." A few steps. I want to go home, he said. "Well, we can't right now, we're hiking. Let's go." A few steps. I'm hungry. "Drink some water, come on, let's keep going." A few steps. 

Then, plop. No more steps. Just sitting. In the middle of the trail, with that look. That look that every toddler does when they are just done and there is nothing you can do about it.

Carry me, mommy. 

"Mommy is carrying B right now."

And this, dear friends, was the beginning of the end. At this point, we still had at least three miles more to go until we got to the car. There was no dragging him any farther. I threw him on my hip, finally, and kept walking. 

I'll save you all the dirty, slightly miserable details of making it back to the car (but note, for about a quarter of a mile, my super human sister carried both children), but eventually I had B strapped to me in the Moby and my sister had PX strapped to her back in the Ergo. B was as happy and content as can be. Her only issue the entire time is her being a bit big to be strapped to someone's front in the Moby. She kept leaning forward with her arms out, as if she was flying, and totally throwing off my center of balance. 

To be fair, I suggested this trail because I love it...not really thinking that when you do the entire thing, it is nearly seven miles long. A bit overzealous for carrying 25-32 lbs of child. 

But, we made it to the car, alive, albeit exhausted, frustrated and hot. Not to mention a bit hungry. PX was asleep by the time we made it to the highway, no surprise there. Perhaps not the best hiking experience ever, but I would rather have a poor hiking experience than no hiking experience at all. 

But, maybe that's just me.