This Moment...Yellowstone: Edition 2

*No words necessary, just a moment from our life.*

And don't forget about the Great American Backyard (or anywhere!) Campout tomorrow night!  Will you be participating???  Check out this article of mine published over at Seattle Backpackers Magazine this week with some more family camping tips.  And please feel free to post your photos/comments here or on our Facebook page about how it went!  

*Guest Post* Genesis of a Climbing Family

Adam Nutting had something come up and will continue his Trekking Pole series in a couple of weeks! Stay tuned for that!


However, I am very excited to have Alyssa from The Kid Project on the blog today guesting about climbing.  Previously, we had Justin on the blog with his own tips about taking your kids rock climbing.  Alyssa now adds her own twist and personal family experience.  Again, climbing is not something we have done (yet) with our own kids, so I am learning here too (which is what I LOVE about having guest posters on the blog!)  As always, check out her bio at the end and feel free to leave her feedback in the comments.

People ask us when we started climbing. They ask us when our kids started climbing. Sometimes they don’t ask, they say rather emphatically, “you cannot rock climb AND have  young kids. It doesn’t work.” And if I take a good hard look at having young kids and I am honest, then I will openly admit it is really hard. Draining, exhausting, astonishing, confusing, and abundant in dysfunction. I can see why they told us “it cannot happen.”

When our first baby was born, I was told over and over, “get ready for some major life change, honey!” Vomit. While it was true, the lie hidden underneath their exasperated tone was that all I loved and enjoyed was about to be slayed on the proverbial altar. And I believed them. And my life was a like a self full-filled prophecy.

But as the joy ebbed out of our lives, my husband and I decided to make a change. We needed a breath of fresh air, both literally and figuratively. For us it was climbing, camping, skiing- the active things that reminded us of the beauty of creation and the fun of having a family. It was “sink or swim” time. You either figure out how to bring the kids along, or you don’t. Simple as that.

So...back to those original questions:

Light up the Night with the Great American Backyard Campout

This coming Saturday, June 23rd, The National Wildlife Federation, REI and Coleman are sponsoring a huge event called the Great American Backyard Campout.  Designed to help encourage families to go camping, even if it just in your backyard, they are setting-up camp across the country.

We are honored to be participating in a blogger link-up to help encourage families to get out there.  We, too, will be setting up camp in our backyard (and hopefully later that weekend in Yellowstone National Park.)  Watch for our report of how it went next week.  We highly encourage you to get out camping with your family (this weekend, or whenever you can squeeze it in.)  Your family is worth it!

Light up the Night
When we are out camping/hiking/skiing, headlamps are something we just don't leave without.  They serve their practical function of helping us see in the dark AND are a great source of entertainment for the kids (err...and adults.)
They also....
- Help watch for wildlife in the night (you know, when you hear "that sound".)
- Provide a catalyst for shadow puppets on tent walls
- Can be used to play Flashlight Tag
- Come in handy for middle-of-the-night bathroom emergencies
- Are used to help find missing items as the light from the campfire dies down before bed
- Provide light when Burn Bans are in effect and campfires can't happen (SAD as that is!)
- Help with reading in the dark (or under the covers)

I asked around (other bloggers, my boy-scout nephews, the general public) and got a wide range of answers for favorite camping light sources.  Here's what I found between those experts and our own first-hand knowledge:

Headlamps:  A family favorite, we all have them.  Because we think they are the most multifunctional light out there, it is what we will focus on here.  Besides for camping, we use them for biking at night, backyard campfires, Moon-Lit (when the moon is a bit weak) Skis, and happily welcome any other uses.

Fun and Functional 
LEGO Minifigure LED Headlamp ($15)
These aren't going to last under super harsh conditions (ours got too cold camping this past winter and had to warm up before they started working again,) but they are fun, provide a good light output, and convince kids to actually wear a headlamp.  Both our boys wear them and love them.

Playvisions Zoo Light Frog Headlamp ($15)
Also an LED light, this one apparently makes sounds too (good fun for the kids, annoying in the tent at night..)  We have NOT tried this one, but another fun option for smaller tykes.

Cyclops Hat Clip Light ($12.99)

Highly recommended by those Expert Boy-Scout Nephews of mine, these are new to me.  However, they say they "are small, practical, and a good price for the light."  Great for those campers that love to wear hats!

For the Love of Dads

Father's Day is fast approaching this weekend, and we wanted to take a moment to honor a couple of dads around here and link you up to some fabulous "Outdoor Dad" posts.

For Mtn Papa who works hard to make sure we continue getting outdoors and staying active as a family as you love us so very well.  

And for the Grandpas that helped shape us into the Outdoor Enthusiasts that we are!

We love you!

Great Outdoor Dad Blog Posts:

Dads Who Blog About Getting Kids Outside - Go Explore Nature

Reasons to Love Camping Dads - The Campy Mom

Handy Dad in the Great Outdoors  (giveaway ended yesterday, but book suggestion is great!!)

Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Outdoorsy Dad - Great Wild Outdoors
Thoughts on Adventure and Fatherhood - Adventure Parents
Father's Day Recipes for Every Dad - Pocket Ranger Blog
What's a Dad to do in Alaska? Everything - AK on the Go
Friday's Gift -Dads - Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies

Bloggers - please feel free to link up any Father's Day posts you have in the comments! Thank you!!!

Move Those Kids! (+ Onya and Tula Baby Carrier Reviews)

We're in a brand new town, discovering new mountains around us and spending a lot of time tromping (or riding) through the ground to get a feel for the area.  We truly believe the best way to get to know a new place is by experiencing it.  That means leaving the house every day by foot, bike or carrier/stroller (if walking isn't your forte yet....)  It means talking to every local you can find (and weeding through a lot of tourists to get to them), dodging Bison dung (and keeping an inquisitive almost-toddler with an oral fixation from tasting it), braving the rain and snow and just getting out there.  

Both Mtn Papa and I have lived a lot of places where you really have to work to get to know the community.  It requires engaging in whatever happenings are out there, being ok with the fact that you may have to (gasp!) make your own fun, and just being ok with where you are at.  I find it a great tragedy to run into people who HATE the small town they are in, and yet choose to not go out and discover, explore and BE a part of the community.

As a family, we have a variety of ways to cart around our kids.  We justify the strollers, kid carrier backpacks, wagons, bikes, trailers, and soft structured baby carriers by the fact that they are helping us move as a family and enjoy the great outdoors.

Previously on the blog, I reviewed our Chariot, Osprey Poco Plus, Kelty Pathfinder, Deuter Kid Carrier III, Boba 3G and today I am happy to introduce you to the Onya Baby carrier and Tula Toddler Carrier.  Both are unique in their own respects and have opened up new elements of freedom for us.  Don't get me wrong - I don't think every family needs 100 baby carriers, every framed kid carrier backpack and a variety of bike trailers.  You do what works for your family.  I just take it as my "job" to help you know what is out there!

*Guest Post* The Importance of Trekking Poles!

Please welcome Adam Nutting of Hiking the Trail to the blog today.  Adam is a avid hiker and backpacker working toward his dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail.  He also happens to be a Cancer survivor, an Eagle scout and a self-proclaimed "tech geek."  He has some great tips and I am pleased to have him on the blog sharing them.  This is a two-part series.  Check in next week for the rest!

When I think of walking sticks I think of all of the old guys at scout camp with the wooden walking sticks with the metal emblems embedded into the stick.  Never mind the fact that I think they have always been cool but who wants to look old walking around with a walking stick.

Over the years technology has allowed the trekking pole industry to explode with lots of different styles, materials, and weights. As the technology has grown so has the comfort level of the trekking poles.

Now some of you are saying that you would never use them because they are a pain and you would trip over them. Sure they do take some time to get used to and they can be rather cumbersome at times. The main purpose of the trekking poles is to help remove the stress of hiking / backpacking on your hips, knees, and ankles. This is done by transferring some of the weight from the pack through your arms down the poles. It also allows you to use them as leverage for those ups and downs of the trail. They can also help give you better balance while going up or down hills and rock scrambles.

Osprey Poco Plus Kid Carrier *Gear Review*

As a family, we have had the opportunity to check out a number of different kid carriers.  We have had kids only a few months old up to kids over 3 years old in them.  Wearers have ranged in size and shape and conditions on the trail have varied from rocky terrain to easy paths to back country ski slopes.  While testing continues on our end, we have definitely put a few of them through the ringer.

Loading up the Poco with Kid + Gear for our Packraft Adventure

Previously, we reviewed both the Deuter Kid Carrier III and the 2012 Kelty Pathfinder 3.0 and then compared them side to side on our blog.  Both are excellent packs and come highly recommended by us.  Please note that we recommend trying on any kid carrier before purchasing to test for comfort to your own body.  It’s a pretty personal decision!  However, thanks to Osprey’s new Poco line just released this spring, our family has a new favorite.

The Osprey Poco comes in three different models – the Poco, the Poco Plus and the Poco Premium.  Osprey seldom disappoints with their packs and this is no exception.  Engineered to work for younger children AND older children and with a variety of different sized wearers, it’s an ideal all-around-pack.  Features we thought were missing on the Deuter and Kelty all seem to come together fairly well with the Poco.  The market for kid carriers is definitely becoming more competitive and companies are rising to the need of active families.

We tested the Poco Plus so this review is based on that pack.  However, I try have pointed out features on the Plus that are different on the other models so you can easily see the differences.

What we love:

- Integrated Sunshade (which works for rain and sticks to an extent too!) **The Poco does not come with a Sunshade, but can be purchased separately.**

- Stirrups for bigger kid comfort (A HUGE plus for taller/older kids)

- Incredible Torso Length Adjustment (15.5” – 21.5”) that is easy to change from wearer to wearer. Grandma is just under 5 feet tall and about 100 pounds and comfortable wearing the Poco.

- Wide range of size for the hip belt (26” - 48”) which is SO crucial because that is where most of the load is supported.  Also, the padded part of the hipbelt itself extends in length for greater comfort for bigger hips.

- Easy to adjust to different heights for children in the pack.  The shoulder straps are adjusted at their shoulder (instead of near their crotch or sternum like the Deuter Kid Comfort III) which makes getting kids in much easier (especially when they are bundled up!)

- Mesh back panel for the wearer leaves room for air and plenty of comfort.

- Removable droll pad (our kids dirty this up pretty quick when eating snacks on the trail.)

- Vertical hydration sleeve means better placement for the wearer and better functionality of the hydration bladder.

- Rail-based adjustments on the wearers’ sternum strap mean easy movement.