My kids first backpacking trip is coming up this weekend!

This weekend I'm taking my boys on their first backpacking trip! I'm very excited. They've done camping before, (Drive up drop the tent out the back and setup.) but this will be their first time hiking and camping.
We're headed down to Deam wilderness down around lake Monroe. (Southern Indiana.) Because it's their first time and and all three are under ten I'm going to take it easy on them. We'll hike about 2.5 to 3.0 miles each day and we'll only be gone overnight.
I'll carry most of the weight, but I'll have them carry about 5 lbs or so each. Hopefully we'll get a chance to climb the look out tower while we're in the area to.
I'll be sure and post lots of pictures when we get back.

We're back from our trip. Everyone is still alive and they really enjoyed the trip. Time to start planning the second trip.

Cool! Looking forward to your report on this! I've taken my kids (13 and 11) on a couple of short trips, but I need to really get them out on more overnights... Well done!

That is awesome! My daughter is 3 and we will be getting her out with us soon, probably next season. Still breaking her in to camping and dayhiking.

Also looking forward to pix and a report. I have been taking my boys on longer and longer hikes this year. Maybe next I'll do an overnight backpack trip as well. :2thumbs:

Let me add a bit of background before diving into my review. I spent my teen years in Wisconsin backpacking and camping regardless of the season. (Yep, I've seen 10 degrees F from my tent.) Later my family moved to Indiana and I continued to camp when I could. Then right before I turned 20 everything changed. I got married. I love my wife, but she's not a camper, so my camping days slowed down a bit. Then along came our kids and my camping slowed down a bit more. After several years I was going slightly nuts unable to breath the city air. So I began to hatch a plan. If my my wife wasn't an outdoors person, I would just have to brings as much of the indoors to the outdoors in order to get her to come with me.
I bought a small bit of land up in Michigan. (Fairly short drive for us.) I then started buying various camping comforts in an attempt to woo my out of the city and into the country. I bought a portable toilet, propane shower, screened in dining tent, fold up table and chairs etc. I even rented a bobcat and cleared out a section of the woods so we could drive right up drop all the stuff out the back of the minivan and start camping. Nothing like listening to your kids laughing and shrieking as they run through the forest around you while you cozy up to your sweetheart next to the bonfire.
Or spot in Michigan is great, but it has also rekindled my desire to really hit the trails again in earnest. I started thinking about the day when my kids would be old enough to join me. I've done quite a bit of hiking, but this trip would be especially exciting for me because it has reminded me of the joy of my early days of hiking and I get to share it with my three favorite guys!
And now, onto the review as promised.
My wife gets away every year for a mini vacation with a few girlfriends. It was all the excuse I needed to plan my first expedition with the boys. I choose Hoosier National Forest mainly because I know it pretty well and it's only about an hour so from our house. Grubb trail is just south of Monroe lake and starts in the Blackwell campgrounds. There are several small, interconnecting trails, but this length is only about 3

Awesome! They look like they were having a good time. I think you definitely scored some partners. :2thumbs:

Great TR! Yep, I think you've got some more hiking partners lined up now. My son is almost 14 and has been backpacking since he was 6.

Just back this PM from buying food for our two short backpacking trips in Yosemite starting next weekend. My wife loves camping, but she does want to enjoy herself when we're done. So, I made the all-important reservation for dinner at the Awanhee Hotel for the night in between the two trips.

I'd bet once you have your boys hooked on it, and you include some of your wife's favorite luxuries you'll get her going out with you all too.

Excellent - way to go! Fun read! Thanks for sharing!!! :2thumbs:

Excellent report! I have been taking my boys (now aged 12 and 10) for 4 years now on an annual backpacking trip and they make sure it happens every year. They love it and I love being in the mountains with them! I am in the planning stages for this years trip which is going to happen over labor day weekend. I'm thinking about the Bechler River Trail in Yellowstone for next year. 28 miles from point A to point B. We will definately have to do some training prior to that trip.

Awesome!

I am trying so hard to get the guts up to do a backpack trip with my son and my daughter. I have only backpacked once with my best friend and her Dad when I was about 10. I loved it! Anyway thanks for the report. The kids and are I headed out today to Navajo Lake we are taking the little backpack stove to practice doing backpacking dinners as I can not live off of beef jerky. I was hoping to get the trip in before they started school but was caught off guard when school started Aug 11th! I sincerely thought it started the 23rd. Anyway we are going to try and go over Labor Day I think. Only one night haven't decided where yet.