Toddlers in Tevas

[Pheidippides]

Or, why I took my 3 year old on a death march in the desert.

I have not made any secret of (1) the fact that I am a huge fan of the deserts and canyons of Southern Utah and (2) I consider DDD to be an uncultured Visigoth for his refusal to partake. The Escalante area in particular is a place of almost sacred religious significance to me.

It has been at least three years since I made a pilgrimage. My wife has not been in 15.

We are both oldest children, and we still resent the fact that we never got to do cool stuff until we were in college because our parents were too worried about our snot-nosed siblings.

Not us, we have decided. My oldest is almost 11 and has been begging for over four years to go backpacking in S. Utah - based on my pictures and descriptions alone. So we are going this year. In early June we are going to head down to Coyote Gulch with an 11 year old, a 6 year old, and a 3 year old. This will be a three day overnighter.

I realize that it will be slower going an that I will be carrying my pack and a child at times. I am prepared to deal with this. We are spending the next couple of months taking hikes - complete with packs - through a local park. We are also doing FHE on things like first aid and don't play with rattlesnakes or scorpions.

You may now proceed to tell me how crazy I am. I would also appreciate advice that does not consist of "don't do it."

Oh, and DDD: you and yours are invited. Seriously. I will do the proselyting and tell you what to get if you can overcome your irrational disdain for my religion. But you'll have to look to the canyon walls for the sermon.

[Moliere]

Or, why I took my 3 year old on a death march in the desert.

I have not made any secret of (1) the fact that I am a huge fan of the deserts and canyons of Southern Utah and (2) I consider DDD to be an uncultured Visigoth for his refusal to partake. The Escalante area in particular is a place of almost sacred religious significance to me.

It has been at least three years since I made a pilgrimage. My wife has not been in 15.

We are both oldest children, and we still resent the fact that we never got to do cool stuff until we were in college because our parents were too worried about our snot-nosed siblings.

Not us, we have decided. My oldest is almost 11 and has been begging for over four years to go backpacking in S. Utah - based on my pictures and descriptions alone. So we are going this year. In early June we are going to head down to Coyote Gulch with an 11 year old, a 6 year old, and a 3 year old. This will be a three day overnighter.

I realize that it will be slower going an that I will be carrying my pack and a child at times. I am prepared to deal with this. We are spending the next couple of months taking hikes - complete with packs - through a local park. We are also doing FHE on things like first aid and don't play with rattlesnakes or scorpions.

You may now proceed to tell me how crazy I am. I would also appreciate advice that does not consist of "don't do it."

Oh, and DDD: you and yours are invited. Seriously. I will do the proselyting and tell you what to get if you can overcome your irrational disdain for my religion. But you'll have to look to the canyon walls for the sermon.

Do it!

[Pheidippides]

Do it!

Well, I suppose that was advice, if not necessarily particularly helpful.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Sounds great.

Do you have a route picked out? What is your overall itinerary?

[Viking]

I went on an excursion into Robber's Roost in 1994 with my cousin whose development has generally been arrested his entire life of Brian. It was really cool; I look back on that trip with significant fondness.

[Pheidippides]

Sounds great.

Do you have a route picked out? What is your overall itinerary?

Hurricane wash trailhead. We'll get there in the evening so we'll camp at the trailhead. Start hiking in the early am, heading down to Hamblin Arch. That's 7 miles, give or take, and our three year old right now does things as long as three for afternoon strolls. She won't have a pack, obviously. The other two will - but I'll be the Sherpa, as usual. We'll have to take lots of breaks and I am sure I'll be carrying the three year old on my shoulders a lot - already tried it out with the pack on, actually.

Camp at Hamblin. Day two we leave the packs at base camp and head down as far as the second waterfall. But I'm not comfortable taking the kids much further, both for distance and experience (you'll recall the slope below crack in the wall just before the Escalante confluence is a bit tricky with a 15-20 foot drop into some boulders). Back to Hamblin. Maybe hike partway out - say to the tanks in Hurricane.

Then back to the truck the next day.

I think we'll need to be patient and enjoy the journey but this should've doable for the kids. Subject to change depending on circumstances, but water isn't an issue with my filtration system so we don't need to be next to the springs.

I've done this hike about half a dozen times at least. Just the first time with kids.

[mtnbiker]

It sounds like a lot of fun. I don't know the terrain, whether it's predominantly up or down or rolling, but 7 miles of hiking the first day seems like an awful lot for kids. You'd definitely want to split that up somehow. I did a couple of 50 milers as a scout, and 10 miles the first day seemed to go on forever (partly because they were steadily uphill the whole way - no breaks at all). Once you start to get your legs under you, you can do more in subsequent days. We were carrying full packs for an entire week, too, whereas your kids might not be quite as laden down. Hiking is a lot different than leisurely strolls around the neighborhood (I know you're aware of that, but just putting in the reminder).

[il Padrino Ute]

You have tempted me to go to the land of my father and perhaps find you on your trek. We've been trying to figure out a fun family vacation and we haven't been to that part of Utah for about 8 years or so.

Kids are never to young to learn to be tough. When the end of the world is inevitable, DDD's kids will look to your kids to help them survive.

[Pheidippides]

First family practice hike yesterday. Two miles through a wooded park - primitive trail - near my home. It went well except for one whiner - me. Not enough bug spray to go around and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes.

The rest of the family was fine (and properly bug-sprayed). We even had packs on with weight in them. The three year old walked the entire way and had a great time. The six year old was a bit tired.

[Paperback Writer]

I did something similar many years ago in Wyoming with young children and it went well. What helped was having contingency plans with the planned miles to cover. We planned to go 8 miles from trailhead to a destination lake the first day. There was another lake on the route 5 miles out and that ended being our campground for the first night. Had to rally the troops the next morning to continue the trek to the planned destination (Dad, isn't this lake good enough?). Also, everyone stuggled with the elevation difference between Wyoming mountains and Texas. We were 9,000 to 11,000 feet in elevation. Not sure if that is an issue in Southern Utah but it is something to consider.

You probably already know this, but make sure to have a treking pole(s)/walking stick(s). These saved me when I had to tote a kid in addition to my pack. Be prepared for a potential mutiny. My spouse held a sit down strike when she got a view of the elevation gain on the trail up a mountain pass. The impasse was resolved when she dropped her back and hiked without it up through the pass. I returned for it while everyone else took a deserved break.

I'd also suggest 2-way radios so people can keep in contact. That allows the family to split up so some can fish with kids while others nap in a hammock back at camp and can then be informed when the fish are biting (I wasn't the one in the hammock but the wife took some great pictures of the kids catching fish once she arrived). Two-way radios are just a good safety device in case the group gets seperated or an emergency occurs (one parent can go back to the trailhead for assistance while another stays with kids and still communicate).

What filtertration system do you use? Always looking to upgrade my gear. Haven't been looking much at new backpacking products since I haven't had an opportunity to go on an excursion for a few years.

[Eddie]

I'm looking at doing something similar with just my wife and 9 year-old, but closer to the end of June.

We'll probably end up somewhere in the Uinta's though, although I've heard a lot about Coyote Gulch and would really like to get there sometime.

Overall - sounds like a great trip. I agree with those who say do it!

[Green Monstah]

I will not discourage you. I will, however, ask that you let me know the dates for your trip so I can coordinate adding your family's name on every domestic prayer roll during the trip.

[Uncle Ted]

I did something similar many years ago in Wyoming with young children and it went well. What helped was having contingency plans with the planned miles to cover. We planned to go 8 miles from trailhead to a destination lake the first day. There was another lake on the route 5 miles out and that ended being our campground for the first night. Had to rally the troops the next morning to continue the trek to the planned destination (Dad, isn't this lake good enough?). Also, everyone stuggled with the elevation difference between Wyoming mountains and Texas. We were 9,000 to 11,000 feet in elevation. Not sure if that is an issue in Southern Utah but it is something to consider.

You probably already know this, but make sure to have a treking pole(s)/walking stick(s). These saved me when I had to tote a kid in addition to my pack. Be prepared for a potential mutiny. My spouse held a sit down strike when she got a view of the elevation gain on the trail up a mountain pass. The impasse was resolved when she dropped her back and hiked without it up through the pass. I returned for it while everyone else took a deserved break.

I'd also suggest 2-way radios so people can keep in contact. That allows the family to split up so some can fish with kids while others nap in a hammock back at camp and can then be informed when the fish are biting (I wasn't the one in the hammock but the wife took some great pictures of the kids catching fish once she arrived). Two-way radios are just a good safety device in case the group gets seperated or an emergency occurs (one parent can go back to the trailhead for assistance while another stays with kids and still communicate).

What filtertration system do you use? Always looking to upgrade my gear. Haven't been looking much at new backpacking products since I haven't had an opportunity to go on an excursion for a few years.

I picked up an ultraviolet purification pen a while back. I use it along with a regular filter for added protection. I got sick once with just a filter and it wasn't fun.

Almost every year I take my family every year on one or two outdoor trips. They are not all into hiking so we usually go snowmobiling in the winter (usually during winter break or spring break) in the Uintas and white water rafting on the snake river below Jackson. We have an old rubber raft that dates back to the 1940's and that requires a ton of patching every year. One year I nearly lost my wife on something that was around a class 4 which was kind of scary. She was sucked under and didn't come up for what seemed like forever. Yes, she was wearing a life vest. It scared me and the entire family but everyone still loves to go.