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PLANNING THE HIKE
 Hiking with the family can be an immensely
rewarding experience when the needs of everyone are taken into account. It is important
to be aware of the abilities and limitations of the entire family and to alleviate any
concerns and difficulties each individual may encounter when hiking. The Family Hiking
Tips and Safety information provided in this article can help you prepare for your trip
and maximize the enjoyment that hiking can bring to your whole family.
Plan Ahead
The most important thing you can do to assure that your family
enjoys a hiking trip is to plan ahead. Discuss your hiking wants and needs as a family.
Getting the kids involved from the beginning can make a big difference in their
participation and feeling of importance. Discuss what everyone in the family would like
to see and when is the most convenient time for hiking together. Planning ahead will
allow you to research the best places to go, and give you time to gather the items you
need for a pleasant hiking experience.
Limitations
One of the first things you should consider before your hike is the
collective physical limitations of your family. Be aware of physical challenges of
fitness that may impair the ability of your family to make progress on a trail. Consider
the effect that fatigue may cause on the individuals in your family without making anyone
feel singled out for their conditions. It is important to know what may happen without
placing blame or stigma. The idea is to know what your family can reasonably do and not
to take on a trail with challenges that exceed your family's limitations.
If you are setting out on a trail for the first time as a family, it
may be best to choose a short trail that is fairly flat and level. A short trail will
allow you to asssess the hiking ability of your family and give you an idea of what
greater adventures you are capable of endeavoring upon.
Here are a few items to consider about limitations:
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Know Your Family's Limitations |
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Difficulty Level |
Know the difficulty level
of the trail (start with easy trails). |
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Hiking Distance |
Length of the trail (start with short
trails: 1 mile or less round trip). Consider how far everyone in your family is able to
walk. Try to determine how far young children can walk before they want to be carried and
consider how far you are willing to carry them if they need to be carried. |
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Physical Agility |
Physical ability to safely avoid
hazards of trails (cliffs, streams, slippery ground, etc). Ablilities for climinb and
handling descent. Keep small children close by and help them on challenging terrain. |
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Physical Impairments |
Consider any physical impairments of
anyone in your family that may need accomodation (ie. suceptibility to blisters,
allergies, need for medications, etc.). Provide whatever is needed for your famiy's
physical needs on the hike. |
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Carrying Limitations |
Decide how much each person can carry
comfortably. Divide up the load of your equipment so that no single person is overly
burdened by weight. Additionally don't load family members with awkward weight that makes
them unstable on the trail. This is especially true for young children. Allow children to
carry what is comfortable for them, but never compromise safety with a burdensome
load. |
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Comfortable Pace |
Consider allowing your family's
slowest travellers to hike toward the front of the group (don't make it a race). stay
together. This will allow a pace that is comfortable for everyone, and no one will fall
behind. |
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Duration of Hike |
Think about how much time your hike should require depending on
distance. A family hike should last only as long as the pleasantness of your family's
attitude. A hike can quickly become unpleasant for all when complaints and impatience
take hold. Try to plan the duration of your hikes at a comfortable level for
everyone.
Allow extra time to rest and catch a breath, as well as time to
adequately appreciate the surroundings and beauty of the trail.
Family hikes can generally be accomplished in less than 4 hours.
Always allow yourself enough time to return from your trip out on the
hike. Don't push your return time into dark hours of the night. |
Know the limitations of your family with the mindset of making the
trip a positive experience not to point out weaknesses. By identifying the limitations of
your family with hiking, you can make the best decisions about where to go and what to do
in a manner that everyone can enjoy.
Finding a Trail
One of the best ways to find a trail is to go to your local bookstore
and pick up a book about hiking for your specific state. The most detailed information
about trails in your area can usually be found in this way. Although you can find bits
and pieces of information about trails with web searches, your best bet is to buy a book
by someone who has done all of the legwork for you. It is a good investment for your
hiking future, as these books commonly provide trail maps, information about how to get
to the trails, difficulty level information, distance, and much more. If you plan hiking,
even occasionally with your family, buy a hiking book for the state in which you intend
to hike.
Here are some good resources for finding trails on the web:
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Find a Trail on the Web |
| www.trails.com |
Has a searchable "Trail Finder"
country map of USA that is specific for trails of each state. |
| http://www.localhikes.com/ |
Has a list of trails and information for several
states. |
| http://gorp.away.com |
A searchable USA country map with general trail
information for each state. |
A source not to be overlooked for trail information about state and
government park trails is any ranger for the specific park. Rangers frequently have free
maps and information that can be useful to your hiking excursions. This source is
especially helpful if you will be camping and hiking on the same trip.
Itinerary Keeper
Before venturing out on any hiking trip, whether alone or as a
family, ALWAYS designate someone reliable who will remain in civilzation as an Itinerary
Keeper. Once you have made your hiking plans and decided where you will go and when, give
your Itinerary Keeper a written copy of the name of the trail, its location, and the time
your departure and return times for the hike. This may seem like an annoying and perhaps
even paranoid task, but it is a MUST for hiking of any kind. Make sure your Itinerary
Keeper knows when to expect you to return from your hike and if you don't arrive as
expected to notify appropriate authorities who can find you and your family. When you
venture out into the unknown it is good to know that someone knows where you are. ALWAYS
USE AN ITINERARY KEEPER - NO EXCEPTIONS!
Use a Trail Map to Help Plan your Hike
When you find your trail by book, web, or any other method, try to
acquire a trail map. Look at the map together as a family and assess the distance, and
highlights of the hike. Maps can help you identify points of interest and familarize you
with what you can expect on your hike. Bring the trail map with you when you go on your
hike.
Trail maps sometimes also come with the rules and regulations of the
hiking trail. Familiarize yourself and your family with rules and warnings that may
accompany your trail map.
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