Wazzup Pilipinas!
Enjoying the nature and the sheer wilderness of the mountains is among the best ways to spend your holiday or even just the weekends. If you’re alone or with a small group of friends, things are straightforward as you can plan your trip to perfectly fit your needs, pack the backpack, and you’re good to go. But what do you do when you wish to involve the entire family on a hiking trip? Well, in case you’re looking for fresh ideas on how to make mountain hiking entertaining for the whole family and want to know what the significant trends of 2018 are, this is the perfect place for you. In the following rows, we will explore some exciting activities that will make the mountain fun for the whole family.
Make Sure to Pick an Easy Rout and Make it Feature-Friendly
Until you get everyone into the rhythm, choose hiking paths and mountains that are accessible and will not leave everyone tired and completely out of energy at the end. This is especially important for families that have small children but even if you’re kids are older, it’s better to start with something light. Also, make sure to pick a trail with some impressive features such as a stream lake waterfall or anything else that might represent an exciting goal for the young ones.
Time is On Your Side – Plan it Properly
Since the kids are natural explorers and will want to touch and pick-up everything they see along the path you need to take this into consideration when planning the trip. There’s no point in rushing through the mountains just to reach a set goal but without enjoying the natural beauties surrounding you. Allow your kids enough time to explore and get in touch with nature, and you’ll all have an excellent experience.
Be Prepared for Anything
This rule is valid for any hike, no matter if it involves kids or not. But it is critical that you are well prepared for any kind of situation when going to the mountains with your entire family. Besides the 10
essentials that are required when leaving on any hiking trip, you will need to think of some child-friendly supplies such as lip balm, wet wipes, magnifying glass, binoculars, safety whistles and even a field guide to make the hike more entertaining.
Make Sure to Dress Properly
The success of a hiking trip in the mountains can be determined by the type of clothing and gear you choose to wear and take with you. No matter the difficulty of the trail, as long as you feel comfortable, you will be able to have a great time with the entire family. Remember that layers are fundamental and that you need to pack some extra clothes just in case your kid gets called on the road. Rain jackets and clothing are essential as well since the weather can be very unpredictable while in the mountains and even if it’s not going to rain, you can use the jackets as perfect outfits for windy conditions. And since we’re still in the clothing department, make sure to get an extra change of clothes and leave it in the car as chances are extremely high that your kids will return wet or muddy, or both.
Take Time to Plan for Energy Stops
Especially for the young ones or those that are just beginning their hiking adventures, being out on the mountain is an energy-consuming activity and exhaustion can be the cause for a ruined hiked. That’s why it is crucial that you plan stops along the route for everyone to regain their energy, hydrate or even take a bite. These breaks can also be used as a smart way to keep your kids motivated, promising them that you will stop at a certain pre-defined point along the path.
Establish a Leader
To avoid arguments and, again, as a way to keep the small ones motivated and committed to the hike, you can pick a leader that is in charge of the rest of the group and rotate leaders so that nobody is left out. This is an excellent way to maintain a positive attitude within the hiking party and make sure everyone can keep up the pace.
Make it a Fun Experience
The essential part for a successful hike is to keep everyone motivated and having lots of fun. Why not combine these two elements by creating games that the children can play while on the trail? You can ask them to check for sign of wildlife or count different species of flowers and even rocks.
A scavenger hunt is also an excellent idea for keeping the kids entertained during a hike and the mountains usually give you plenty of materials to work with.
All you need is a little imagination, and you’ll be just fine.
Use Positive Reinforcement All the Time
This is extremely useful especially if you’re taking your first hike as a family. Kids need to know that they’re making progress in the new activity before them and hearing how strong, fast or brave they are during a day out in the mountains, can make the difference. It definitely increases the chances for your kids to want to go on a second mountain adventure, then a third one and so on.
In case you were worried about going on your first hike as a family, you now have some valuable tips that should dramatically reduce the chances of having a bad experience. If you know and apply different tactics of keeping everyone entertained in the mountains during a hike, make sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.
Author's Bio:
Nika Goddard
Psychologist, writer-freelancer, traveler and just creative person, lover of world cultures, languages, food, wild spaces and urban places by nature. Editor at own website.
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Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
