Some of my best memories of childhood are of hiking and camping. We spent a lot of time hiking around California’s Lake Shasta. I remember a hike in which we found a clear pool, almost perfectly circular, filled by a small waterfall--icy meltoff from the snowy mountains that towered above us.

On another trip, we stumbled on a ghost town and camping nearby set the perfect stage for ghost stories that night. Then there was the time we were caught in a hailstorm on a sparsely treed hillside . . . my siblings and I concocted musical instruments from nature’s bounty and held a concert for my parents . . . or a hike through head-high (on a 9-year-old) weeds that tripped us all so continually that we ended up soaked with dew and busting a gut laughing at our completely innocent Keystone Kops imitation.

Should you take your children on a backpacking trip? Why not? Most children love the outdoors. I have vivid memories of it that have led me to continue my love affair with nature.

I discovered my daughter’s love for the outdoors when she was three months old. While attending a conference in San Diego, I found that Griffin fell asleep more quickly when I carried her around outside than she did when I walked her in our room. Maybe it was all those long walks I took trying to induce labor when she was two weeks overdue, but she blossoms when the wind caresses her face and the sun shines on her head. She even loves the sprinkle of rain and overcast skies! Since the conference and a subsequent tour of Muir Woods, she has graduated to a backpack and absolutely loves her new vantage point.

Infants
The younger the child is, the more difficult the packing (except for ages four to six months when they have not yet learned to crawl). Younger than four months they don’t yet fit in a pack and after six, they take off as soon as they touch the ground. If it’s possible to set up your tent before you put your child down, you have a handy playpen to hold the child until you’ve set up camp.

Until the child is toilet-trained, you must carry diapers--disposable or otherwise. You’ll have to pack them in and out. When the child has a bowel movement, you can simply bury her poop as you would your own, fold up the diaper and carry it in a sealable plastic bag.

As for food, once the child is started on solids, it will make your trip a bit more difficult until she can eat what you eat without mashing, smashing, etc. If you plan meals that your child can partake of, too, then you can bring along a hand grinder. Also, some health food stores offer dehydrated baby foods.

If your child is still breastfeeding but not yet on solids, you’re in a perfect situation for backpacking because you don’t have to carry formula and bottles. Although difficult, formula-feeding is not impossible. Bottles can be heated on your cook stove the same way they would be heated on your stove at home--by warming them in water in your cook pot.

As for clothes, you know your child. Griffin tends to stay on the warm side so we don’t have to carry a lot of warm clothes for her when backpacking. Other babies stay cool and consequently the parents must bring extra layers of clothing for their child’s comfort. There are a lot of layering options for children. Many catalogs even offer miniature rain suits.

Keep in mind that there are many things infants under six months of age cannot do--such as wear sunscreen or insect repellent. If you are hiking in the sun, they need a wide-brimmed hat or a screen on their backpack. If your infant will wear them, there are sunglasses available in infant sizes. While still an infant, Griffin successfully wore the Flap-happy Hat sold by Biobottoms of California. The baseball-style cap had a wide front brim and a protective “flap” of material that covered her delicate neck. Patagonia makes a similar hat for infants and children.

Toddlers
While you have basically the same concerns while backpacking with a toddler as you do with an infant, there is one major difference--they can walk. This means that they’ll be eager to escape their pack and hit the ground running. Unfortunately, running for a toddler means two entirely different methods of movement: 1) Literal running which usually ends up with the child on her face, especially on unlevel trails; and 2) Walking a few steps and then stopping to explore, walking a few steps then stopping to explore, walking a few.... Both of these methods can result in frustration for the parent but are absolutely necessary for the sanity of your child. As much as Griffin loves her pack, she still needs to get out of it every once in awhile to stretch her walking legs.

Once the child is out of the pack, though, they demand at least one set of eyes on them constantly. The outdoors is great for growing minds but also poses certain dangers, especially if the child is still teething since everything she picks up is likely to end up in her mouth. She needs you to keep her from eating poison ivy, snails, deer droppings, etc. Most packs for child carrying will hold your toddler until he reaches thirty-five to forty pounds. After that, you will begin backpacking with . . .

Children
This will be a difficult stage, no doubt about it. Your child--even packless--will walk a hundred yards (if you’re lucky) and then start complaining, weeping, wailing that he is tired. Remember that this is the same kid who can easily run the length of three football fields while playing with his friends. When your child is at this stage, it is best to take frequent breaks until you reach your destination. You are thus limited as to the number of miles you pack each day. No problem--just tone down your trips for awhile.

Your child can start with a fanny or daypack and carry his own toys and clothing. As your child gets older and stronger, you can move on to bigger packs and add food and sleeping bag to the gear he is carrying. Tough Traveler makes daypacks, backpacks and sleeping bags designed to grow with your child that are worth looking in to.

Limitations
A single parent will have to limit his or her backpacking trips to dayhikes unless they intend to camp extra light (which is not really wise if you’re hiking with children) by not carrying a tent, cookstove, etc.

You should be aware of your own limitations. If you can’t regularly carry a 60-pound pack, don’t think that you can do it if you have a child. If you normally carry a forty-pound pack and your child weighs twenty pounds, carry no more than twenty pounds extra. Remember, you have a life on your back now. Don’t endanger it.

Introducing your child to the outdoors early does not necessarily mean they’ll become avid backpackers later on, so don’t be disappointed if they eventually lose interest.

~Copyright 2002 Victoria Logue