[pct-l] Hiking with Kids

[Eric Lee]

Steel-eye wrote:
>
We hiked mostly in the Mt. Jefferson Wilderness in
the area between Pamelia and Marion Lakes, but seldom for more than a long
weekend.  Longer trips came later.
>

Hiking with kids is awesome.  Family bonding time is great.  I totally
encourage all parents to spend as much time outdoors with their kids as
humanly possible.  I frequently took my small children hiking though
probably not as much as I should have, in hindsight.

But honestly, any thru-hiker on this list knows how much time it takes to
complete a one-season thru-hike.  You walk all day, every day, for four to
six months with a couple dozen zero days sprinkled in there.  Right?

Ok, now any parent on this list knows how wiggly, impatient, self-centered,
and easily-frustrated 13-18-month-old toddlers are, right?  Can any of you
parents imagine a toddler contentedly sitting in a backpack all day, every
day, for four to six months?  I have four kids and none of mine would have
put up with that for more than a few days, tops.  They'd have dissolved into
a screaming mess after that.  I dunno, maybe I just sucked as a parent, but
my sense is that my kids were pretty normal.

I don't want to be in Jim's database of "self-righteous, vitriolic idiots";
I really don't.  I wish David and his family all the best on their
adventure.  All I want to communicate is that a one-season *thru-hike* is
probably not going to happen with a toddler.  Could they spend five months
out on the trail, making a few miles most days, going where the wind takes
them?  Sure!  Absolutely!  Sounds like a grand adventure and one well worth
doing.  They'll build memories and habits that will define the entire rest
of their lives.  But a thru-hike?  Come on, get real.  They'd actually have
a much higher chance of completing a thru-hike this year while their child
is still a brand new infant that sleeps 18 hours a day (and is a lot
lighter, too).

David posted this evening that he's flexible with his plans and isn't
fixated on the "thru-hike" part.  I'm greatly relieved to hear that and
that's all I was really concerned about.  Just keep it flexible and loose
and you'll be fine.

Eric