My husband and I have always enjoyed hiking together. When we first got married (10 years ago) we were hiking pretty much every weekend. We lived next to a hiking trail and about 15 minutes from a mountain in North Carolina. So, once kids came along it was a no brainer to continue hiking. It was part of our lifestyle and we planned to make it part of our kids as well. An active outdoor family! 🙂
New to Colorado (moved here June 2019) we have done lots of hikes and have been all over the state. Some of our favorite hikes are at Roxborough State Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park, and Mt. Evans. Yep, we did our first fourteener!
Our kids are 6 and 4 years old. The most hiking they have done round-trip is about 5 miles. During our hikes, there are some essentials that we ALWAYS make sure we have.
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Water-You can’t live without this and you always need to stay hydrated.
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First Aid Kit– I have two small kids. Who knows when they will trip and fall, get bitten by something, etc. Always prepared.
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Bug Spray-Trying to enjoy nature while being annoyed by bugs is annoying.
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Sunscreen-The sun here in Colorado seems more intense than in Florida. We always protect our skin.
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Whistle-Just in case of an emergency. They are much louder then a yell if you are lost or hurt. My kids have this Nature’s Explorer Kit. They take out all the items and wear them when we hike. It’s pretty cute.
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SNACKS-Take breaks and refuel. If you have kids you KNOW not to leave home without these.
I also keep ponchos and our hammock in our hiking backpack. We dress for the weather but I like to have the ponchos in case someone forgets their raincoat. The hammock has been awesome to have. If we find a nice spot that we want to chill at for a while, with a nice view, with some strong trees nearby, the hammock is up in minutes. 🙂
If we plan to hike with a big incline we take with us our Osprey Packs Poco Child Carrier for our 4-year-old daughter. We purchased this carrier back in 2014 when we wanted to start doing longer hikes with our 1-year-old son at the time. This carrier has lasted and has good support for the parent carrying it.
We aren’t experts but for our short time in Colorado so far we’ve figured out what we need for hikes with our kids and how far they can go. Life is an adventure and we’re doing our best to enjoy it to the fullest. YOLO right?!! (You Only Live Once)
Do you hike? What essentials do you carry in your hiking bag?
