Here we are on the Routeburn Track in New Zealand.
I love to go hiking with my kids. A couple of days ago was earth day and that got me thinking about why I go hiking with my kids. There are lots of reasons that I can come up with to justify it, but ultimately it is just because it is fun.
As parents we are overloaded with responsibilities and are super busy. We are now in middle age, raising children, and looking out for our parents. This unique perspective has shown me that our time on earth is limited. I used to think life went on forever, but now that I have kids and see my parents approaching the end of their lives I realize this is not true. I want to live the best life I can in this short time. For me, this means being a good husband and the best parent I can, which includes lots of hiking with my kids.
Hiking With My Kids Is A Fun Time As A Family
The number one reason that I love to go hiking with my kids is the simple fact that it is a lot of fun. There are two things that make it so much fun for me – I get to spend quality time with my kids and it makes me feel alive.
I Enjoy Spending Time With My Kids
I love my kids and enjoy spending time with them. Hiking and backpacking is a great way to spend tons of quality time with them.
During our hikes we talk, tell stories, sing songs, bond, and have lots of time together without other distractions. It is a chance to be silly together and a lot of the time we all end up telling funny or embarrassing stories that we didn’t know about before.
Also, luckily for me, my kids are still young enough that they want to hear all of my old stories. They are just about the only ones in the world who want to hear me tell about the time in high school when I almost got beat up by a crazy guy.
Here we are in Arches National Park in Utah.
Hiking Makes Me Feel Alive
I love being outside, breathing in the fresh air, working my body, and feeling the sun or rain beat down on my body. It makes me feel alive.
As an adult most of my life is not too strenuous. I work around the house, work on the computer, or do some yard work. If I want to get some exercise I go for a run, hike, or something like that. I don’t get my heart pumping frequently like kids do.
Throughout the day I see my kids playing, running around and getting their hearts pounding and pumping. As an adult I can get that same feeling when I push myself to hike uphill and get my heart pounding. It feels good to be alive.
Life Is Simple When You Are Hiking
When you are hiking life becomes so simple. You don’t have to worry about or think about bills to pay, errands to run, or worries about money. All of that slowly fades away and you can focus on the moment and how much more uphill you have to go or whether you should take a break and let the kids get a snack.
Most of our lives are occupied with distractions and worries. When we are hiking our normal worries can fade into the background allowing us to focus on our family and where we are.
Other Reasons Why I Go Hiking With My Kids
I wrote another post that goes into more details about 5 reasons that to go hiking with kids. That post give general reasons why everyone should go hiking with kids. This post is all about my own personal reasons.
Take Your Kids Hiking Today – Get Outside Today!
If you have read this and feel motivated then you should get your kids outside to go hiking today. Just in case you haven’t done a lot of hiking with your kids I have written an eBook that is full of useful information to help you take your kids hiking.
