Want to know a secret?
Don’t tell anyone, but the secret to hiking with kids is to change your mindset. This simple truth will make hiking with kids fun for the entire family.
I love hiking, especially in the Rocky Mountains. Prior to having children I loved to hike all day, pushing my body to its limits to see how far and fast I could go. A ten-mile round trip hike or hiking to the top of the local peak was a fun way to spend the day.
As I’ve learned, hiking with kids is not the same as hiking with other adults or by myself. With adults, a hike tends to be focused on getting to a distant goal, such as a mountain peak or lake. In contrast, with kids it is all about the journey and not the destination.
THE SECRET TO HIKING WITH KIDS
Change Your Mindset – Go Slow and Enjoy the Journey
The Secret To Hiking With Kids – It is all about the journey and not the destination
We have all heard that saying before and think we understand what it means. But, it is one thing to hear it and another thing to actually practice it when you are on a hike with your family.
It is challenging when other hikers are passing you on the trail as you are your family stroll along at a slow pace and take lots of breaks. You must remember that hiking with kids is simply not the same as hiking with adults. With kids you need to focus on the fact that it is all about the time spent outdoors with your family and not on getting to the end of the trail.
Secret to Hiking with Kids – Change Your Mindset
However, just because you can’t make it to that destination doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it. You must change your mindset to focusing on the goal of having fun as a family. It is time to simply accept that you will go as far as your family can make it and you need to focus on enjoying your time together.
Look at those beautiful flowers.
You Will Notice A Lot Along The Way
You will be surprised at how many neat things you will notice along the trail now that you are going slow and focusing on the journey. Going slowly with your kids you will find lots of flowers, plants, and strange bugs.
Once you have changed your mindset you will let go of expectations and have fun.
Hiking with your family should remind you of the glorious times when you were a kid and spent the summer days exploring and playing outside all day.
It will not always be easy and you will have relapses to where you are anxious to go. But, overall if you can change your mindset you and your family will have more fun hiking together.