The various wilderness areas in the Intermountain West. There are a ton. Currently have planned a trip in the Sawtooth Wilderness - was supposed to go this past weekend but snowpack was still at 8500'. Still need to plan the other hikes still...
this post was submitted on 30 Jun 2023
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backpacking
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Getting my 5 year old into backpacking, so we're easing into it by visiting state parks locally in North Carolina. So far trips to Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock have gone well, so planning some trips now to my ol stomping grounds in Western Carolina
That's awesome! How does your kiddo do on the trails? I've done day hikes with kids that age, but haven't been brave enough to try an overnight.
For the hiking parts, he likes to roleplay along the way that we're on an adventure to slay a dragon or rescue a lost donkey (not sure where that one came from). when we get to camp I try to involve him in everything like pitching the tent, making the fire, fixing supper and whatnot.
Other than that I just let him work thru and embrace boredom. There's certainly an adjustment for him from normal high stimulation life (we have him in daycare), but after a while he starts settles down and stops asking what time it is or what we're supposed to be doing and starts making up games for us to play, watching ants and beetles do their thing, exploring, poking the fire, throwing rocks in creeks, etc.
I do like to take a few versatile toys, especially when I take my 2 year old as well. They have a lot of fun with a few tennis balls (which are great because they're hard to loose, soft, and never go flat), a handful of my old pokemon figurines, and maybe 2-3 palm sized construction vehicles.