Raise A Kid Who Loves Hiking
Backpacker|February/March 2017

Can a trail-crazy parent convince his son that backpacking is not boring?

Daren Worcester
Raise A Kid Who Loves Hiking

“WOW,” my 6-year-old son gasped as we broke treeline on Bigelow Mountain’s Avery Peak. The summer sun was sinking into the horizon, casting angelic rays of light across his face as he stood transfixed, gazing over northwestern Maine and Flagstaff Lake below. It was a magical father-son moment, one I thought would hook him on hiking, even if the journey had lacked a certain hakuna matata tranquility.

“Hiking is boring,” Wyatt had declared when I proposed the trip a week earlier, verbally punching below the belt. It was to be his first backpacking trip. After years of day hikes and backyard campouts, I was sure he was ready. But between his resistance and Mom’s vocal apprehension, I felt the opportunity slipping away. Time to pull out the big guns. “I’ll pack gummy bears,” I said.

We were going hiking.

I chose Bigelow and its rocky ramparts as a dramatic introduction to the Appalachian Trail. I was confident that the views and vast forests would capture Wyatt’s attention, grooming him for bigger adventures I hoped we’d share in the years to come. But I’d been a parent long enough to know that creating a love for the trail meant beating the competition of cartoons and LEGOs. So I planned a short hike with big payoffs—and packed plenty of gummy bears.

This story is from the February/March 2017 edition of Backpacker.

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This story is from the February/March 2017 edition of Backpacker.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.