*Guest Post* Part 2: How to Choose the Right Trekking Poles

Adam Nutting from Hiking the Trail joins us again today for his second installment on his Trekking Pole series.  As always, feel free to leave him feedback in the comments! And Happy Fourth of July! I hope you are enjoying the outdoors with your family today!

In my last post The Importance of Trekking Poles I talk about the many reasons why so many people are using them these days.

When choosing the right trekking poles you need to first consider what you will be doing with them. Will they be for hiking or maybe used for snow shoeing? There are many different models out there that are for multiple sports. Once you have determined how you will be using your trekking poles you need to take a trip down to your local outdoor outfitter. Trekking poles are like shoes. Sure you can try them on at home and send them back or you can go to the store and try on lots of them and find out which ones you like and dislike.

Some of the features you will have to decide from will be:

1. Grip type
2. Shaft materials
3. Locking mechanisms
4. Shock absorbers
5. Height
6. Weight
7. Cost

Let’s take a look at each one of these items individually.

Grip type: Having a comfortable grip is very important especially if you are going to be using your trekking poles for a long duration. You do not want to end up with blisters on your feet and your hands. Plus it makes the trekking poles an extension of your body if you are not constantly nagged by your hands at how painful they are.  There are several grip types on the market. Cork, Foam, and Rubber are the most common. Cork fits to your hands better and resists moister the best. Foam absorbs moisture and is the softest. Rubber is best suited for colder weather activities by insulating hands from the cold. Rubber also has the higher chance to cause chafing or blisters.

Braving the Boys - A Conversation with the Brave Ski Mom

Through my blog, I’ve come to meet many other moms who write about their family adventures in the outdoors. Today, the Brave Ski Mom and I share a short dialogue we recently had about camping, hiking and getting outside. We both have two sons. My boys are young, hers are both teens.  So what do we have in common? Are their some universal family experiences? Here’s a bit of what we found out. (Note - BSM will also be publishing this interview on her blog so feel free to pop over there if you have questions for her!)

How old are your children? When did you start taking them on outdoor adventures?

MM: Our boys are three and one.  They are happy, needy, BUSY and stubborn!   Our oldest was camping at about 10 weeks (and even though it was July, the nights were still freezing!) and our younger son went on his first camping trip at about 4 weeks (after 6 weeks of bed rest for me, I was desperate to get out so we didn’t wait!)  Both boys were preemies, but strong and healthy. 

Thanks to a Moby Wrap and my Boba 3G (both baby carriers) we were out hiking with both of them within three weeks.  Nothing strenuous and I was certainly checking them often, but they were out there (and so were we!)

BSM: Our boys are now 15 and 13. I am not sure how that happened, but it did and it does! Our oldest went on his first expedition when he was four weeks old. BUT, we didn’t go camping. Instead we went to the family cabin at 10,000 feet. He spent the entire weekend in a Patagonia fleece bunting, but we were out there hiking. He also slept through the night for the first time on this  (thank you high altitude air). Our younger son was born in April, so I think he probably went camping at about 8 weeks.

BSM 

When they were little, we carried them, but by about age 2, both boys were done with being carried and wanted to hike on their own. When they were little, we were very respectful of their size and stamina. As they grew, a big challenge for us was not interpreting their enthusiasm for strength and ability. We made some big mistakes talking them into “death marches.” These hikes were too long, in both distance and time, and they almost stifled our boys’ desire to hike. Just because a child CAN hike a long distance, doesn’t mean they should.

*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:

*Guest Post* Ultra-running + Pregnancy

Please welcome Amy to the blog today.  She is actually a friend of a friend and the owner of Jackson Hole Packrafts and Rentals (more on that coming soon....)  In our brief exchanges via phone and email, I knew she would have something great to contribute here!  This post is a little "rewind in time" so make sure to check out her full bio at the end!  As always, comments and discussion are welcome and appreciated! 

Location of my bachlorette party

Our campsite was the quintessential spot for an IFOT – a term used locally by photographers standing for "In Front of Tetons". We pitched our tents on the bluffs of Shadow Mountain, taking in the clear skis and peaceful surroundings.

Four lovely ladies joined me on this camping excursion. They schlepped borrowed tents, bottles of wine and a chocolate cake made in a bread pan, with two muffins perched on top.  It only took a little convincing to move my bachelorette party from Jackson Hole’s bustling bars out to the serene Gros Ventre camping area directly across from the Tetons.

It helped that I had a rock solid excuse for not drinking a sip of any concoctions my friends would otherwise dream up: I’m five months pregnant.

That magical evening on Shadow Mountain helped to quench a thirst that’s been building in me all summer for my beloved outdoors.  When I first learned I was pregnant, my second thought was, "what will happen to my ultrarunning?" (My first thought was panicked excitement).

That’s how whole-heartedly devoted I was to ultras. I had structured my whole summer around the two 100-mile races I was signed up for. I had a job that could accommodate long hours of training. I had tracked down a crew and pacers months in advance. I was calling random names and numbers given to me by friends of friends to find people to hit the trail with.

Hours after I took that positive pregnancy test, I dug out an article from Ultrarunning magazine on running during pregnancy.  Several experts were interviewed in the article, with this general consensus:

*Guest Post* No Touch Plants + Giveaway

Please welcome Teresa of Mountain Mama: Expecting Adventure once again to the blog!  She wrote a guest post for us back in February about the joys of a post-baby body (and being proud of it!)  Today she is introducing a brand new, ingenious T-shirt for kids.  BUT, since we live in a place where poisonous plants are few and far between, I wanted her to tell all about them (since I am certainly no expert at all!)  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments (and make sure you read all the way to the end for a chance to win!)

There are few things more rewarding for a mountain mama than watching their little ones take their first steps on a favorite trail. Even better are the many mountain milestones to follow. 

I beamed with pride the first time Fausto, now 4, rejected the kid-carrier backpack that was his perch on many trails over many months and insisted on walking on his own. He quickly accepted my rules: don't drink from the stream, pee away from water, sunblock is a must. One initiation I dreaded, though, was the first encounter with what we call the “no touch” plants. Where we hike, these include an abundance of stinging nettle and poison oak, though I'm sure it won't be long before we run into their cousins, sumac and ivy. 

Stinging nettle is pretty easy to spot, with it's almost fuzzy appearance and needle-like protrusions on the edges of the leaves. Poison oak is trickier. I still find myself ticking the traits off the list when I see a dead-ringer – leaves of three, oily appearance... But sometimes it's hard to be sure.

On one hike, while Fausto chanted “no touch, no touch” at every suspicious bit of flora, I thought, wouldn't it be great to have a cheat-sheet that he and I could both reference to make sure we were identifying these plants correctly. That's when inspiration struck, what could be better than having the littlest hikers be the cheat-sheet? 

Photo credit: Danielle Kaiser

*Guest Blogger* Taking Young Kids into the Wilderness + Gear Up Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of "Gearing Up Families to go Screen Free"!  If this is your first time hearing about the event, please check out our updated tab here.  Make sure you check out the giveaways at the end of this post (they are ONLY open for 24 hours - midnight to midnight EST!)


I am so honored to be a part of Michael Lanza's blog tour introducing his new book: "Before They're Gone." I have admired his writing and lifestyle for a while now and his stories are some of my favorites.  


"Before They're Gone" is a gripping book that will inspire you to get out with your own family just a little bit more.  Even this mama (who can hardly stay awake at night to read ANY books) couldn't put it down.  Lanza will make you think a little more about our National Parks, the future of our children and why the little things just don't matter.


He agreed to join us in this Screen Free event so today we celebrate him, his book AND gearing up families!  As usual when we have guests, check out his bio at the end of his post and feel free to leave him some love.  Also, please note that we are giving away a copy of "Before They're Gone" today too (among a pile of other great gear to help you get outside and hiking with your family)!

I paused and stared at the trail ahead of us. Barely more than a foot wide and plastered in hard-packed snow and ice, it clung to the face of a cliff with a sheer drop-off to one side of hundreds of feet.

Then I looked down at my seven-year-old daughter, Alex, four feet tall and 50 pounds and exuding an innocent faith that her dad, holding her hand tightly, would guide her safely across that scary traverse—and the next, and the next, and so on for more than a mile and nearly a thousand vertical feet on our descent of the Grandview Trail, which zigzags across wildly exposed ledges on its steep drop into the Grand Canyon.

That was in the last week of March 2010, a bit premature for backpacking into the world’s most famous canyon precisely because of the likelihood of encountering ice on trails at the rim. But it was also our kids’ spring break from school, and we didn’t want to wait until they were out of school, in June, when the inner canyon would be too broiling hot for this 29-mile, four-day trek from Grandview Point to the South Kaibab Trailhead. 

Despite our concerns—heightened after a ranger at the park’s backcountry desk told us that the Grandview Trail was “treacherous” with ice and snow—my wife, Penny, and I decided we could do this hike safely with our kids. I had microspikes—mini-crampons with small metal points that slip over backpacking boots—for myself, Penny, and our nine-year-old son, Nate (whom I nonetheless guided across every narrow, icy section). But I didn’t have spikes small enough for Alex’s boots. 

*Guest Post* Take your Kids Rock Climbing!

One of my favorite parts of having guests here on the blog is covering parts of outdoor family life that we aren't as familiar with.  Rock climbing is definitely one of those areas (though we are starting to think we should check it out!)  Please welcome Justin of Backcountry Treks.  His motto is "Live Your Adventure Outside" - one we can definitely identify with!  As always, be sure to check out his bio at the end of this post (with links to his blog, etc. too!)

I was introduced to the sport of rock climbing in high school, and quickly realized that, if done correctly, it's one of the safest outdoor sports around. Many years later, my young kids started becoming not so young any more and began yearning to take adventures with my wife, Christine, and I.

I had been climbing for 16 years by that time so I was plenty confident in my abilities and knew what my kids could handle. It was a typical early June day with temperatures in the 70s. Christine and I loaded up our three girls (3, 4, and 6 years old) and drove 30 minutes to an easy crag, high in the mountains of Colorado.

The first key to introducing any child to climbing is to use proper equipment. Regular tennis shoes are normally fine, so the only piece of gear you need is a full body harness for the young ones. It not only protects them in an upside down fall, it also gives them piece of mind; a feeling of being wrapped up and safe.
 
We choose a low angle slab to play on, this one rated around 5.2. Starting out on easy climbing quickly builds trust.

*Guest Post* You Don’t Need Mountains to Get Outside and Play!

Errin joins us on the blog today with a perspective of a gal transplanted from the mountains she loves to the city to be with the family she loves even more.  She is full of great ideas on how to just get outside, no matter what (something we REALLY appreciate here!)  As always, make sure to check out her bio at the end of the post and leave her some love in the comments!

I’m forever a mountain girl at heart. I have loved them my entire life, since I was a little girl living in the foothills of Colorado and as a young twenty-something living in the San Juan Mountains of the breathtaking Southwest corner of Colorado. I feel different when I’m there – their sheer magnitude and beauty forbids me to sweat the small stuff. On any bad day or off day, all I had to do was head up one of the many trails with my dog and breathe in that crisp, clean mountain air and I was cured. There was never an excuse for not going out and playing outside – whether there was 3 feet of snow on the ground or a mid-summer afternoon rainstorm.

Little Errin :)

Durango, CO

My life eventually brought me back home to my family and my future husband, Dave, in the suburbs of Chicago. My heart would break from time to time when I thought about that magical, mountainous place I loved so much. And poor Dave has to listen to my incessant “the best place on Earth” blabbing. He says I should be a spokesperson for Durango. Or Colorado. Or just mountainous towns in general. I agree, mostly because then I’d have to live there, right?

*Guest Post* Petroglyphs

Nature for Kids was one of the very first blogs I ran across when I was first starting Tales of a Mountain Mama.  I continue to be impressed by the informative posts and the photos that Shawna takes.  I am so honored now to have her guest post here on our blog.  She shares some adventures that are unique to our part of the country. These petroglyphs are such a beautiful example of time standing still through the stories on the rocks.  Please feel free to leave comments for Shawna (and check out her bio at the end of this post too!) 

When we lived in southern Utah we spent many weekends during the springtime going for drives in the desert in search of petroglyphs.

*Guest Post* Toddlers in the Wild

This week we welcome Tanya of Family Adventures in the Canadian Rockies to the blog.  She hails from beautiful country and abounding opportunity for adventure.  And she takes full advantage! I love reading her stories and often find myself longing to go on their family (or just MOM) adventures!  Make sure you read her bio at the end (including a link to her blog!)

 Our family makes it a priority to get out to the mountains almost every weekend for what many would say are big adventures given we have a toddler.  We’ve taken our son backpacking since he was one and have another trip planned this summer where we are hoping he’ll walk the 2 miles to the campground on his own.  He’s already reached several of his first summits with Daddy carrying him up 3000 feet or more and we regularly complete long day hikes of distances up to 10 miles.  We transition to cross country skiing and light backcountry ski touring in winter with my husband pulling our son in a ski pulk.

*Guest Post* 4 Ways to Turn an Everyday Walk Into a Grand Adventure

I am so pleased to welcome Debi to the blog today.  She is a wonderful example of the fact that nature-lovers don't JUST live in the mountains.  Her blog is chock-full of inspiration, stories and pictures and is definitely a worthwhile read!  As always, please feel free to leave her comments on this post (and answer the question she poses!) and check out the link to her blog and a little bio at the end!

I live in Los Angeles, where the nearest neighborhood park is about a mile away. The closest trails, rivers, creeks, city or state parks are at least 20 minutes away – by car. So when we’re short on time but hankering for some outdoor exploring, we head out the front door and take a walk around the neighborhood.

You’d think after about the 100^th walk, our kids – ages 7 and 3.5 – would hate it. But we don’t often get complaints. 

So what’s the secret to our success? Turning our everyday walks into grand adventures. Here are a few ways my hubby and I do just that.

Create your own scavenger hunt.

Even in our very urban neighborhood, there’s nature all around us. Sometimes, you just need to slow down and look for it. Scavenger hunts are a good way to help kids focus the senses on certain items. 

We’ve taken color walks, flower walks, leaf walks – we’ve even looked for letters in nature. We’ve created scavenger hunts for each of the four seasons, a bird watching scavenger hunt and more. Sometimes we create a list ahead of time; on other occasions we just make it up as we go. You’re limited only by your own imagination.

*Guest Post* First Ski Tour With Mama

I am pleased to welcome Katie to the blog today.  After emailing me a few months back and mentioning she lives in a cabin in the mountains with her husband and young daughter, I knew she would have some good stories!  I was thrilled when she finally agreed to share one with us all.  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments!

It snowed.  Finally.  I can’t believe it’s taken until February for the snow conditions to be good enough to take our baby for a ski tour.  We’ve had more wind, rain and ice crusts this year than snow.  Typically by now, I would have been out skiing a good 30+ days; even last year, when I was pregnant.  But this winter is different for another reason; we now have a sweet 7 month old, S. 

It was a beautiful day for a ski tour, at least at first.  We typically like to get an early start, but after figuring out what gear we needed and how to fit it all into the kid carrier (we attached a separate bag), making breakfast and packing lunch, feeding and changing S again, getting the skis ready, and putting her pacifier on belay, we finally headed out at the crack of 11:30.  We were familiar with dressing her in the cold:  long sleeved Capilene onsie with pants, baby leg warmers to keep her legs warm while changing her outdoors, knitted socks, booties, wool mittens, a thick fleece one piece suit with handwarmers in the hands and feet, a little hat with a felted wool earflap hat over top, sunglasses to protect her eyes and a bit of sunscreen on her exposed face, all under a toasty down outfit.  We planned to be outside for up to 5-6 hours and wanted to be prepared for anything.   We’d done plenty of cross country skiing and snowshoeing with S on our backs or in her ski trailer, and a little skinning uphill before our local resort opens in the morning.  We like to take her on an outside adventure at least 5 days a week.  But this was the first backcountry ski tour that I skinned up and skied down with S.  I wanted to carry her so I knew I could do it, even though my husband usually carries the heavier backpack.  Note: we are both experienced skiers and have excellent backcountry travel skills.  We completely avoid avalanche terrain while traveling with S. 

*Guest Post* Year-Round Playgroups

I have a special spot in my heart for todays guest, Lia from Skedaddle.  Having grown up in Alaska myself and often wistful for the winter snow and skiing, her blog helps me live a little vicariously closer to home through her Year-Round Playgroup.  As always, please feel free to leave her comments (and make sure you check out her bio at the end!) 

I could not imagine starting an outdoor playgroup in Arizona.  How would you manage through the summer?  Is it safe for kids to play outside when it 80 degrees?   I wouldn’t even begin to know how to dress them - should they wear long sleeves to keep off the sun or would they overheat?  If you live in a warm climate, you might think I am a naive homebody who never lets my children run barefoot in the grass.

I live in Alaska with my sons and run an outdoor playgroup that meets year round.  I am a pro at getting my children into rain suits, I always carry winter hats in the summer and can be out the door to play in -20 degrees within 20 minutes (most of the time).

Getting people to attend an all weather playgroup in this climate might seem like an insurmountable task, but it was amazingly simple.  I just asked people and word spread.  Veteran Alaskans understand the benefits of getting out (rather than holding up the white flag and giving into cabin fever) and seem enjoy the outdoors no matter the temperature.  Those new to Alaska realize the need for a set time to force themselves outside and learn the secrets of success from seasoned pros.  Our larger group, Alaskan Outdoor Family Network, has over 300 members who all want to get their children outside all year long.

 

*Guest Post* Little Helpers Make Happy Campers

This week we welcome Tiffany AKA The Campy Mom to the blog.  She is the queen of camp (at least in the blogging world) and we are thrilled to have her here today.  Even better, she is sharing one of our very favorite camping recipes.  As always, please feel free to leave her some love in the comments and make sure to check out her bio below (and awesome blog too!)  

My kids are camping kids.  They love camping and all the outdoor activities that go along with it.  I love that they are spending time outdoors exercising and learning to appreciate nature.

Our kids love to help around the campsite.  They feel useful, needed and confident when they are allowed to get involved.  Of course, the level of a child’s involvement depends on their age and maturity level.

Ways to Allow Children to Help Around the Campsite

Allow children to carry their own gear to the campsite.  We allow each child to have their own backpack or duffle bag for their clothes.  They are proud to have their own bag.  Each child has a small personal lantern, their own fishing rod and bug habitats. They feel very independent with their own equipment.

Kids can help setup the campsite.  Older kids can help setup the tent.  Younger children may be allowed to setup the table with the vinyl tablecloth and plastic ware. My kids love to put together the foam floor tiles (like you see in preschools) which we use as flooring in our tent.  The older kids take turns deciding the pattern we will use for the floor tiles (such as red-blue-green-yellow or yellow-blue-red-green).

*Guest Post* Get Your Kids Outside!

Please welcome James Garner, from Outdoor Gear TV.  He is a wealth of information when it comes to gear and families!  As always, please feel free to leave him comments and be sure to check out his great video reviews!

At a young age I was exposed to a healthy dose of spending time outdoors.   We grew up in the country and spent most of our waking hours outside.  I just did not know any better.  There were several things that geared my upbringing to this.  First we basically had access to acres of woods and terrain. Second, we had no TV or video games.  And finally, my brother and I probably drove my mom crazy and she made us stay outside until it was time to come in and eat dinner and go to bed.  As I grew up my parents would purposely plan a yearly vacation to Colorado.  We would spend 2 weeks together as a family in the mountains.  It was at a young age that I realized that I held the outdoors and especially the mountains dear to my heart.  I later went on to Guide for many years in Colorado. 

Here we are 10 years later.  Enter a wife and 3 kids.  My children’s ages are 7,4 and 5 months old.  Life changes fast and we better change with it or get run over!  So how do I make it a priority to get my children outside?  Everywhere I look kids are punching away at I pads and I Phones around every corner.  Here are 3 ways that I try to fight conformity and get my children outside. 

*Guest Post* The Importance of Being an Outdoor Dad

Again, we are honored to have another dad guest blogger with some great reasoning on why it is so important for dads in particular to get their kids outside.  Please welcome Jayson Cardwell (and be sure to check out his bio below including a link to his own blog - he has quite a story!)  As always, comments and feedback are welcome!

As I step one foot in front of the other I can hear the crunch underneath my footsteps as the fall leaves make for an inviting melody of the joy of being on a trail. This melody however isn't in perfect harmony, the chorus is a bit off key.

“I'm tired”

“My legs hurt”

“Can I have an energy bean?”

Yes, the chorus of a complaining child! As an outdoor dad this is a broken record that I listen to often, which always leaves me two choices. I can forgo taking my child outside or I can make the experience the very best I can for them. The choice is an obvious one for me, grab your gear and get out the door. 

*Guest Post* Raising Cycling-Crazed Kids

This week we have another dad guest blogger :) Darryl and his family are huge cyclists, and since we share their love of biking, we are excited to have them here!  As always, feel free to comment and make sure you check out his blog, Loving the Bike.

I am one of many dads out there who is passionate about cycling and definitely Loving the Bike.  It’s only natural to want your kids to have the same passions and enjoy the same things as you, right?  I’ve never pushed cycling on them, but I have to be honest and say that it brings a huge smile to my face when I see them out riding or getting excited about the bike.

Due to us being a gypsy-like family and spending a lot of my daughter’s earlier years moving around and not always living in a place conducive to learning to ride a bike, she never started riding until she was eight.  She’s now 13 and although she likes getting out there some nice rides together, her love is running.  What’s a cycling dad to do?

*Guest Post* Mountain Mama (post-baby!)

Today I am so honored to welcome Teresa Delfin, founder of Mountain Mama:Expecting Adventure, to the blog.  I recently had the chance to meet her in person, and must say she is as great as her gear and her slogan! :) She has voiced here what many post-baby outdoorsy women deal with and don't like to talk about.  Please feel free to leave her comments (and please do check out her store!)  Also, check back tomorrow for a couple more reviews of some of my favorite (so far!) pieces from Mountain Mama:Expecting Adventure  *Just to avoid confusion, this blog is in no way affiliated with the apparel except that we love it!*

Teresa looking strong right before becoming pregnant with Baby #2 (Her husband and son look on!)

As the founder of Mountain Mama apparel, I’ve weighed in everywhere from tiny blogs to USA Today on the benefits of staying active throughout pregnancy. During my first pregnancy I climbed, hiked, kayaked, and mountain biked, and even bike commuted all the way up to my due date. In my most recent pregnancy I added stand-up-paddling, swimming, and skiing to my prenatal fitness line-up. It all helped me stay limber and fit, even as the pounds kept accumulating. All 40 of them.

I habitually carry 5-10 pounds too many to be considered thin, but as a high altitude endurance athlete my extra padding serves me well, and I generally don’t worry what people think. Besides, I’m so petite that my pregnant belly overwhelms the rest of me, obscuring the weight gain until post-partum. While pregnant I’ve learned to go easy on myself, knowing that whether I indulge in that scoop of gelato or not, I’ll have work to do losing weight once baby comes. It took me a year to return to pre-baby weight after my first child.

*Guest Post* Getting Reluctant Kids Excited about Hiking

I am very honored to welcome Rob to the blog today.  He is a wealth of information when it comes to hiking with kids, and the first in a series of dads to join us here (because really this blog is about families, not just Mamas!) Please feel free to leave a comment for him (and us too!)

=) Amelia

Most children will find fun the idea of a hike and explore. Still, kids can be fickle creatures. Their lack of knowledge and experience in the world often makes them cautious about suggested activities. And in today’s video game-oriented, 300-cable channel, Internet-connected world, some kids may be reluctant – or even afraid – to get outside.

You want to sway kids to at least entertain the notion that a hike might be fun. If they hit the trail thinking a long stretch of boredom awaits them, they’ll make the experience miserable for both themselves and for you.

Here are some easy steps any mom, dad or grandparent can take to get their kids excited about being outside.

Your new assistant planner

To entice kids, let them help plan the hike. They can assist in selecting the destination, trace out the trail on a map, choose which snacks to bring, and more.

Coloring pages

For younger kids, find coloring pages about hiking on the Internet that you can print for free. Coloring pages showing children having fun and some of the scenery on the trial often gets kids excited about the adventure ahead. Just type “hiking coloring pages” in a search engine for images.

*Guest Post* The importance of the written word (plus *giveaway*)

*Contest Closed!  Rebecca R. - you are the winner (thanks to Mr. Random picking comment #3)!  Email me at mountainmamatales@gmail.com to claim your prize!*

We are so pleased to welcome Stephanie back again to the blog.  In case you missed it, she is the owner of Backcountry Baby (a local Jackson shop that is one of my very favorites for families) and guest posted previously here about traveling with babies. *Make sure you read all the way to the end for a pretty exciting giveaway (if you are a book lover like us, anyway!)*

We started reading to E as soon as he was born.  As educators and avid readers, we never thought it could be too early to expose our child to the written word.  Early and often is my mantra about a lot of things involving parenting (vegetables, time outside, bedtime routines) and books fall into this category.

As an educator, parent and now shop owner I get a lot of questions about which books, when and how often. I try to reassure parents that they really can't do it wrong (as long as you're actually opening books) but I thought I'd mention a few points that my education background may actually have helped with.

1. Fewer, higher quality books (same as toys): You don't need 200 books.  Just a few books that you change around every few weeks. Babies and Toddlers love repetition so try not to sigh when your little one chooses Brown Bear for the ten millionth time.  They are learning how to understand the story and they look forward to the routine of understanding what's next. You'll be grateful when this helps with learning to read.

2.  Demonstrate.  Show your kids that you read, don't save it for only when you are in bed.  Read books, magazines and newspapers in front of your babies and toddlers, even if it's just for a few minutes. Show them you are actually interested in reading for yourself, not just for them.

3.  Don't stress.  Toddlers will all go through phases where reading isn't that interesting, but don't despair. Continue to provide new reading material, set good examples and ask them to join you.

4. Read with your babies and toddlers often.  Not just at bedtime but try and read books during different times throughout the day.  Books shouldn't just be about winding down, try and make them part of the day and fun!

With that, I'd like to offer one reader a chance to win a book buggee.  A great way to integrate books into your everyday play. High quality wood toy that doubles as book storage, you can't really go wrong.

Lastly, I'd like to leave you with our favorite titles of the past 2 weeks. I'd love to hear some suggestions for other favorites!

The Little Engine that Could - truly a classic!
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus
LMNOPeas
Flotsam

To be entered in the giveaway for a book buggee:

Required: Leave a comment with your favorite children's book

For additional entries - for a total of 6 entries - (leave a comment each time saying you did one of these!)

 - Follow Backcountry Baby on Twitter

 - "Like" Backcountry Baby on Facebook

- Follow Tales of a Mountain Mama on twitter

- "Like" Backcountry Baby on Facebook

- Follow Tales of a Mountain Mama via Google Friend Connect (on right sidebar)

*Winner will be chosen randomly after January 25th and emailed to claim their prize*