Advice for hiking with kids

[gnwatts]

Ok, so he was a little young for backpacking.
Just barely.
Our son Kyle In Canyonlands NP along the Green in 1992. Everything tripped him out, so he was constantly occupied on our car camp trip. He loved the tent.

 

[slc_dan]

This was on the Park Advocate Website, I thought it was interesting.

http://www.parkadvocate.org/feeling-small-again-5-tips-for-visiting-national-parks-with-kids/

 

[pstm13]

One place I would recommend is the Santa Clara Reserve just outside St. George. It is an easy hike hike with a lot of rock art panels.

 

[pinecone]

We have been taking our boys camping and backpacking from 6 months and up. It is hard work! But it pays off, I feel it is the most important thing to teach them in life. We did a lot of car camping first, with a backpack trip only once or twice a year. When my oldest two were 4 and 7 we were able to do a lot more backpacking then. I find that they actually have a very easy time entertaining themselves in any destination, if there's sand, bring buckets and shovels attached to packs, if it's mountains, find a lake to throw some rocks in. Advice? snacks at the next waterfall, bridge, arch, whatever. Hiking juice (gatorade), ask them to talk about their favorite thing and they can hike even more, your kids are at a perfect age to carry their own bag and / or a change of clothes and a box of crackers/snacks and a water bottle

 

[Glasterpiece]

Ok, so he was a little young for backpacking.
Just barely.
Our son Kyle In Canyonlands NP along the Green in 1992. Everything tripped him out, so he was constantly occupied on our car camp trip. He loved the tent.

 

[Glasterpiece]

Still learning how to reply to a particular post. Nevermind.

 

[Nick]

Still learning how to reply to a particular post. Nevermind.

Just click reply on that post and then type your text next to the quoted text. The quoted stuff will show up between brackets starting with quote and /quote at the end. Just don't type in there.

 

[Eric Christensen]

I hope I can actually make this trip with my boys and try out some of the great ideas and advice that was given here. I have done small day hikes with my boys over the last few years and now that I am going to attempt the overnight stuff, my health might put a stop to it before it starts. I have been having some issues with light headedness and dizziness this year and on a hike to waterfall canyon in the Ogden area, I almost passed out towards the top, had to take a long rest before heading back down. My Dr. says it is low blood pressure problems, so I hope we can still make it next month, my boys are excited. All the backcountry good vibes you can send would be great, I really hope to get into the backcountry this year!!! Maybe I should get more angry with my boys to raise my blood pressure? LOL

 

[Nick]

Man, that sucks. You don't hear about LOW blood pressure problems very often. For what it's worth, I was having crazy dizziness and lightheadedness back in March/April. I had a weekend after a boat trip that it got so bad that I was slurring speech and having difficulties with motor function. My ER nurse friend @colefeet told me to get my butt to the hospital, so I ended up in the ER on a Saturday night which is absolutely the worst possible time to go to the ER. I ended up spending 14 hours there from Sat at 8pm to Sun at 10am. They thought I might have been having a stroke or a mini stroke (aka T.I.A.). Turns out my thyroid levels were just super low. After they discharged me with a 'well, you're not dying' diagnosis, I called my bro-in-law who is an ENT that specializes in hearing and balance. First thing he asked me was if I had a history of thyroid irregularity. It had always been a bit low, but not needing treatment. He said being on my boat could exacerbate the low thyroid because of an underlying condition called Mal de debarquement, which I've had in the past. It's a sort of abnormal thing where people get a sort of motion sickness/dizziness AFTER being on the boat but not on the boat. It first hit me after a week long cruise to Alaska a few years back. Anyway, I went to my doc and he put me on a thyroid supplement and I haven't felt like that since. That may have nothing to do with what you're feeling, but thought I'd mention it just in case.

 

[Eric Christensen]

Man, that sucks. You don't hear about LOW blood pressure problems very often. For what it's worth, I was having crazy dizziness and lightheadedness ...

Thanks Nick, I have not thought about thyroid issues. I was on BP meds and the Doc took me off to see if it helps, just cause

 

[Eric Christensen]

Thanks Nick, I have not thought about thyroid issues. I was on BP meds and the Doc took me off to see if it helps, just cause

My tablet is having issues tonight and did not upload my whole reply, basically I said, thanks Nick, if the BP stuff does not fix it, I was going to address inner ear, and now will bring up thyroid with my doc. Thanks!

 

[Nick]

No problem. If you find you want to talk to a doctor that has experience with this stuff, call my brother in law. He is incredibly smart and extremely good at his job. He is a partner at the Tanner Clinic. This guy: http://tannerclinic.com/providers/r-neil-van-leeuwen/ Tell him I sent you.

 

[Nick]

Fun side story, when I was a teenager, I went and lived with them in Missouri for a summer when he was doing his residency at the University of Columbia. I assisted him at the hospital doing experimental ear surgery on baby chickens. I actually measured and injected the chicks with anesthesia and then he would do surgery and implant things in their ears. It was quite the experience.