Enjoying Some Family Time in Cathedral Glen | Photo: Courtesy B. Maschal Private Collection
Early last summer when it was becoming clear that our little bun in the oven was a viable mini-human, I did my best to temper my imagination from running wild with ideas of what he might be like. One recurring daydream I encountered was bringing the little guy to enjoy nature with me. Some of my fondest childhood memories are those of spending days and nights with my dad hiking/fishing/camping in the woods, at the lake, in the desert, etc..
As our little guy approaches the 6 month mark, I’m pretty sure that he is still too young to be able to remember much of anything that he is experiencing right now. But that has not stopped us from trekking out into God’s country together whenever we have the opportunity. The beginning half of August, I took some time away from work to be a full-time dad while B ramps up for her busy season. During these weeks we were able to do a hike or nature walk almost every day, and sometimes twice per day! B. has been able to join us for weekend jaunts. For me it has been nothing short of amazing. I like to think that my little dude is also enjoying the experience, if for no other reason than being able to take a nap in the wild.
The Youngster Enjoying Some Zs on the Trail | Photo: Courtesy B. Maschal Private Collection
Being that each kid has a unique set of preferences, we weren’t sure if our little guy was going be fond of trekking around through the woods. As such, we eased into the gear aspect of this activity, purchasing second hand items at a deep discount in case he did not enjoy nature the way he hoped he would. The first item I picked up was the Baby Bjorn carrier (seen in the photo above). It is a 2018 vintage product that I scooped on Ebay for about $20. He loves riding around in this thing and will tolerate just about any activity that I’m doing while he is strapped in.
Selfie with the Little Guy in his Hiking Pack
B has become a member of various ‘mom groups’ in our Brooklyn neighborhood, and as a result has been able to score some really nice items from her network for a very modest price and occasionally for free. One such item is the Deuter hiking carrier in the photo above. Our budding outdoorsman is still getting used to this mode of transpo. As of this writing, his enjoyment tops out around 45 minutes or so of riding in backpack rig. I think that this is partially due to the fact that it is meant for kids who are slightly larger than his size, presently. Consequently, he bounces around a bit more than is palatable for him (as opposed to when he rides in the front carrier). Nonetheless, we have already completed a handful of short beta test hikes together utilizing this pack.
First Hike with the Backpack Carrier at the Shavertown Trail (Left: Little Guy Admires His Reflection / Right: Little Guy Protests Gratuitous Selfie)
The trickiest part of these activities has been planning them to mesh with his naps and meals. For the trails that require a bit more drive time, I have tried to schedule it so that he naps en route and eats either when he wakes up, or when we finish the hike. For the trails that are a quicker ride from the house, I bake his nap into the hike. I’m very happy to report that our little dude is very versatile and tends to roll with the curveballs. He didn’t get upset when I had to change him on the tailgate of the truck during a light rainstorm. He also seemed to really enjoy having a bottle at the top of Belleayre Mtn! So far, so good!
The Author and Son Pause on a Fallen Tree to Take in Nature | Photo: Courtesy B. Maschal Private Collection