First Backpacking trip with 10yr old daughter?

[+monkey&daddy]

Hello all! My 10(soon to be 11)yr old daughter and I do quite a bit of camping in our local state park in the Dallas area. She now wants to take a backpacking trip somewhere. She has Grand Canyon on the brain but I think this might be too much of "job" on her. She is small for her age, 3'10" and 50lbs. She's quite a trooper, but I think she would realisticly only be able to handle about about a 7 to 8lb pack. I would like to take her somwhere that she can really see what nature has hold though. Does anyone have any suggestions for trips that might not be as rough of a hike as Grand Canyon? We have tons of Frequent Flyer miles so traveling to the destination is not a problem. The follow up question would be, any suggestions for equipment (backpacks, sleeping bags, etc)

Thanks for any words of wisdom.

[+qlenfg]

Might check out Lake Texoma. There are supposed to be some trails and caches on the south end off

Hwy 377. Much closer and a day trip, too...

[+monkey&daddy]

Might check out Lake Texoma. There are supposed to be some trails and caches on the south end off

Hwy 377. Much closer and a day trip, too...

Thanks I'll look into that. We are going to do a 3 day hike in camp at Cedar Hill S.P. in March just to see how she handles it. If that goes well, maybe a few days in Yosemite.

[+qlenfg]

Enchanted Rock and Big Bend are also supposed to be decent and a bit more hardcore than some of the state parks. If you do some Googling you can see what trails they have and how difficult they are.

[+TeddiTatum]

Enchanted Rock and Big Bend are also supposed to be decent and a bit more hardcore than some of the state parks. If you do some Googling you can see what trails they have and how difficult they are.

 

I'll bet she would LOVE Enchanted Rock! I was actually just thinking about how it might be time to make my annual trip down there. It's a great spot for backpacking or car camping!

[+Jeepergeo]

Here's a great web site to find hikes: http://www.localhikes.com/search.asp You need to try several cities or counties before hitting on one that has been associated with hikes in the database.

 

At the bottom of the page, click on the link "Site Map Of Available Hikes" and you'll see the hikes listed for Texas.

 

The site lets one filter hikes by several criteria, which helps cut right to what you're most interested in.

 

Regarding your hike: I suggest you have your daughter invite a friend, and then you invite that friends father to come along too. This is especially important on the first hike - the kids will work together and be less likely to get bored.

 

My first few trips with my daughter included a lot of whining on the trail - once we allowed a friend of hers to come along, that all seemed to stop.

 

If you can make it to California, I'd suggest a trip starting in Tuolumne Meadows (upper end of Yosemite National Park), and hiking up Lyle Canyon, camping along the way. Lyle Canyon is beautiful, and relatively flat, so the hiking is a very, very slight uphill grade. At the upper end of Lyle Canyon, you'll find Lyle Glacier...you could stop there or continue on up over Donahue Pass, a relatively tough climb, or just wander back to Tuolumne Meadows. Caution - Permits required and this is bear country.

 

Another cool California trip is out of Tom's Place on Hwy 395. The road into the Sierras ends at Fish Creek. There is a small tent cabin camp there where you could stay, and then do day hikes into the heart of the Sierras, again, the trails are easy since you've driven to pretty high elevations already. Or you could hike in from Fish Creek and camp in the high, remote area of Yosemite National Park. This area is beautiful. Caution - Permits required. Few people enter the Sierras from this location, but the views are stunning.

 

I do NOT recommend Yosemite National Park valley areas - they are too impacted to enjoy these days, unless you go in the winter, and that might not add up to a good first backpacking experience for your daughter.

 

Good luck.

[+monkey&daddy]

Thanks Jeepergeo I looked at the link, there are a few hike around here I never knew about. As for the bringing a friend that sounds like the best idea so far. Problem is, all of her friends think she's crazy for wanting to even go. Oh well thats my "Monkey". Also, thanks for the heads up about Yosemite. We may look closer at the Tom's Place/Fish Creek trek. Again Thanks for the info ~M&D~

[Family Tent Man]

Hello all! My 10(soon to be 11)yr old daughter and I do quite a bit of camping in our local state park in the Dallas area. She now wants to take a backpacking trip somewhere. She has Grand Canyon on the brain but I think this might be too much of "job" on her. She is small for her age, 3'10" and 50lbs. She's quite a trooper, but I think she would realisticly only be able to handle about about a 7 to 8lb pack. I would like to take her somwhere that she can really see what nature has hold though. Does anyone have any suggestions for trips that might not be as rough of a hike as Grand Canyon? We have tons of Frequent Flyer miles so traveling to the destination is not a problem. The follow up question would be, any suggestions for equipment (backpacks, sleeping bags, etc)

Thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

I've had people say good things about the Eureka Grand Manan 7 tent. Easy setup and comfortable. Pretty much year round. Affordable.

[MikeB3542]

For starters, the biggest issue that will effect your plans will be less what she can carry, and more what you can carry. She should be able to handle change of clothes, sleeping bag, rain gear, emergency stuff (that she knows how to use) and water. If she can handle more, great. Don't plan on it.

 

You will need to PLAN on carrying everything else: fuel, tent, food plus all of your personal gear. This will make for a significant load -- comparable to a solo load.

 

If she wishes to bring a friend, that friend should also come with a responsible adult that can help with hauling the friend's tent, food, etc.

 

Start with a two-night shakedown. Car camp Friday night, spend Saturday getting to a campsite within say 3 miles of the trailhead, and hike out and head home on Sunday.

 

After a shakedown trip like this, you should have a really good notion of how to plan anything longer. It might turn out that you will need to wait until she has grown a bit, and can carry more of her share, before you plan an extended trip.

 

You also will get an idea for how the equipment (particularly packs and boots) are working for her.

 

The Western NP's that I have been to (Yellowstone, Yosemite, Roosevelt, Badlands, Wind Cave) have backpacking opportunities, but you know, I think a horse or mule trip would be a lot more rewarding, particularly for a first visit.

 

The Eastern NP's that I have visited (Isle Royale, Great Smoky Mountain) are both outstanding backpacking venues. They also have issues.

 

Isle Royale is an island in the middle of Lake Superior, so not easy to get there, and you are sort of stuck there the boat or plane comes back to get you. But what a magnificent place to be stuck!

 

The Smokies are all pretty hilly trails, so you need to do research to match physical and mental toughness to the route. Not much water at elevation, so you need to pack water, adding to the weight.

 

My suggestion for gear would be to go to a store like REI -- they will have a nice selection of youth gear. Some packs even expand to handle kids who are growing (your daughter will not be 3-11 50# for very long at her age!) Some of the gear there is pricey, but the store brand is decent quality and really pretty reasonable. Plus, they are staffed by people who are usually knowledgable and enthusiastic. They have locations in Dallas and Plano. You will often see fliers for organized trips, in case you feel like you need some structure.

 

A decent tent would be the REI Half Dome. A decent backpack would be the Kelty Jr. Tioga (you must buy a pack in person to ensure proper fit). The Vasque Breeze is a nice boot; my daughter, who is 8, loves her Hi-Tecs (fit is absolutely critical -- try every boot in the store if you have to). I have a strong personal preference for liquid-fueled stoves -- you sort of have to fiddle with them in the store to see what you are comfortable with. That said, butane stoves are the only ones I would feel OK with someone 14 and under handling unsupervised.

 

The Eureka Grand Manan is not an appropriate backpacing tent -- at 12 pounds, way too heavy. Otherwise it looks really nice -- as a longtime Timberline owner, I am partial to Eureka products.

 

Anyhow, hope you and your daughter have some awesome adventures together. Whatever you decide to do, keep it fun.

[+monkey&daddy]

MikeB, Thanks for all the great info. We've been doing a little hiking around Cedar Hill SP. Planned on camping at the primitive hike-in section this week but the rain did us in. Instead we are going up to Chickasaw Nation Park in Oklahoma for 3 days. It looks promising and I think we may have most of the "bugs" worked out from our day hikes (we did them as though we were going to camp 2 days) We went with a Kelty Redwing pack for her. It's more of a day pack but it has plenty of spots to strap in her sleepingbag and pad. She's done 9 miles with 12lbs and no complaints. We only stopped 3 times, once for lunch, twice for water and "nature's call." And just as you said, dear ole Dad ended up with load. I have a PC-90 U.S. Army Ranger Ruck that's built like a tank and can almost fit one inside. Very comfortable with a 40lb load.

 

Again thanks for all the advise I will be checking out REI with my tax refund for some better, lighter gear for this summer.

[+fox-and-the-hound]

If you're not doing serious ascents and descents this might work perfectly for you. You could carrry twice as much weight as you're doing now... http://dixonrollerpack.com/

[+2Ck&find]

Hello all! My 10(soon to be 11)yr old daughter and I do quite a bit of camping in our local state park in the Dallas area. She now wants to take a backpacking trip somewhere. She has Grand Canyon on the brain but I think this might be too much of "job" on her. She is small for her age, 3'10" and 50lbs. She's quite a trooper, but I think she would realisticly only be able to handle about about a 7 to 8lb pack. I would like to take her somwhere that she can really see what nature has hold though. Does anyone have any suggestions for trips that might not be as rough of a hike as Grand Canyon? We have tons of Frequent Flyer miles so traveling to the destination is not a problem. The follow up question would be, any suggestions for equipment (backpacks, sleeping bags, etc)

Thanks for any words of wisdom.

 

Eisenhower State Park has some great caches to find and most of them require hiking. I would highly recommend this park. You can also participate in the Texas State Parks and Wildlife challenge. Happy caching to you and your daughter.

[+The_Incredibles_]

This is a 4 year old thread.

[+hukilaulau]

This is a 4 year old thread.

That's what I was thinking. I was hoping it would be an update thread, but instead it's a...

Well, I don't know what it is.