Tips for backpacking with a baby

These tips are based on a post I did previously about when we took our 1 year old on a backcountry trip. Click here to get caught up on our adventures backcountry.  The tips posted here are based on my reflections post-trip and what I might have done differently on my first back-country trip with a baby "If I knew then, what I know now". Please keep in mind that most of the tips are based on things that did not go particularly right for us on the trip. Plenty of things did also go well, and we would do it all over again in a heart beat even with the 'hiccups' that we had.

Choose a short hike
Choose a short hike for your first backcountry trip. By a short hike I mean something you could do even if you were sick and throwing up the whole time (like what happened to us!). That way if something goes wrong you can pack up and only have an easy hike back. Often these types of hikes take you to a nice lake which provides a great activity during the day for the kids. Then if all goes well you can go on a more challenging hike the next time. Our first time we went on a 20 km round trip hike which without a baby would have been relatively easy. Hiking 10 km down the mountain with a baby coupled with a stomach bug was not the most fun.

Practice run
Try out the tent you are going to be using with your family. Our mistake was never trying out our little backpacking tent with our little one before the big hike. We had only gone camping using our 'Glamping' tent which has enough room for us to put our daughters's small camping cot inside as a place for her to sleep. Our daughter likes her space when sleeping so I ended up breastfeeding her all night so that at least one of us could get a good sleep. This was very exhausting on a back country trip when you need energy.

Setting up our tent!

Short Stay
The first time I suggest going for 1 night only. Especially if you go for a longer 20 km round trip plus hike. That way if you do not get much sleep you are back down the mountain and sleeping in your own bed the second night. Our mistake was staying an extra night after having had hardly any sleep the previous night. That is also when our whole family got sick. It was very unexpected and made the trip down very difficult. It might seem like a waste of time to gear up and go for just one night. Then again if you are crazy enough to go on the hike with you baby you probably will love being up in the mountains for even a short amount of time. If it goes well then add another night or two the next time.

Take a Nap
If you have a bad sleep the first night take a nap or rest the next day if you want to stay for more than one night. Do this instead of going on a day hike. Taking a rest with a baby along can be difficult. Take turns looking after the baby if you had a bad night the night before. Instead of resting, we decided to take a day hike the following day because we were so excited to be in the mountains. As previously mentioned I had a really bad sleep and breastfed all night. Breastfeeding burns alot of calories and I find it can be quite exhausting. All these things contributed to a hard descent on the last day.

Go with other people
You honestly never know what kind of adventure will happen even on easy trails you feel comfortable hiking. It was key that we went with some good friends. We never expected to get so sick and without that support it would have been a lot more difficult to get out of the bush ourselves. Having our friends along saved Cam an extra 6 km of hiking to go back and get our pack. It also was nice to have friends to talk with during the hike and hang out with after the kids went to bed.

At night laughing with friends while Etta sleeps in the tent.

Go with other people that are crazier than you

Whenever I started to think about how crazy we were to take our daughter on this backcountry trip I always looked at our friends that came along. They hiked with us with their two (!) kids. One was the same age as Etta (1 year old) and the other one was 4 years old. In a funny way having, them along gave us more confidence that everything was going to be okay. Unfortunately our friend, the mother of the two kids, also got very sick when she was hiking down the mountain. 

Pack light
Bring only the necessities. This is true for any backpacking trip. Follow the regular guidelines and add whatever food, diapers, wipes etc that you will need for your baby. Remember that you don't want to have too much extra weight, since you've already got an extra 12 lbs, give or take a few, just hauling the babe around.

Etta rummaging through the bags.

Pack for all weather
If the weather forecast is sunny and free of clouds, what should you bring? You bring your rain jacket and warm clothes just in case. In the mountains weather can change in an instant and I have personally experienced this on a backcountry trip in Well's Grey National Park. From blue skies to rain and hail. Expect the unexpected especially when bringing your precious little one along.

Be prepared for anything
Make sure you have the appropriate safety gear, first aid kits and medications because you never know what can go wrong in the back country. This is true no matter how much you prepare. We made sure to bring baby Benydryl in case Etta were to have an allergic reaction to something in the wilderness.

A natural change table with a beautiful backdrop.

Be prepared to sing (Or do whatever is necessary)
Most of the hike Etta either slept or took in the nature surroundings. During any of our snack or lunch stops she would get out of the pack and explore. Unfortunately, in the last hour and a half Etta started to get really fussy. We knew we needed to just get to camp but Etta was starting to scream. I look at Cam who is talking with a a friend and yell 'Cam SING NOW!!". (You have to realize that without children, my husband would never sing in public and especially not in front of friends. He looks at his friend and is slightly embarrassed as he starts belting out "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands".)

Etta hanging out in her carrier with her Husk her husky dog. 

Good Fitness and Mental Toughness
Choose a hike that you could do relatively easy without a baby. The hike we took was a moderate hike that would not have been difficult if we had not become sick. Our levels of fitness and mental toughness were appropriate for the hike we chose, and that is what made the hike as safe as possible for us to do with our daughter. You can never predict nature and the obstacles you are going to face. However, when choosing a hike to do with your baby, make sure it is one that you could easily do at your level of fitness. Also be honest with yourself. Are you mentally tough enough to get through difficult situations that might arise? You need to know your limits and your strengths, and pick you hike appropriately. Cam and I talked about this prior to the hike. I knew that I could do the hike easily by myself, but with a baby I could not have done it without Cam. He has a very strong level of fitness and an even greater mental toughness than me which made this hike an appropriate one for us to do as a family.

Etta has some hiking breaks of her own.

Enjoy the experience
Backcountry hiking with a baby is not necessarily 'Fun'. Just like any backcountry hike you will find the experience of enjoying nature is not an easy walk in the park. Yes, there will be beautiful scenery, a break from your everyday life, smiles and encouragement from fellow hikers, looks of wonder and excitement in your child, and many other aspects of the hike that will be easy to enjoy. But, you have to try to enjoy the whole experience which means enjoying the sore muscles that accompany a long hike with a pack, and a baby that will occasionally whine, and need extra attention and entertainment when you're feeling dead tired. Call me crazy, but all of that adds up to an enjoyable experience for me. Now that I have two kids, a 6 month old and a 2 year old, I am looking forward to another back country trip in the summer of 2016 that should be even more 'enjoyable'!

Cross country skiing with kids

Cam recently finished his PhD and so has had a bit more flexibility at work. Since it has been so rainy, I checked the forecast and noticed that amidst the weeks of rain there was going to be one sunny day. We capitalized on this sunny day by taking the girl's cross country skiing at Cypress mountain in North Vancouver. This was Julia's first time in the chariot and she rode like a champ. This was also Etta's first time cross country skiing (i.e. not in the chariot) and she ski'd like a boss. Here is how we made our trip a fun and exciting adventure. 

1. Pack the night before

Cam put all the skis, including the chariot, in the car the night before. We put hot chocolate in the thermos so that all that we had to do was add hot water in the morning. We also organized all our snacks and lunch food. In the morning all we had to do was organize the warm clothes for us and the kids. 

2.Get excited during the drive 

Etta is a very talkative 2 year old and can project her voice really well. (This is a nice way of saying she can be quite loud).  Etta does not like sitting in the car. I would say that she dislikes it more than the average kid and this has been true since she was born. Julia is quite different and usually is happy to sit in her car seat beside her super cool sister, Etta. 

In order to entertain Etta during the drive we talked about how much fun we were going to have in the mountains. We talked about how excited we were to go skiing and see the snow. 

When we got really desperate we resorted to code Dora. Since we recently started reading a Dora the Explorer book to Etta our life has been one big Dora adventure. For any parent who has a kid who likes Dora, this is what we did. Throughout the car ride we solved the trolls riddle as we went over bridges and then we picked bananas from the trees that we passed. We also stopped Swiper the fox from swiping various items we had with us by saying 'Swiper no swiping'. 

The girls hanging out in the backseat.

Driving over the Lions Gate Bridge on our way to the mountains. 

3. Speed 

In order for Julia to enjoy being pulled in the chariot we had to keep moving. If you stopped for too long she started to fuss. This is great motivation if you are trying to get into shape. I am always thankful that Cam is a bit of an endurance athlete and a strong skier. He is able to pull the girls (~45 lbs) faster than I can pull myself. When we do outdoor endurance activities I often feel like we have entered a battle and I am telling Cam to leave me behind to keep the girls happy as I haul myself up the mountain. Some other examples of when I have told Cam to leave me behind are (but not limited to):

- when we were hiking down during our back country tip with Etta and I was really sick. See Back country hiking with a baby: A bad game of Oregon trail

- When we almost missed our Ferry in Sweden to travel to the island of Finnham. See The ACE family 5 point travel day game plan. 

By the time I thought to take a picture, it was time to get moving and that is why this picture is so poor. However, I really wanted to get a pic of Julia in the chariot. 

4. Treats
We gave Etta some yummy snacks during the hour and a half she was sitting in the chariot and being pulled. We also promised to stop after a little while so that Etta could try her skis. She was really excited when she saw the skis we rented, and talking about them kept her really excited. We really enjoyed our ski as it was mostly free of tears and whining!

Etta loved drinking her Hot Chocolate and Julia enjoyed lounging in the snow. 

5. Enjoy the adventure

On our way home I was telling Cam about how I have been enjoying our adventures more than usual. This does not really make sense since we now have two kids and you would think that things would be more complicated. I think that I have embraced the chaos and have recognized that our adventures are a little bit different. I enjoy the time I get to ski and also the simple things like when eat lunch and have hot chocolate outdoors together.

6. Encourage and persist

Etta and Julia do not sit perfectly and quietly the whole time we are out skiing or hiking. I could take that as a sign that I should of no longer take them outdoors. However because we have been persistent, Etta gets excited even when we talk about the mountains at home. This time we skied for an hour and a half before we let her try on her own skis. Because she had watched us, she was super pumped to try the ones we rented for her. She was so determined when she put on the skis she turned to her dad and said "let go, I do by myself". Cam let go of her and gave her a few instructions ('put your hands on your knees' for the little downhill slope). We had a blast watching Etta have a great time trying out cross country skiing for the first time.

(See the video below of Etta's first time skiing. Etta even fell a few times and her determination kept her getting up and trying again.) 

Note:
I want to note that we try very hard to not take the fun out of outdoors activities for our kids. After we take Etta and Julia to do something that we like to do in the outdoors, we try our best to do

something in the outdoors we know they will love, whether it is a swim in a lake after a hike, playing 'explorers', or letting them try the activity we are doing. I have no idea if the girls will grow up wanting to spend their weekends hiking mountains or skiing but I do want them to know that we will always have lots family fun time in the outdoors. 

Othello Tunnels: Almost....

On our way home from Manning park we decided to stop by the Othello Tunnels an easy 3.5 km trail near Hope, BC. 

check out Julia and I in the reflection of the sign! 

This is the second time we have tried to go through the Othello tunnels. The first time was when we were newly weds moving to Vancouver. Cam's parents were with us and they really wanted to take us to the tunnels. Unfortunately we could not find them! Thankfully, this weekened, we had googlee maps and found the tunnels. Unfortunately the tunnels were closed for the season and were not open. We did get to go up to the first tunnel and talk with some construction workers that were working on getting the tunnels ready for the filming of a popular movie called 'planet of the apes'!

I felt it was worthy of writing a post about because these tunnels are exciting for all ages. Remember to bring flashlights to enhance the experience!!!

Cam and Etta outside the first tunnel

Julia and I at the first tunnel

Family selfie near the first tunnel. 3rd times a charm and we will get to explore the tunnels!

Manning Park: 7 ways children make life more excited

This past weekend we went to Manning Park with the kids to celebrate our 5 years of marriage. We were so happy to soak up the outdoors especially since Cam has been busy finishing his PhD. The great thing about Manning park is there is little cell phone service and therefore we were able to totally focus on each other and the present. 

One of my favourite things about having kids is that you can do something so simple and have a great time. In the past I have written about some of the challenges when travelling and/or camping with kids. Throughout this post I am going to highlight 7 ways our children have made trips more exciting. 

1. Telling the kids we are going to the mountains:

We told Etta we were leaving for the mountains about 10 minutes before leaving. We did this on purpose because she gets SO EXCITED!!! Once we told her we were going to the mountains she started running around the house saying 'Yeah mountains' followed by asking if myself, Cam and Julia were going to come too. We proceeded by saying 'yes we are coming to the mountains too.' Since we were all going, she got even more excited and this excitement lasted the whole weekend. 

2. The Cabin
Etta loved the cabin. Really I loved it as well but her enthusiasm made the cabin that much more exciting. She loved it so much that I now want to live in a simple cabin in the woods. Everyday she was excited to come back to the cabin and hang out. She loved it so much that when we left we had to say bye cabin and blow kisses as we drove away. She still talks about the cabin.

Outside the cabin with Julia.

3. Snow suit, toque and mitts

I know not every kid likes their outdoor gear but Etta gets so excited when she gets to wear her mitts, snow pants and boots. It may not last forever but I'll take it!!!

 

4.  Hiking

Whenever we tell Etta we are going hiking she starts jumping and running around. Her enthusiasm about the outdoors is incredibly contagious. At Manning Park there are tons of hikes outside your doorstep and although we kept the hiking simple, her enthusiasm amplified the outdoor experience. Trying to see these natural experiences through the eyes of a child is incredible. Our daughter gets excited by things that we often don't even take notice of, like leaves, rocks, snow and water.

5. Throwing rocks
I think Etta could literally spend hours throwing rocks into water. Big rocks, little rocks and even sticks and leaves can provide hours of entertainment.

6. Playing in the snow
Yes as an adult I still like playing in the snow but rarely take the time to indulge. Being forced out in the snow to play with Etta is extremely rewarding. Etta got so excited making her first snowman. Julia had an amazing look of wonder as her hand touched snow for the first time.

Etta's first snowman where she was able to contribute.

Julia's first snow experience.

7. Mountains
Lastly, I know I mentioned mountains previously but that was more about telling our kids we were going to the mountains. We needed to highlight how excited the girls get when we are in the mountains. Etta loves seeing snow-capped mountains. She loves knowing she is hiking on a mountain. She loves the fresh air.

Being a parent has changed our getaways but it hasn't affected how much we enjoy them. During our trip we decided to keep it simple and Etta's enthusiam and Julia's smiles made the whole experience really fun.

Hiking with a toddler and a newborn!

First I have to say Happy 3 month birthday to my youngest Julia! Time is already flying by so fast and I could not imagine life without her.

To celebrate we decided to go on our first family hike since she was born. I have to be honest though... it is also a celebration of the fact that I think I am recovered enough from child bearing and child birth to do the hike that involves a lot of incline. 

Preamble: We hiked earlier after we had Etta. The major difference this time is that I could not just worry about myself. I had to carry Julia up the mountain because Cam would be carrying Etta. Although Julia is not her 27 lb sister she is already about 15 lbs!!! 

Anyways we decide to tell Etta that we were going to the mountains for a hike about an hour before we had to leave. Big mistake... While I love that she was super pumped and running around the house screaming 'yay mountains', we then had to listen to her whine 'I want to go hike in the mountains' for the hour while we got ready to go. To top it off she saw the hiking carrier and she started screaming that she wanted to go in their NOW!!! Try teaching patience to a determined and independent toddler. Impossible.

Finally after getting organized, we drive the 45 minutes to Cabin lake which is on the way to Eagles bluff on Cypress mountain in North Vancouver. Julia slept the whole 45 minutes. Etta continually repeated that she wanted to get out of the car and go hiking ...... For the whole 45 minutes. Again try teaching a toddler patience. Impossible.

When we got to the mountain Julia woke up so I had to feed her. She was being fussy and I started to think that this hike was a bad idea. I was beginning to lose MY patience. Then we started to hike. That is when it became magical! Julia fell asleep and Etta loved the carrier again. She has been wanting to walk herself these days but since Julia was in a carrier she wanted to be in the carrier too. 

The hike was a gruelling uphill for about 45 minutes up. Etta and Cam talked about the mountains and the trees. It was like she was taking in the outdoors in a way she never had before. She was aware at how amazing it all was. 

I... Who was carrying Julia... Trudged up the hill slowly but surely. My motivation through the exhaustion? Both kids were having a great time. I was breathless but loving exercising and enjoying nature without any whining or crying. It was as if I had won the lottery. My face was beat red, my heart rate was 180 bpm and I was loving it!

Once at our destination we all had lunch, including Julia. Cam and Etta went for a swim in the ice cold water while I played with Julia in the shade.

 We hung around for about 45 minutes just enjoying and exploring the natural surroundings. It felt so great to be back in the mountains. 

When it was time to go we changed the girls diapers, packed up our things and made the trek down the mountain. Julia and Etta immediately fell asleep which was awesome. I was exhausted from exerting myself but new it was all downhill from there.

 Until... After 10 minutes of downhill there was a steep incline. We did not notice going downhill on the way up and I always notice a nice downhill after a long climb. We realized we went the wrong way and would have to climb back up to find the correct trail.

I was exhausted and started to complain.  I was getting stressed that our good luck with the kids on the trail would end. After mustering up some energy we turned around and trekked back uphill. After 20 minutes of uphill climbing we were back on track hiking down to the parking lot. 'Crisis' diverted and my legs were still functioning. 

Once at the parking lot Etta and Julia woke up. I decided to wait to feed Julia because Etta was happy. We immediately packed the girls in the car and drove home. 

About 20 minutes into the drive home Julia started to cry. We decided to divert off the Lions Gate bridge and head to Prospect Point in Stanley Park to feed Julia. We enjoyed an incredible view of Vancouver, grabbed some fries, birch beer and I fed Julia. After an hour enjoying Stanley Park, we drove the 25 minutes home in a cry free/whine free car. It truly turned out to be a successful day outdoors hiking in the mountains and enjoying Vancouver.

VW Camper Van

We took the plunge! We bought a VW camper van and have officially joined the Westy club. I could not be happier. 

My family had a camper van up until I was about 3 years old. I am the youngest and I have a brother 6 years older and a sister 4 years older.

My sister squeezing my face while my brother is chillin' in his camping chair.

 They used to sleep in the Pop top and I used to sleep in a hammock at the front of the van. I cannot remember the name but it was an air cooled orange VW camper with a pop top. Unfortunately my parents house had a fire a few years ago and finding a solid picture of the van is very difficult.

My sister Krista and I in the Camper van!

Etta and Cam in the pop top.



Julia in the campervan having a nap.

The adventures ended in that van when the door was so rusted that it fell off. I think my parents were fed up and sold the van for parts. Even though the van at times stretched their patience they were sad to see it go. They still talk about those glorious camping days in the dub. 

My dad, brother, sister and I after a hike in the rockies.

Anyways, since then I have always dreamed of owning my own westy with my family. With two kids and a husband that loves camping we thought it was prime time to join the westy family.

My sister and I hanging out on the camping chairs.

I am so excited for more camping trips to come. I hope my girls continue to enjoy the experience of the outdoors each year whether in the van or a tent. Let the adventure continue!!!

Our family embarking on our own VW adventures.