Hiking With Kids: A Multi-day Hike On The Appalachian Trail

My brother John lives in Florida with two kids and over the summer he took his oldest, my nephew Sam, on a multi-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. John and I both grew up hiking on the Appalachian Trail as kids and I loved hearing about this adventure so I asked him to share about it here. He’s also sharing some great tips for taking a multi-day hike with kids and also some good ideas and practices for hiking with kids in general!

Hiking is one of my passions.  It is the thing I do to get away from it all.  I can breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the beauty of nature and put the chaos of daily life behind me, simply by putting one foot in front of the other. 

I must admit, a day hike doesn’t cut it for me. Although I will take what I can get, I know full well during a day hike that by the end of the day, life will still be coming at me.  It takes at least 3 days for me to find my bliss on the trail. On the first day of an extended hike, I continue to stress about the things I forgot to do before going into the woods. On Day 2, I get lost in all the things I have to do when I get back.  But, on Day 3, it is just me and the trail and I have put the rigors of daily life behind me. Yep, I love hiking!

I was introduced to hiking in middle school, by my mom.  For a number of summers, I spent time hiking on the Appalachian Trail with a group of friends led by a beloved teacher at my school.  It is only now that I truly appreciate the awareness of those adults as they instilled a passion for hiking in me as a child.

Over the last 10 years I have rekindled my passion for hiking.  In some of my most challenging moments in life, I have found clarity on the trail.  And now I turn to the trail to reset, to relax and to continue to find clarity in my life.

So, I cannot put into words how excited I was when my 15-year-old son, Sam expressed interest in doing a multi-day hike on the Appalachian Trail with me over a year ago.  We planned and prepared and trained, for a year, for this hike. This past summer, we set out on our adventure…and the trip was magical.  

Before I lay out some specific tips regarding planning, preparing for and doing a multi-day hike with your child, let me begin with the most important lesson I learned in all of this:

I hike because I love to hike.  The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other with a single minded focus on the journey is therapeutic for me.  Hiking from sun up to sun down is “my jam.” My son on the other hand loves being outdoors, spending time with adults, camping and achieving an end goal.  In my experience, I have found that kids are less about the journey of hiking so much and more about the destination and the sense of accomplishment in having completed the journey.

This was an important distinction and understanding for me and it was critical to ensuring that my kid will want to do this with or without me, again and again.

Here are some of my thoughts on how you can have a magical experience hiking with kids based on my experience hiking with mine.

Planning & Preparation

1. Plan Together

The moment my son Sam and I agreed to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail together, I ordered guidebooks and maps. As soon as they arrived, we began to plan the trip — discussing how long we would be on the trail and how far we would go each day.  

2. Prepare Together 

Everything in preparation for this hike was an event.  Shopping for and buying packs was an expedition. When we ordered stuff online, we discussed it before hand and tested it when it arrived.  We planned our meals together. We laid out our gear together, packed together and weighed our packs together.  

3. Practice 

 If you are doing a “multi-day hike” make sure and do at least one overnight hike with full packs to test your gear and gauge your kids capability, your speed, what they enjoy and where they struggle.

On the Trail

1. Be flexible

If your child is not having fun, try and figure out why and make adjustments.  We had originally planned to spend 8 days on the trail and adjusted it to 5. I knew full well, he would have finished 8 but perhaps never want to hike again. By shortening to 5, while on the trail, I left him wanting more. (Along those lines, when planning, you may want to consider alternative or shorter routes if possible).

2. Be conservative on your daily mileage

About 6 hours per day of hiking (not including long breaks) was the sweet spot for us.  We could take our time in the mornings, get on the trail by 9 or 10, take a long lunch, and get to our next camp, set up eat dinner and enjoy camping.  

3. Give your child some freedom

Let them go ahead if they are moving at a faster pace or lull behind a bit if they are moving a bit slower.  Instinctively, if they go ahead you will find that they will wait for you after a bit to catch up and you will definitely wait for them.  Try and find balance between being together and being apart (because for a kid on a trip like this even when you are apart you are together).

5. Trust your instincts

Often times, on a trip like this, your child will agree with you because they don’t want to disappoint you.  If you ask your kid, for example, should we stop here for the night or keep going the kid will almost always say keep going.  If you think it is time to stop, stop.

6. Ask lots of questions

I found that for the majority of time I got short answers from my teenage son. But, when I found a sweet spot, he opened up like a waterfall. I learned so much about my teenager through these questions and conversations.

7. Be prepared to talk, a lot, about everything and anything

This is your opportunity to share intimate details about yourself with your kid on topics ranging from growing up, to sex, to drinking to airplanes and cars.

8. Remember it will take a few days to get your trail legs

You will be able to go farther and hike faster at around day 3.  

9. Remember this is about your child

Usually, I hike for me. But, when hiking with my son, my focus was on him.  My goal is to help ensure my kid enjoys something I enjoy. My goal is not to force them to enjoy it the way I do.

After the Trip

 1. Write about it

Put pen to paper so you have something to reference.

2. Let your child tell the stories

When you are with your child and someone asks you both about the trip, let your child tell the story.  You will quickly learn what they loved and what they didn’t.

3. Be patient

If your child wants to do it again, they will bring it up.

We are already planning next year’s adventure.  And, my daughter wants to go hiking with me now, too!

Have you taken a multi-day hike with your kids? Here are some shorter hikes that we’ve done with our crew: Max Patch, Chimney Rock…and an article I wrote for Leadership Academy with tips for hiking with kids!