(A.K.A. trying to grow your own hiking buddy)

Written by Meridith Johnson

Ah, fall! The weather gets a little cooler and you can start planning hikes with your preschooler while their older siblings are back in school. I look back on those years fondly, even though they were hard and full of tears — sometimes my own. But now I have three young adult children who love to hike and can out-hike me any day of the week.

I collaborated with my fellow teachers at Willson Preschool, who all share the joy of hiking with their children and grandchildren, to share our list of hints and tricks for enjoying time on the trail with your little ones.

Here it goes:

• CANDY. Let’s be honest, food is a motivator for all of us. I always loved Skittles; I believe this love of Skittles developed after M&M’s melted once in my backpack. But, really, bring whatever is your kid’s favorite. Maybe take a trip to the grocery store beforehand to let the kids pick out their favorites. Better yet? Find the bulk foods section and let them make their own GORP. Stop as needed on the hike for these motivators.

• GAMES. We love “I Spy” at preschool, and it can absolutely be played while hiking. Or try to find items as you go that are in every color of the rainbow. Go in order of ROY G BIV or mix it up — it’s your hike!

  Make a scavenger hunt…one item at a time for the younger kids and a short list for the older kids. Things to look for might include a flower, or a specific type of flower, a ladybug, a pinecone, a cocoon, animal tracks, a cool rock (maybe even one shaped like a heart), a feather or a piece of litter to pick up and pack out.

  If you have especially active kiddos, maybe “ Indiana Jones Adventure-hiking” is for you. For example, we stayed on the trail when we could, but we always loved getting up to the top of Drinking Horse and making it through “traps” and going under and over and around things. You can come up with a special hiking pattern that you have to traverse to make it to your destination safely…for example, step on that rock or root, touch a tree, that sort of thing. You can walk like an animal: hop like a bunny, stomp like a dinosaur, run like a cheetah or fly like a bird…get creative. Have your kids come up with ideas as you go along.

  

• SONGS AND STORIES. Oh, the songs you can sing together, especially if your little one is in the backpack getting a ride. You can play rhyming word games or rhythm-based games as you go along the trail. I promise you will bring smiles to those you pass as you go along.

  A big old REWARD at the end. My son remembers many a hiking (and skiing) trip where the promise of ice cream got him through the day. Or maybe it’s something like hitting the hot springs or a creek to cool off down by the parking lot. Throwing rocks into a lake or creek at the end of a long dusty hike can be a big reward for the right kid.

• MISCELLANY. Make sure you have sunscreen; you do not want a successful hike to be overshadowed by a horribly painful sunburn. Bring enough water. Pick the right trail. Maybe even go kid-free the first time and make sure it’s manageable. Again, you know your kid best. Always be willing to invite friends along…peer pressure can be a positive motivator. And most importantly, be flexible and ready to pivot. Turning around and trying again another day is never a failure.

• HIKE KIND. Teach good hiking etiquette: don’t litter, stay on the trails, greet those you see, yield to the hikers headed uphill and yield to runners in all directions.

I promise, it may be hard now, but there is hope. I look at pictures of my youngest before she found the joy: when she flat-out refused to look at Lave Lake once we arrived (see above) and the shot of me trying to cajole her on our way to Sacajawea Peak. My favorite of all hiking stories is when a couple hiking down saw our distress and tried to encourage my daughter by telling her that there were mountain goats at the top. Her only question was if they would eat her — and that she wished they would so she wouldn’t have to hike back down.

That same child of mine hiked almost 100 miles this summer and spent five days on a backpack adventure with me. So, there is hope. I promise.

Meredith Johnson teaches at Willson Preschool alongside a group of creative women who have a combined gazillion years of hiking with their kids and grandkids and can attest to the perseverance necessary to do so.