Here are some lessons that we have learned over the years of hiking with our kids.

Hiking with kids is really fun but you have to remember as your hikes get longer you will really start to see the differences between adults and kids. kids won't necessarily tell you that they are getting tired but they might started whining, crying, being distracted and stopping to look at everything and frustrating your whole group. You will need to either stop for the day at this point, take a long break or try to make the hiking more fun with games and other activities. You have to keep you distance goals flexible. Have multiple possible destinations.

• Hike at the speed of the child and be aware that he does not always know when he is getting dehydrated so as the adult it is your job to schedule regular water and food breaks

•  Let the child take charge of the pace and duration of hiking between breaks or if you are with a group let them take turns

•  Encourage your son or daughter to bring a friend, they always feel more comfortable hiking with someone closer to their age and ability.

•  Make the hiking fun, take many breaks to check out creeks, falls or anything of visual interest. Play games like "I Spy" or any other games that allows them to have fun and use their imagination.

•  Talk about things of interest coming up and make a goal to see falls or mountains. Anything that adds motivation when you are loosing interest.

•  As the adult, be very observant, as an example on the west coast trail I noticed that on the beach in the sun and loose sand our sun would become red, dehydrated and miserable, but on the hard packed trail in the shade he was fine. So on the beach we had to slow down the pace, take more breaks and just be more mindful of him and his attitude.

What to Bring and Safety Concerns

Hiking with kids is really fun but you have to remember as your hikes get longer you will really start to see the differences between adults and kids. kids won't necessarily tell you that they are getting tired but they might started whining, crying, being distracted and stopping to look at everything and frustrating your whole group. You will need to either stop for the day at this point, take a long break or try to make the hiking more fun with games and other activities. You have to keep you distance goals flexible. Have multiple possible destinations. Also, have lots of Gatorade and snacks. Sometimes hunger just manifests as grumpiness and whining.