I have been camping, backpacking, hunting, fishing and hiking in Colorado most of my life. I trully fell in love with backpacking when I participated in W.E.P. (Wilderness Experience Program) when I was 12 years old. This program was a program set up for kids of all ages to experience the mountains of Colorado and was similar to summer camp. The program consisted of two one week backpacking trips during the summer. groups of 10 kids were formed based on age and were guided by College students from Colorado.
During these trips we hiked about 5 miles a day and set up a new camp every night. We fished, cooked and learned to navigate. During these trips I learned many skills but mostly I learned to love being in the mountains. After attending this program for two summers as a young child I was hooked on backpacking and I have continued my entire life. Now that I am a parent It has become my goal in life to teach my children to have the same love for being in the mountians that I do.
I started this blog with the intent of sharing my experiences camping, hiking and backpacking in Colorado with my children as they grow. I thought it would be interesting to share experiences with others who are attempting to teach their children to have a love of the outdoors exploring the mountains of Colorado. I also thought that the insights of others might save me from learning many lessons the hard way.
I have been camping with my daughter since she was 3 years old. Over the last four years we have camped at Dowdy Lake, Chambers Lake and Turquoise Lake. As she grows older I have found that camping in a campground is no longer enough exploration for her. This year I have decided that I will attempt to bring my daughter backpacking to see if it is something that she will enjoy. Since I spend a lot of my camping time at campgrounds looking for trails near the campground for us to explore, I figure backpacking might be a better way to go.
I am planning on going for three days and two nights in the Mount Evans area. This is an area I have backpacked in several times and I remember the trails being fairly easy. On one of these trips I took my 9 year old nephew with me and he had no trouble.
When I came up with this idea of taking my daughter backpacking I started by ensuring that I had all the equipment. I found that the sleeping bags, shoes, clothing and backpack that I had for my daughter were great for camping and day hiking, but they were inadequate for backpacking. Another thing I found is that it is very difficult to find these items for young children.
My three days of shopping at all of the major sporting goods store left me with very little that was trully made for her. I found that if you want a backpack to fit a child it will cost you about $150.00 and if you want a sleeping bag, it is very hard to find one short enough and light enough.
I think I have what we need.
I plan on posting when I get back with pictures and descriptions of how it went. Any suggestions or ideas for the future are welcome.
Bill
