Backpacking with kids.

Colton’s Pack

You may have noticed I really didn’t have much for cooking or food. I chose to bring MREs (AKA Meal Ready to Eat).  I hunt, so I already had a large box of these and decided to utilize that stock for this trip. MREs are definitely heavier than the freeze dried food. However the packages contain everything you need; plus they provide an abundant amount of calories. Colton and I shared two for dinner and saved half of the second one for breakfast. While I may not still be able to do that when he’s a teenager, it is still worth mentioning how filling and satisfying they are! I didn’t have to worry about heating my food either because each one comes with its own heating element, plus you can hear water for a drink (like coffee… wink wink). 

Both Colton and I did great on our hikes.  Our only complaint was the bugs – Holy cow, were the mosquitoes bad! I did do some verbal prep-work with Colton, explaining to him that we were going to be walking with heavy packs for a long long time, and that we might get tired but would be able to relax when we get to camp. I have found that preparing him for new experiences becomes much easier on both of us if he is allowed to know exactly what he can expect. And to his credit, he only said to me once that his back was starting to hurt, but he wasn’t going to complain about it. Pretty grown up choice for a 6-year-old!  #proudmamabear

We successfully made it to camp and got all set up. I was extremely jealous of the awesome hammock my friend had. If this is something I decide to do more of, I am thinking we will need to invest in these! She let us try it out and it is snug as a cocoon! Although my tent from Walmart served its purpose, it was kind of like sleeping in a coffin and I did get a little claustrophobic.  

After setting up camp we went to the beach and found the park water for making our dinner. Sure glad we made this stop. It’s easy to forget how beautiful Lake Michigan is! Especially in Door County. Cooking for dinner was a breeze.  Wish dinner was this easy every night!

My friend Jessica packed dehydrated foods, which are much lighter weight making them easier to pack and carry. However, she did have to warm up water in her cute little stove. She shared with us, and they are very tasty!

 

A little night fire to finish off the night, and it’s off to bed for all of us! We did wake up in the middle of the night to lighting and thunder headed our way. Unfortunately, cell service wasn’t good, so we were unable to pull up a good radar reading of the approaching storm. Imagining a worst case scenario, we discussed our options (the closest shelter and the truck were both about the same distance away). Ultimately we all agreed to just tough it out. Colton slept through all this, by the way! Thankfully, the storm completely missed us – not even a drop of rain threatened our weekend!

 

The next morning was nice and slow, very relaxing in no hurry to do anything. Listened to the lake crash against the shore, enjoyed all the sounds of wilderness around us, life was easy and calm. Just what I needed – I didn’t want to leave! We enjoyed our breakfasts and started to pack up. 

 

Colton and I love to hike, and identify mushrooms and plant varieties. Unfortunately the mosquitoes were so awful that we were only able to do a quick glance identifications and discuss what we each thought it was and what it was used for.

 

All things considered, I would call this first trip a success!  We had a great time with only minor hiccups (which are anticipated on any trip).  As promised, here is a list of alterations I would make to our pack list…

 

Future Pack Adjustments:

Mattress pad!  My body needed it!

Water purification tablets – These are light-weight and easy to pack, and the water provided was a little rusty.

Bug foggers

Folding saw – We brought a pocket chainsaw and an axe, but both were unnecessary.

More clothes! I did not pack enough clothes. I try to be as minimal as possible when packing, but in this case I was TOO minimal.

Next time I think Colton and I will be able to handle a longer distance and more days; we will start slow though. I would love to hear about your backpacking experiences. Have you wanted to give it a try, but just haven’t made the leap yet?  What’s stopping you?!

 

Thanks for reading,

Tara