Fresh Air Fort Collins blogger Kristin Mastre is back with tips on raising outdoorsy kids and how to keep them safe on the trails without squashing their independence.
Living in Colorado is an amazing experience for outdoor enthusiasts, whether you’re a homegrown native or a transplant from another state. Colorado offers countless hiking trails, campgrounds, rivers, and forests to explore. There’s enough to spend your entire life trying to take it all in!
Kids growing up here have an extra advantage with time on their side. Showing them the ropes while they’re young will help them grow into capable, confident adventurists who will love exploring every inch of the wonders of Colorado.
As a mom to two young boys who join me on many hikes, I have some handy tips on how to help your little outdoors people get the most out of your family excursions.
What To Pack
Just like the adults on your hike, it’s important that kids have their own backpacks with supplies. This applies to kids who are old enough to be hiking on their own, not little toddlers who are hitching a ride.
It’s important that your kids become familiar with the 10 Essentials:
- Navigation: map, compass, and whistle
- Sun protection: sunglasses and sunscreen
- Insulation: extra clothing – including socks and water resistant jacket
- Illumination: headlamp/flashlight
- First-aid supplies
- Fire: waterproof matches/lighter/candles
- Repair kit and tools
- Nutrition: extra food
- Hydration: extra water
- Emergency shelter
When getting your kids ready to go out, have them help with packing their own backpacks. Each time my boys gather their items, I double check their packs and remind them why each one is important.
“Don’t forget to pack a long-sleeved shirt and make sure to read the label to see that it’s not 100% cotton. Cotton takes too long to dry, and staying wet outside is dangerous,” I’ll say.
I do this because it’s a very real possibility that kids can become separated from their families on a hike or in a campsite. The kids who’ve been separated in the mountains and are prepared for it have a higher chance at being found quickly and safely.
Last summer during a family camping trip we let our boys explore the surrounding dispersed campground without an adult. We gave them parameters on how far they could go, told them that they needed to stay on the trail/road and not go into the forest, that they had to stay together, and both of them had to take their packs. We think it’s important that our kids have the ability to stretch their wings a bit and put to practice the things we teach them without parental hovering.
My husband and I were making dinner over the campfire and my mother’s intuition kicked in after a bit because they had been gone longer than I was comfortable with. My husband stayed at camp while I tracked the road they took. Shortly there after I could hear a whistle in the background and found them working on getting back.
They had become confused on which direction our campsite was at, but because of our consistent talks about their backpack items, and how to use them for survival techniques, they knew exactly what to do. It was a great outdoor lesson in practice for them, and I was exceptionally proud of them for being able to take the necessary actions.
As an adult, your hiking pack becomes an extension of your body, carrying everything that you need to be safe in the outdoors. By supplying your kids with their own packs that holds the 10 essentials, they will be confident and prepared for the adventures that come their way!
Kristin Mastre is a freelance writer and professional blogger on FreshAirFortCollins.com. She’s spent years hiking different trails in Northern Colorado every week, going dispersed camping with her family in Poudre Canyon, exploring alpine lakes, snowshoeing, fly-fishing, elk hunting, going on river rafting assignments for freelance writing gigs, and finding sanctuary in the Rocky Mountains.