Nay
Observer
Great photos. Nay you dang near have a full house therecute family for sure
Thanks - I use every millimeter of my 80 series with this bunch... :smiley_drive:
Back country adventures with kids...how do you do it?
- Thread starter Old#7
- Start date
Thanks - I use every millimeter of my 80 series with this bunch... :smiley_drive:
Kids + Canoe = Brilliant
Maybe it is my Canadian origins but I didn't hesitate to take my 16 month old daughter canoe camping for six days in the Adirondacks a few summers ago. We got a properly fitted life preserver and had her sitting up front with Mom the entire time (on top of a cheap booster seat we picked up at a Wal Mart along the way) and she loved it - so much so that she routinely fell asleep as we circumnavigated the Saragnac Lakes.
One thing to remember about canoe camping especially is that it is perfect for outings with little ones in many regards. First, it allows you to travel significant distances without fatiguing them or you. They have plenty to look at, can dip their fingers in the water, and we even gave our girl her own miniature paddle, but importantly you're not physically carrying them and not policing them to try to keep them on the trail.
Second, you can carry a ton of stuff. Since both my wife and I have done some pretty serious backcountry camping (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho) we tend to underpack and panic about both weight and bulk. With a canoe you can carry a ton of stuff without much drama, so the extra food, bigger tent, toys, clothes, etc. can make it a pretty luxurious outing.
Kids seem to inherently love water which leads to my final, and obvious, point - when you are canoe camping, you're definitionally camping right beside the water. A typical day would have our girl jump into the lake first thing in the morning, splash around for two nonstop hours while we made breakfast and got ready to move, nap in the canoe while we paddled between 2-4 hours to the next site, and leap into the lake while we set up our new camp.
Every time she made a mess of herself (ie, constantly) we'd just throw her in the water.
We've since added another girl to the mix, so in a few months I will be able to report on how this whole thing works with two of the little monsters running around, but I would echo many of those here in observing that in general it is an enormously positive experience to take the kids camping.
So long as you remember the trip is for them (so, you stop when they want to stop, you eat when they want to eat, you play when they want to play) you'll never regret dragging them into the woods.
Maybe it is my Canadian origins but I didn't hesitate to take my 16 month old daughter canoe camping for six days in the Adirondacks a few summers ago. We got a properly fitted life preserver and had her sitting up front with Mom the entire time (on top of a cheap booster seat we picked up at a Wal Mart along the way) and she loved it - so much so that she routinely fell asleep as we circumnavigated the Saragnac Lakes.
One thing to remember about canoe camping especially is that it is perfect for outings with little ones in many regards. First, it allows you to travel significant distances without fatiguing them or you. They have plenty to look at, can dip their fingers in the water, and we even gave our girl her own miniature paddle, but importantly you're not physically carrying them and not policing them to try to keep them on the trail.
Second, you can carry a ton of stuff. Since both my wife and I have done some pretty serious backcountry camping (Wyoming, Montana, Idaho) we tend to underpack and panic about both weight and bulk. With a canoe you can carry a ton of stuff without much drama, so the extra food, bigger tent, toys, clothes, etc. can make it a pretty luxurious outing.
Kids seem to inherently love water which leads to my final, and obvious, point - when you are canoe camping, you're definitionally camping right beside the water. A typical day would have our girl jump into the lake first thing in the morning, splash around for two nonstop hours while we made breakfast and got ready to move, nap in the canoe while we paddled between 2-4 hours to the next site, and leap into the lake while we set up our new camp.
Every time she made a mess of herself (ie, constantly) we'd just throw her in the water.
We've since added another girl to the mix, so in a few months I will be able to report on how this whole thing works with two of the little monsters running around, but I would echo many of those here in observing that in general it is an enormously positive experience to take the kids camping.
So long as you remember the trip is for them (so, you stop when they want to stop, you eat when they want to eat, you play when they want to play) you'll never regret dragging them into the woods.
Nay
Observer
Ah, the musings of those who are still playing man to man defense :elkgrin:
Guys - your point is extremely well taken on the problem of swtiching from man to zone, and I frankly have no idea how those of you with broods of three or more do anything inside your houses, let alone outside in the backcountry.
Kind of off topic, but we took our two girls (then 1.5 and 3.5) to Acadia National Park camping for just over a week last summer (stayed at the Seawall campground, highly recommended as it is just far enough off the beaten path to offer a little more privacy) and it rained every single day.
Not just mist, either, but the kind of rain that forced us into town to buy the girls full-body rainsuits. Every morning we got up to the gentle drumming of a thousand fingers of raindrops hitting the fly, put on our raingear, and started the argument about who was responsible for trying to make the coffee.
After the first day, my wife and I panicked, because we saw the forecast for the week (storm system parked over the area for ten days) and were worried the girls would hate being rained on all the time.
Of course, I forgot my own mantra of "kids freak out for water" and predictably the girls loved it. Seawall is a five minute stroll from one of the more dramatic rock beaches, and the tides are enormous (+/- 20 feet) so there are pools full of crabs, mussels, seaweed, snails, starfish, and god knows what else to play with. They would literally spend hours scrambling all over the rocks and splashing into the ocean.
And, at the end of the day, we'd head off to a local lobster shack and let me say this: plunking down a vivid red whole lobster in front of a three year old, mummifying her in a plastic bib, and telling her to do whatever she wants to the thing, makes for quite possibly the best kids meal ever.
The fact that lobster was cheaper than chicken didn't hurt either.
Anyway, just reading this forum and the posts has me really looking forward to this summer's trip, which we have yet to actually plan - we have yet to agree on a destination, so anyone with good tips on where to go in the northeast chime in (we're well-equipped with an '05 Tacoma so we should be able to get just about anywhere within reason).
Further, lessons have been learned and some pretty serious equipment upgrades have taken place: for example, a Brunton Wind River Range is now in my posession, and will replace the single MSR Fireflly we've been using for the past few years - just the thought of the stove, which is incredibly well made, has me drooling into my coffee...
Kind of off topic, but we took our two girls (then 1.5 and 3.5) to Acadia National Park camping for just over a week last summer (stayed at the Seawall campground, highly recommended as it is just far enough off the beaten path to offer a little more privacy) and it rained every single day.
Not just mist, either, but the kind of rain that forced us into town to buy the girls full-body rainsuits. Every morning we got up to the gentle drumming of a thousand fingers of raindrops hitting the fly, put on our raingear, and started the argument about who was responsible for trying to make the coffee.
After the first day, my wife and I panicked, because we saw the forecast for the week (storm system parked over the area for ten days) and were worried the girls would hate being rained on all the time.
Of course, I forgot my own mantra of "kids freak out for water" and predictably the girls loved it. Seawall is a five minute stroll from one of the more dramatic rock beaches, and the tides are enormous (+/- 20 feet) so there are pools full of crabs, mussels, seaweed, snails, starfish, and god knows what else to play with. They would literally spend hours scrambling all over the rocks and splashing into the ocean.
And, at the end of the day, we'd head off to a local lobster shack and let me say this: plunking down a vivid red whole lobster in front of a three year old, mummifying her in a plastic bib, and telling her to do whatever she wants to the thing, makes for quite possibly the best kids meal ever.
The fact that lobster was cheaper than chicken didn't hurt either.
Anyway, just reading this forum and the posts has me really looking forward to this summer's trip, which we have yet to actually plan - we have yet to agree on a destination, so anyone with good tips on where to go in the northeast chime in (we're well-equipped with an '05 Tacoma so we should be able to get just about anywhere within reason).
Further, lessons have been learned and some pretty serious equipment upgrades have taken place: for example, a Brunton Wind River Range is now in my posession, and will replace the single MSR Fireflly we've been using for the past few years - just the thought of the stove, which is incredibly well made, has me drooling into my coffee...
R_Lefebvre
Expedition Leader
We picked up our new canoe on the weekend and got a little bit of time in it. I can't wait to use it to do some "paddle-in" camping to get some privacy, peace and quiet that we just can't get at a car-camping site. It's very true what Robbie wrote about the capacity of the canoe.
We should be able to fit quite a luxurious camping setup into the canoe, and then have an easy paddle to the campsite. In fact, I'm thinking we might even be able to bring our 60lb First-Up dining shelter. I'm actually only concerned about cubic feet, and not weight. We bought a 17' Swift Temagami, with a weight rating of 1100lbs. Indeed, with my wife and I and the two kids, the hull is barely in the water. We actually did a 4-person paddle, me, my brother, my father, and my son so 175, 175, 210, 30lbs for a total of 590lbs and it seemed like the hull was just starting to come into operating range.
We also got to try out the Naya Water Gear Baby PFD, and it's great. We didn't test the floatation, though I'm sure it's good, and I've seen good reports. But it fit well, and is so much more comfortable for a baby to wear. She was perfectly happy with it. Much better than a standard child PFD which ends up around their ears when they sit.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302701119&bmUID=1274797721732
http://www.swiftcanoe.com/canoe/modern/temagami.htm
We should be able to fit quite a luxurious camping setup into the canoe, and then have an easy paddle to the campsite. In fact, I'm thinking we might even be able to bring our 60lb First-Up dining shelter. I'm actually only concerned about cubic feet, and not weight. We bought a 17' Swift Temagami, with a weight rating of 1100lbs. Indeed, with my wife and I and the two kids, the hull is barely in the water. We actually did a 4-person paddle, me, my brother, my father, and my son so 175, 175, 210, 30lbs for a total of 590lbs and it seemed like the hull was just starting to come into operating range.
We also got to try out the Naya Water Gear Baby PFD, and it's great. We didn't test the floatation, though I'm sure it's good, and I've seen good reports. But it fit well, and is so much more comfortable for a baby to wear. She was perfectly happy with it. Much better than a standard child PFD which ends up around their ears when they sit.
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...older_id=2534374302701119&bmUID=1274797721732
http://www.swiftcanoe.com/canoe/modern/temagami.htm
Kiddo enjoyed two great hikes this weekend!
Going up to the Lighthouse in Palo Duro Canyon.
Kiddo enjoying some cool morning air.
Mommy and kiddo enjoying sunset and campfire.
"A super gigantic beetle!"
A 1000ft elevation gain hike. Lots of this.
This.
This.
This.
This.
This.
And This.
Going up to the Lighthouse in Palo Duro Canyon.
Kiddo enjoying some cool morning air.
Mommy and kiddo enjoying sunset and campfire.
"A super gigantic beetle!"
A 1000ft elevation gain hike. Lots of this.
This.
This.
This.
This.
This.
And This.
xpdishn
Adventurer
I'm home sick today and have read all 10 pages. Our kids are 39 and 37 but that didn't stop me from enjoying every post. Thanks to all you parents that understand that getting outdoors with your kids is priceless.
This is my favorite:
Thanks alot,
Gary
This is my favorite:
At 9.5 months old, we took our little girl on a 10 day camping trip through CA with us, and she absolutely loved it.
And she took her first steps in Yosemite:
Just plan extra time in the day for stops and rests. Plan your driving around their nap time...free quiet time!
We have skipped DVDs and just engage the kiddo the best we can.
Have a blast, be cautious, but not too much so.
Thanks alot,
Gary
john101477
Photographer in the Wild
Being home sick is never a good feeling. I know for me, having my dad and his dad take me out on a regular basis really helped to shape my life. I look forward to sharing the same knowledge that was passed to me. It is something I am grateful for every day.
This is my wife and daughter walking down a ridge while I was taking som pictures of the landscape
