There’s nothing better than trekking in the great outdoors, and that’s a commodity not in short supply here in America. As a solitary activity, trekking allows you to clear your mind, becoming grounded in the here and now and what’s truly important. It can be an even more rewarding experience if you share it with those you love, so here’s our guide to trekking with your family and how to make it a success.
Don’t Be Over Ambitious
As an experienced trekker, it might be hard to remember how arduous you found it when you were just starting out as a child. Hiking, like every other sport or exercise, provides a real test for our muscles, although the more we do this the easier it gets. If you’re taking children trekking with you, ensure that you don’t go too far, as a tired child will be unable to enjoy the experience and, let’s face it, they might make things less than fun for the rest of you as well. A six-year-old should be able to walk around ten miles with sufficient breaks during the trek, but each child is different – after all, some people have trekked to Everest base camp with their kids.
Have An Objective And Turn The Trek Into An Adventure
Getting your children interested in trekking is a gift that will stay with them all their life, bringing with it a wide range of health benefits, so it’s important that they learn to love it from an early age. Children will enjoy hiking more when their brains are exercised as well as their legs, so turn it into an adventure by setting an objective before you start walking. This could involve reaching a certain destination with an exciting story attached to it (if it doesn’t have one, invent it, after all, who’s to say that the empty building wasn’t once a pirate castle?), or setting a list of things for your children to spot that day. From wild mushrooms to butterflies, they can all seem magical in a child’s eyes.
Sleep In Warmth And Comfort
Children love to camp outdoors, as long as the tent that they’re in is spacious, warm, and comfortable, of course. A high-quality tent like the Coleman instant tent 6 is ideal for this purpose and allows you to extend your family trekking adventure over a weekend or even longer. Designed to fit six adults, it’s more than roomy enough for a typical family. As well as offering superb weather protection, it also comes with pre-attached poles, which means that it’s very easy to assemble and can be completed by one person.
A well-planned trek can be a wonderful and eye-opening experience at any age, helping us get away from the bustle of the modern world into the welcoming arms of nature. This is even more important for children and instilling a love of walking into them at an early age can help to combat the effects of a sedentary lifestyle that many youngsters now have. By planning achievable and exciting walks, with great overnight accommodation if needed, you could help to raise the next generation of trekking enthusiasts.