Category: Dad

Interview: Dennis & Laura (climbing, camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, canoeing)

12/9/2020

We're excited to share another interview this week! This one is really interesting because we have a husband and wife giving two perspectives on how they make outdoor parenting work.

Name: Laura & Dennis
Location: MA, USA
Family Activities: Climbing, camping, hiking, downhill skiing, kayaking, canoeing.
Kids: 10 & 6
Work Schedule: 2 full-time

Transitioning to parenthood:

What outdoor activities did you do before you had kids? Same, just much more frequently before kids!
If you or your spouse were pregnant, did that person continue any of the activities and how did they modify the activity while pregnant? Laura: I climbed until my harness didn’t fit anymore. Skiing stopped pretty early (3 mo pregnant). No ocean time on my kayak since pre-pregnancy.
If you do different activities after having kids, why is that? Laura: I’ve lost touch with friends who I did outdoor activities with. We engage in activities we can all participate in as a family. Dennis: We do most of the same activities, just much less frequently. There is much less time for day outings or weekends away due to school/work, kid's activities (classed, birthday parties, playdates, etc.).
How old were your kids when you started doing outdoor activities with them? Laura: First camping trip at 2.5, skiing at 3. Did lots of hikes with baby as carrier made it easy. Dennis: We had them try climbing around ages 3 or 4. 
What was your biggest challenge when you started doing outdoor activities with the kids? Laura: They love being outdoors. With skiing we have to tag team who is with what kid. They youngest needs more support. Dennis: Keeping the kids occupied and engaged, particularly downtime (such as setting up climbs) or waiting for their turn.

Outdoor parenting:

How have these challenges changed as the kids got older? Laura: Our oldest can ski and climb the same trails/routes we do. I no longer climb but my husband does. Typically, all four of us go so I can belay him and keep the youngest occupied as she waits for a turn. Dennis: As [our oldest] has gotten older, she has taken a genuine interest in climbing. Together with mental maturity, which means she requires less constant stimulation and is more patient.
Do you have trouble maintaining the kids interest in the activity (ie during a long hike) and if you do, how do you keep the kids interested? Laura: When they were 4 and under, yes. Now they are happy and engaged during day trips. Dennis: They tend to stay interested on their own. But the kids getting tired is more of a challenge. Especially the little one, which will usually want to be carried at some point of the hike.
How do you fit the activities into your working life? Laura: I only have time on the weekends. In the winter we ski almost every week - it’s something we all love. Summer activities like camping and hiking aren’t as regular. Dennis: It is very tough during the week. We mostly engage in outdoor activities on the weekends. Since COVID, we have had more time on weekdays, for things like local nature hikes and bike rides, just like lots of other families.
How do you balance outdoor activities with kids activities (organized sports, music, school)? Laura: We’ve boxed all kid activities Into Saturday morning or weekdays to leave Sundays open. Dennis: It’s very challenging. There just isn’t enough time for everything. There are constant trade-offs. We try our best to talk to the kids and see what they want.
How do you ensure that both of you can keep doing your outdoor activities? Laura: Pre-COVID my husband went to climbing gym every week at the same time. I just don’t have the copious free time I did before kids and opt to spend my limited free time on other things like gardening, socializing, and yoga. Dennis: We’ve been supportive of each other getting out for “grown up” activities (such as climbing without the kids). But it’s hard to be away from the family all day.
Have you ever received pushback on outdoor parenting from family, friends, or community? If so, how have you handled it? Laura: Not really. People ask questions as it can seem hard to get little kids engaged in outdoor activities but it has always felt like curiosity. Dennis: I wouldn’t say “pushback”. But there is often a perception by folks who don’t participate in outdoor activities like climbing or skiing, that these activities are dangerous. Explaining how these activities work (such as describing a climbing top rope setup) will often get folks to be less critical.

Summary/Conclusion:

What resources helped you figure out how to do these outdoor activities with your kids? (books, friends, groups, blogs, etc). Laura: Mainly seeing friends do it and getting inspired to try with my own kids. Dennis: We’ve had friends who had kids before we did. So we learned a lot watching them interact with their kids while doing outdoor activities.
What is your favorite outdoor parenting hack? Laura: Sharing a ski pass when one parent has to be with baby in the lodge. Nature scavenger hunts on hikes on when waiting for turn climbing. Dennis: I’ve given my kids a little extra climbing motivation by putting candy inside plastic Easter eggs, and placing them on holds or ledges at various points of the climb (both outdoors and at climbing gyms). It does work, although it can backfire as well. One time, I did not bring the eggs, and my daughter was upset “But I want to find an egg!”
What is your biggest outdoor parenting mistake? Laura: You can’t do things the way you use to. Be flexible with yourself and your kids and have fun! Dennis: Georgia broke her leg skiing last winter. She got going too fast and took a tumble. I don’t think there was really anything I could have done to prevent it. But I kept replaying it in my head for a long time. Georgia has since fully recovered, and is rearing to get back on skis this winter.
If you could give one piece of advice to other outdoor families, what would it be? Laura: Get your family out there, it’s hard when they are wee little ones but I never regretted a single trip. Dennis: Your kids might not end up enjoying all the same activities you do. Show them why you love these activities, and maybe they will, too
What is your favorite piece of gear for outdoor parenting? Laura: For babies/toddlers a good supportive carrier for hikes. Ski harnesses were helpful with toddlers. Dennis: Not specifically outdoor gear, but definitely my favorite: a good camera (not a phone) to capture all those memories. Cameras on phones have come a long way, and obviously win for convenience. But a phone simply can’t match the image quality of a “real” camera in capable hands. I started getting into photography when our first child was born, and that interest has carried over to outdoor activities. My current camera is a mirrorless, full-frame Canon R. My favorite lens for outdoor activities is the 70-200mm, f2.8. It’s a big, heavy lens. But it lets you zoom in on the action. I can get close-up shots of my kids on the rock, or out on the water while standing on shore.

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Interview: Scott Turner (Orienteering, Hiking, Skiing, Camping, Biking, Backpacking )

10/28/2020

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This week we have an interview with an outdoor parent whose children are grown up, so he has the perspective of taking them outdoors through all the stages of childhood. He is also a very experienced at orienteering, which I think is a great way to get kids outside that I haven't tried yet with my kids. He also happens to be my uncle, and when I was a kid I got to go orienteering with them. Enjoy!

Name: Scott Turner
Location: Suburban Boston, MA, USA
Family Activities: hiking, orienteering, cross-country skiing (and a little downhill), car camping, swimming
less regularly canoeing, bicycling on dedicated paths, hiking the AMC hut system, backpacking
Kids: 38, 36, and 32
Work Schedule: I worked full time regular daytime hours. My wife was a homemaker full time until the kids entered 1st through 6th grade. She led their home schooling from that point through high school. When the youngest reached 11 years, she began part time work.

Transitioning to parenthood:

What outdoor activities did you do before you had kids? Together we enjoyed hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing, bicycling, and swimming. We tried backpacking but my wife did not enjoy it. I had also done a good deal of small boat sailing earlier in my life.
If you or your spouse were pregnant, did that person continue any of the activities and how did they modify the activity while pregnant? My wife transitioned from jogging to walking for her pregnancy.
If you do different activities after having kids, why is that? A lot of things changed from 1978 until our first child was born four years later. We had returned to New England, got new jobs, met, courted, married, and settled in a suburban house. It's more noteworthy how little our activities changed.

A significant change for me was that during my wife's first pregnancy I took up the sport of orienteering. I began to participate in the local orienteering competitions which were regularly scheduled in wooded areas around Boston. It combined running, which until then I had done on the roads, with map skills, which I had developed while backpacking.
How old were your kids when you started doing outdoor activities with them? We may have waited a couple of months before taking them on trails in the hills, but essentially we went outdoors immediately. It was snowing when our first child came home from the hospital.
What was your biggest challenge when you started doing outdoor activities with the kids? Executing a car camping trip for a week at a New Hampshire campground, with a variety of excursions, was a big effort, and once it rained the whole week!

Outdoor parenting:

How have these challenges changed as the kids got older? We and the kids were involved in other activites -- church, dance, soccer, etc. that made time for activities in nature more scarce.
Do you have trouble maintaining the kids interest in the activity (ie during a long hike) and if you do, how do you keep the kids interested? Keeping them going during a long hike was definitely a thing. It helped to have an intermediate goal, and say, "In one mile we'll come to a rest spot and have a snack." We also had a couple of trail games that we played. Some of our long hikes were with cousins, which was great for preventing boredom.
How do you fit the activities into your working life? I would take the family or just a couple of the kids to an orienteering event on a Saturday or Sunday, as these were part-day activities in (mostly) local woods. Occasionally we would travel for a few hours to a big weekend orienteering event, camping overnight. A couple of the nicer events had square dancing in the evening. The kids' favorite was a weekend at Pawtuckaway State Park in New Hampshire, which had regular orienteering, canoe orienteering, and an after dark "Vampire orienteering" event followed by smores..
Occasionally I would take some of our kids with some of their friends for a hike, such as Mt. Monadnock.
In the summers we would do at least a week of car camping that involved a good deal of hiking and sometimes canoeing.
How do you balance outdoor activities with kids activities (organized sports, music, school)? Those activities almost always took precedence. Given that the kids all either played soccer or had dance rehearsals, I can't recall how we got away for as many weekends as we did.
If you have a partner, how do you ensure that both of you can keep doing your outdoor activities? My wife was content to keep in shape by walking in the neighborhood streets, and enjoy the more natural scenery during an occasional parents' or family getaway. We both consider aerobic exercise important. I would make it a priority to take care of the kids while she went for a walk, and she was wonderfully flexible in letting me spend half the Saturday orienteering. She also let me get out for 2 or 3 shortish runs on weekdays. For a while I was going for a two mile run after work with one of the kids.
Have you ever received pushback on outdoor parenting from family, friends, or community? If so, how have you handled it? I don't think our friends understood that we were sending our little kids into unfamiliar woods on their own with just a map and compass. :-)
We attended church as a family very regularly on Sunday mornings. If we went away for a weekend, we would miss church of course, and my wife and I would kid ourselves about "playing hookey" from church. But no pushback. Massachusetts churches are grateful for whatever attendance and support they get.

Summary/Conclusion:

What resources helped you figure out how to do these outdoor activities with your kids? (books, friends, groups, blogs, etc). We both grew up in families that enjoyed hiking and car camping, and knew the basics. What led us to wonderful times wasn't so much "how to" guides, as friends, maps, articles and even travel guides that clued us in to great places. For what it's worth, the most memorable are: * White Mountains, NH * Baxter State Park, Maine * Appalachian Mountain Club Huts, NH * Fransted Family Campground, Franconia, NH * Umbagog Lake, New Hampshire & Maine * Kejimkujik National Park, Nova Scotia * Maine Wilderness Camps, Maine * Up North Orienteers Camping Weekend, NH
If you’re a writer, what are the blog posts, articles, books, videos that you have written/created that you think would most help other families? Recommended hikes with kids in the White Mountains
What is your favorite outdoor parenting hack? Once we had kids, car camping assumed a more considerable role compared to backpacking. To make a great leap beyond the lightweight backpacking mattress I went to a local fabric store and bought 4" thick foam that was plenty long enough for my 6' sleeping bag. And similarly for my wife, except 5" thick. Sewed up a fabric cover over the foam and we parents had great mattresses. Kids with their smaller bones were content with the backpacking pads.
I must mention a hack of a completely different kind. For our family, getting into the outdoors necessarily meant getting away from screens. What to do after dark? Invent and tell tall tales to one another.
What is your biggest outdoor parenting mistake? Once we hiked from the valley up to the Franconia Ridge. We had rewarding snacks along; the problem was that they were not guarded sufficiently. Just as we were starting down again on the steepest part of the trail, our 8 year old son, normally a very willing hiker, developed such a pain in the gut that he could not proceed. Concerned that he might have a serious intestinal obstruction or appendicitis, we could not wait it out. I lifted the chunky kid and carried him down the mountain for at least 1/2 hour. Eventually he must have found the discomfort of being carried increasing to where it was comparable to his gut pain, which might have been easing. He allowed as how he could try to walk the rest of the way, and that it had been a mistake to eat the entire bag of m&ms!
If you could give one piece of advice to other outdoor families, what would it be? Learn to have confidence in each of your kids, and thus teach them self-confidence.
What is your favorite piece of gear for outdoor parenting? Karhu kid-size cross-country skis fit the budget and fit the kids when they were 5 to 7 years old. We had a couple of pairs and they were passed along from one child to the next. One child was so excited to have her own new skis that she went out in 5 degree weather and skied around the yard on her own for a half hour.

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Interview: Karl Klemmick (Skier, snowboarder, backpacker, canoist, climber, biker)

6/1/2020

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For our second interview we are excited to share Karl's experience as an outdoor dad. We have known him and his family for a few years. They are part of a group of families we go on group camping trips with a few times a year, until they moved back to Colorado. I have always been impressed with how they find the time to get into the mountains so often while they both worked full time jobs and also with the impressive hiking stamina of their daughter.

Name: Karl Klemmick
Location: Boulder, Co, USA
Family Activities: Mostly downhill skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, camping, biking, and hot springing with a little canoeing, climbing, mountain biking mixed in. We travel whenever we can make it happen. Recently we have been working on much longer backpacking / trekking trips with a fair amount of success.
Kids: 9 year old daughter
Work Schedule: Usually we’re both full time, Currently one full time and one not working. We have changed this equation many times over the years.

Transitioning to parenthood:

What outdoor activities did you do before you had a kid? Pretty much the same with less day hiking and more climbing, mountain biking and trail running.
When your spouse was pregnant, she continue any of the activities and how did she modify the activity while pregnant? We tried to keep up the outdoor activities. We even planned a backpacking trip at about 5 months, but afterward we discovered that she needed to back off a bit. She also gave up canoeing and climbing and any other activity that had a potential for jostling.
If you do different activities after having a kid, why is that? Our activities changed and how we approached those activities changed, partly to accommodate the safety and abilities of our child, but also because we were getting older and slowing down a bit.
How old was your kid when you started doing outdoor activities with them? 4 months.
What was your biggest challenge when you started doing outdoor activities with your kid? Finding that balance between fun and exhaustion.

Outdoor parenting:

How have these challenges changed as your kid got older? I’m not sure it has. We still work hard at pushing our child’s limits without harming them or making the activity miserable. Every year she can do more, so we do more.
Do you have trouble maintaining the kid's interest in the activity (ie during a long hike) and if you do, how do you keep the kid interested? Hiking games! From Fetch the stick to 20 Questions to Name an Ingredient. The games have changed as she has aged, but they are still very useful as the mileage increases.
How do you fit the activities into your working life? Anyway we can (from maxing out our weekends to taking a six month sabbatical).
How do you balance outdoor activities with kid's activities (organized sports, music, school)? We have avoided organized sports and have done everything we can to keep our weekends open.
How do you and your partner ensure that both of you can keep doing your outdoor activities? We have settled on a group of activities that we can all enjoy together.
Have you ever received pushback on outdoor parenting from family, friends, or community? No.

Summary/Conclusion:

What resources helped you figure out how to do these outdoor activities with your kid? (books, friends, groups, blogs, etc) We have pretty much learned by trial and error. We just kept doing what we liked to do and tweaked things along the way. Early on, I was also involved in a Bay Area group called Stroller Hikes, that organized mid-week hikes with the littles. They are still up and running and can be found at strollerhikes.com.
If you’re a writer, what are the blog posts, articles, books, videos that you have written/created that you think would most help other families? Back when our daughter was little and I had more time, I published a blog with tons of stories and photos from our earlier adventures. It’s quite a good snapshot of our transition from an adventurous couple to adventurous parents. I currently have aspirations of adding some of our more recent long treks and the planning involved in making them happen. The blog can be found at somehowlost.com
What is your favorite outdoor parenting hack? Just get outside. Go early and often.
What is your biggest outdoor parenting mistake? This one is hard. I don’t want to say we didn’t make any mistakes, but honestly none of them mattered. We now have a daughter that is just as addicted to the outdoors as we are.

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Interview: Dennis & Laura (climbing, camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, canoeing)

Interview: Scott Turner (Orienteering, Hiking, Skiing, Camping, Biking, Backpacking )

Interview: Karl Klemmick (Skier, snowboarder, backpacker, canoist, climber, biker)

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OKH

Interview: Dennis & Laura (climbing, camping, hiking, skiing, kayaking, canoeing)

Interview: Scott Turner (Orienteering, Hiking, Skiing, Camping, Biking, ​Backpacking )

Interview: Karl Klemmick (Skier, snowboarder, backpacker, canoist, climber, biker)

Categories

OKH

Interview: Scott Turner (Orienteering, Hiking, Skiing, Camping, Biking, Backpacking )