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You don’t have to go on long hikes every day if you’re not ready for it.
Start with what works for your family.
Right now we only have time to go hiking once a week. I’d like to go more often, but that’s not the season of life we’re in right now. In the meantime, participating in the 52 Hike Challenge is helping us stick to our goal of a weekly hike and solidify our hiking habit.
I wouldn’t expect the kiddos to complete a 5 mile hike their first time out in a park, so we started them on shorter hikes. Our hikes range from just over a mile to about two and a half miles. We’re slowly adding distance to our hikes, but some weeks they’re longer, and some weeks they’re shorter.
River has only been hiking for about eight months so he’s our weakest link right now. In about a year or so, Ocean will stop hitchhiking on my back and will become our new weakest link.
But that’s ok. We’re playing the long game here: shorter hikes now so we can do longer hikes this summer and beyond.
This summer we’ll be visiting some national parks out west and you can’t go to national parks without going on hikes.
Ocean will still be riding on my back this summer, so I’m not worried about him. Sunshine and River though, they’re another matter. We want them to be strong enough to handle whatever hikes we attempt. Not that we’ll be attempting anything too long and crazy. We’re not ready for that yet 🙂
Small hike yields intriguing finds
While hiking this week we found an old car that we found once before, a few months ago. Last time it seemed like the car was randomly sitting in the middle of the woods.
A few weeks ago we were hiking a different trail in this park and came across the crumbling remains of an old stone cottage, but we didn’t see the old car. This time we went a different route and found the car again, and I realized that it wasn’t far from the remnants of the old driveway leading to the house. It must have broken down and been pushed over the hill, out of sight.
Finding unexpected things like old cars and ruins of houses make hiking a treasure hunt. The kids look forward to running across hidden gems and the hunt distracts them when they’re tired.
What adventures have you had by starting small and working up to bigger things?
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Like the idea of a goal with accountability and want to join the 52 Hike Challenge? It’s not too late. The 52 Hike Challenge does not operate on a calendar year, so you can sign up at any time throughout the year, and you have 12 months to complete 52 hikes. Sign up using my link and I’ll earn a small commission at no additional charge to you. You can also click on the 52 Hike Challenge image in the right sidebar.
